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.