Hollinger: Chicago Bulls have legit title hopes(insider)

[Vicino]

You can cut it any-way you want it, we don't have anyone besides Rose who can get his own shot...Point Blank End of Story.

The over-saturation of sports-coverage and even many of the discussions on this board try and break things down to unnecessary specifics that completely go out the window crunch time deep in the playoffs.

Hollinger is just a dork with a calculator...none of his crap means anything when it comes to winning Ring(s).

I think we're going to beat Miami because of one man, Derrick Rose. Yes we have a very solid team and great chemistry, but either rose makes the big plays in the last 5 minutes of games in late May/Early June...or he doesn't - Either those late game-changing free-throws go in, or they don't.

[StopItDRose]

I think we're going to beat Miami because of one man, Derrick Rose. Yes we have a very solid team and great chemistry, but either rose makes the big plays in the last 5 minutes of games in late May/Early June...or he doesn't - Either those late game-changing free-throws go in, or they don't.

You might just be right, but I think you're wrong. Unless you mean Derrick Rose wins it by taking pressure off of everyone else, so that they win it--Derrick Rose-by-proxy if you will--because I agree with what weneeda2guard was saying. They're going to dare everyone BUT Rose to beat them, and everyone else will need to step up to prove that they can ball under pressure, without their star.

And much like someone else had said, Rose sitting for a few games was actually a blessing in disguise; we actually learned how to play as a team, not as a collection of individuals who wait for their best individual to win the game. I would also like to say that though our offense has looked more "team-like" simply by adding Rip, I think the mental-mindset-distinction between "wanting" to play like a team and "needing" to play like a team, that was learned with Rose injured, will eventually be the difference when we're truly called upon needing to play like a team, despite Rose being fully well and healthy, defended by three El Heat players--assuming of course, that the Heat even reach the ECF, which I think we may be giving them too much credit simply inking them into that spot. Of course, this is a discussion for a different thread, so I'll leave it at that.

[Rodman]

don't forget that Thibs is not as stubborn in his rotations anymore than he was last year. IMO it will be a bit of guys (Korver, Hamilton, Deng, Brewer, Watson) hitting shots at the end of the game and Thibs getting the right guys in the right place, b/c that was a big problem last season against the Heat.
Thibs being a lot better and flexible coach is going to be a big factor. He was like a deer in the headlight last year and couldn't adjust the right way, I expect a lot more out of him this year!

[transplant]

Thank you for noticing, Mr. Hollinger.

As for the negative aspects of the article, no new ground broken. The Heat are the favorites in the East and figure to remain so until they decide who's best on the court.

[bojangler]

all of this we are going to beat miami talk like we should be favorites, take the glasses off and stop being so arrogant. we have like a 1/5 chance of beating miami and our d/offense has to execute almost perfectly to do it, they got significantly better and we got marginally better. what lebron is doing this season is absurd and he only goes to the post up 4~ a game and is still the most efficient post player in the league, not to mention lights out midrange j.

[BullsGate]

We need some good help for d-rose who would actually step up & take some pressure off of him and also we need more depth.

[transplant]

We need some good help for d-rose who would actually step up & take some pressure off of him and also we need more depth.

Understand the first part, but the Bulls have a 10-man rotation now and all 10 are legit NBA rotation players.

[MrSparkle]

Please...

Is he talking about Roy-era Blazers? A team perpetually plagued by season ending injuries? Or Atlanta? Who's best player could never come close to being MVP?

This article is rubbish. I honestly feel there is 1 team that is better than us, and that's Miami, and it's because they phony assembled the team. OKC is about an even battle. But I don't recall either Atlanta nor Portland ever being top-3.

The one thing Hollinger's right about is there's little reason to expect the regular season offense to translate to playoffs, esp. the bench. All you can hope is Rip, Deng and Boozer make their shots, and Noah continues playing as well.

Main crutch of this team is just how easy it is for Miami to make fast break points... While Chicago, a wide-open fast-break is not a gimme unless it's Rose, who's gonna have a target on his back. Miami can make a 10-0 run like it's a video game in the blink of an eye... And honestly, it's what Jordan/Pippen would do. That aspect is just the toughest, it's a huge disadvantage Bulls have. Boozer can't run like Bosh, Brewer misses half his dunks, Luol isn't Lebron, and Rose can't throw an alley-oop...

[DuckIII]

You can cut it any-way you want it, we don't have anyone besides Rose who can get his own shot...Point Blank End of Story.

The over-saturation of sports-coverage and even many of the discussions on this board try and break things down to unnecessary specifics that completely go out the window crunch time deep in the playoffs.

Hollinger is just a dork with a calculator...none of his crap means anything when it comes to winning Ring(s).

I think we're going to beat Miami because of one man, Derrick Rose. Yes we have a very solid team and great chemistry, but either rose makes the big plays in the last 5 minutes of games in late May/Early June...or he doesn't - Either those late game-changing free-throws go in, or they don't.

I was reading this and thinking it didn't make sense and was an oversimplification. And then I thought, you now what? I think this guy might be right.

And then I remembered about defense.

[chadrucf]

The second, more complex one, is this: They're looking a little too Hawks-Blazersy for my liking. Having watched those two teams heavily over the past few seasons, I know how this offensive model works out in the playoffs.

Great analysis.

[AAU Teammate]

It seems like every Finals champion has this big story regarding unheralded bench guys when they win.

I refuse to believe that our roster makeup is a hinderance come playoff time. Sure there are less benches to beat up on, but the thing with our depth is on a given night Taj and Omer are capable of being starter quality anyway. CJ will be used less in a playoff game, obviously (at least at PG)

I would agree with --seemingly everyone-- that Rip bringing our offense forward is the big thing that has to happen. Brewer and Korver just aren't well-rounded enough, and I think we're at our best if Rip plays 30 minutes and plays like he did earlier this season. His ability to handle and move the ball just does so much for this offense.

[Drellberg]

I always want to highlight James' MPG. He's played in 33 of 34 Heat games this season averaging 37 MPG. Wow. Even Deng, the Bulls' workhorse, has taken off 7 games (averaging 38MPG in those he's played).

Bosh has fewer MPG ... 34 ... but he hasn't taken one night off.

LeBron James weighs 250 lbs, carrying a lot of weight up and down the court every night. He takes a ton of punishment, and plays an amazing number of minutes during the regular season.

My sense of things, for whatever it's worth: Either James gets some rest down the stretch, meaning that the Bulls will end up with the better record and home court advantage; or he's going to be exhausted come the playoffs. My prediction is that he plays significantly fewer minutes in the second half of the regular season, because it's more important that he be rested for the playoffs, and that as such the Heat likely ceded the best record (and HCA) to the Bulls.

[Drellberg]

I'd like to add ...

First, that Mark Stein writes this in this week's ESPN Power Rankings: "The Heat completed their February schedule with a mark of 11-2 ...with 10 of those wins coming by at least 10 points. No other team in history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, has managed to post 10 such wins in a month containing as few as 13 games."

My question: Why does it seem important to the Heat to win big rather than play LeBron so many minutes? It's curious to me.

Second, Hollinger's simulations of the rest of the season have the Heat winning exactly one more game than the Bulls. With neither team losing very often, the Heat are going to have keep playing LeBron a lot of MPG if they want to stay ahead (unless they can rest James more in the blowouts).