Bulls Stun Cavs in Cleveland, Begin to Discover Identity
As you can see from the picture, the Bulls and Cavs game was a physical battle. The Bulls managed to pull it out 86-85 after a very poor final possession by Cleveland, but not before Hinrich lost a good amount of blood. More importantly to note, I think we are learning the character of this Bulls squad. Although their shooting woes continued last night, they once again kept the game close to the end and were able to overcome the Cavs. You can sense the energy on this team. I’ll admit the talent level is lacking, and Rose is clearly hobbled somewhat by his heel (although he did post a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists last night), but they have shown a lot to get excited about.
So what is the identity of this team? It appears to be a team that is essentially 9 deep and will find any way to stay in a game that it can. While the shooting hasn’t been there, the team defense has evolved greatly since last season. Everyone seems to be communicating better, and although there are still major lapses, even Brad Miller looked like he was trying on the defensive end against Shaq. Last night? The Bulls were actually outrebounded, but by protecting the ball better than I have seen them in years (only 5 turnovers the whole game, it has to be a record in this millennium for the Bulls) they were able to secure the victory.
So what to expect from the Bulls this season? I know the haters out there point to the poor shooting and lineup full of question marks and say “this year is gonna suck”. But I beg to differ. I think this team is very exciting and plays with heart. If Derrick Rose can get healthy, we could see 40+ wins, another playoff appearance and maybe even a shot to advance to the next round if they can somehow snag the 5th or 6th seed.
You notice how I didn’t mention Vinny in all this? It’s hard to tell where he fits in to this team’s identity. He seems to have them playing better defense, but at the same time the shooting woes cannot be completely blamed on a team-wide shooting slump. If anything, Vinny Del Crapo’s “everybody freeze and watch each other force up bad shots” offense is more likely the cause of their shooting struggles.
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Comments
Comment from Rule 5 Draftee
Time November 6, 2009 at 8:33 am
I apologize for my poor grammar.
Comment from Stormin’ Norman Disciple
Time November 6, 2009 at 8:37 am
As of the moment that comment was published, no one is ever allowed to criticize any of my syntax or grammar errors again. Especially not Rule 5 Draftee.
That being said, I love the intensity and energy Noah has shown and Deng IS playing well. So is that Vinny’s doing? Or is he holding the team back? Both I assume.
Comment from Rule 5 Draftee
Time November 6, 2009 at 9:11 am
I need to see a larger sample before I judge Vinny’s performance as a coach this year. Last year, it was the game against Miami which Vinny completely mismanaged and we as Bulls fans wrote-him off. Then, we ended up getting into the playoffs. I’d like to see more crunch time game management before I judge Vinny, but he handled yesterday well. Noah and Luol closed the lane on TheBron’s final drive which led to the turnover. Let’s wait and see before we buy or sell Vinny. For now, he is a HOLD.
Comment from Ethan
Time November 6, 2009 at 10:16 am
Whatever… I’d like to just point to the poor shooting and lineup full of question marks and say “this year is gonna suck”.
Comment from The Guitar God
Time November 6, 2009 at 11:10 am
Ahhh i love the smell of blood in the morning!
Comment from Player to be named later
Time November 6, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Even Kirk now? This vampire stuff has gone too far
Comment from Player to be named later
Time November 6, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I’m confused, are the Bulls struggling shooting the ball?
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Time November 6, 2009 at 1:34 pm
[...] Bulls Stun Cavs [...]
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Time November 6, 2009 at 3:50 pm
[...] Third Quarter Collapse has been nominated for the best sports blog in Orlando, so, vote already.SG: NQTC. Norm thought you might like this picture of Kirk Hinrich(notes) with blood pouring out of his [...]
Pingback from The 10-man rotation, starring Hamed Haddadi’s tiny car | Vote on Me – Sports!
Time November 8, 2009 at 1:00 am
[...] Third Quarter Collapse has been nominated for the best sports blog in Orlando, so, vote already.SG: NQTC. Norm thought you might like this picture of Kirk Hinrich(notes) with blood pouring out of his [...]
Pingback from Linked And Loaded For The Weekend | Paneech
Time November 8, 2009 at 10:45 am
[...] Qualified To Comment is a Chicago blog. Their story after the Cavs lost to the Bulls was that the Bulls began to discover their identity. It is obvious that Cleveland is still searching for an identity of their [...]
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Comment from Rule 5 Draftee
Time November 6, 2009 at 8:30 am
Luol Deng has started the season very strongly. Hopefully this is a sign that last years regression (before he was out for the season) was a result of his nagging leg injury. He is an asset defensively as we saw last night. He did a pretty decent job on TheBron, and the Bulls got lucky that his jump-shot was off last night. We all know it’s a different game if TheBron can setup his shot from outside. Furthermore, last year Noah was off to a sluggish start, likely due to laziness. It’s early, but I’ve seen him grow and mature so far compared to last season, that it looks like he approached the off-season wanted to improve his craft as a professional.