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Spoelstra got outcoached by Donovan. They were not able to find mismatches against our jumbo lineup.

For all the grabbing and hacking they do, Heat whines a lot to the refs.

cool007 wrote:

Stratmaster wrote:I am really looking forward to seeing the Coby, Zach, Temple, Theis, Vuc lineup.

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When Zach comes back and if Billy has PWilly still in the starting lineup over Temple then I will have to seriouly question Billy and how much he wants to win.

At this point I think AK told Billy that PWill is to start every game and average around 25 minutes for the season, no questions asked. They want to invest in and develop "their" guy. Makes sense when you consider he's the only player on the roster who's been immune to accountability this season.

SalmonsSuperfan wrote:Missed the game, was going to watch the replay and avoid realgm so as not to get spoilers...go out for a cig, look at my phone and open espn/nba according to muscle memory...well we won and seems like a game worth watching!!

On this same front, still haven’t watched the replay, but I went to the local bodega to get a beer and some chips and I hear in the background “blah blah blah vucevic double double blah blah Coby white” the whole world giving me chicago bulls spoilers despite being in San Francisco.

bad knees wrote:

Stratmaster wrote:

bad knees wrote:Until this year Theis played almost exclusively C. Last year he was the starting C for the Celtics when they went to the Eastern Conference finals. He played PF for the Celtics this year only because Ainge made the mistake of spending a fair amount to sign Tristan Thompson. When you read the Celtics board, they all seem to believe that Theis prefers to play C and only plays PF because it is obviously better for the team. This summer he will undoubtedly have his choice of teams who will offer him the opportunity to start at C. I don’t know his preference. I’m just saying that it’s a potential problem for us in our efforts to resign him. Who knows? Maybe PF is growing on him.

Who do you think wants to pay him top dollar to be their starting center?

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Hornets, Knicks, Thunder, Mavs, Raptors, for starters, will likely be interested and have the space. And why do you mention top dollar? That’s not the point. The point is Theis may well want to play C and there will be teams offering the opportunity. If he prefers to play C, then we are likely screwed.

I highly doubt not playing center is an issue for him. He actually fits perfectly next to Vuc and their games compliment each other. Other things will play a role on whether he stays or not. Best contract is first. Then if a contending team wants him would he rather go there ?

If Theis likes it here and likes the team/his role then I’m sure it would be easier to keep him.We ll see in the off season but again not playing center isn’t a reason he wouldn’t stay .

Vuc & Theis got all the well deserved props, but Temple has another underrated defensive game. There were some screens were he just teleported through them and didn't lose a step on his man. Miami is heavy 3 point shooting team, and they shot from 3:
Ariza 4-12
Robinson 1-7
Dragic & Jimmy 0-5
Bench 2-12

Bulls aren't winning because Lavine is out of the lineup, the Bulls are winning because Temple is back. We were 6-4 in the stretch where he started before he got injured, pre-trade.

kodo wrote:Vuc & Theis got all the well deserved props, but Temple has another underrated defensive game. There were some screens were he just teleported through them and didn't lose a step on his man. Miami is heavy 3 point shooting team, and they shot from 3:
Ariza 4-12
Robinson 1-7
Dragic & Jimmy 0-5
Bench 2-12

Bulls aren't winning because Lavine is out of the lineup, the Bulls are winning because Temple is back. We were 6-4 in the stretch where he started before he got injured, pre-trade.

He seems to be waaaay better than the stats suggest.

Great victory, but a really tough game to watch, imo. So many stupid turnovers and so many times Butler pulled his forced contact for the foul. It was frustrating as hell. I had to watch the replay, and if I hadn't already known we won the game, I probably would have checked out before the 4th quarter. Great ending though, which is the point.

I'm really liking Coby lately. Vuc is consistent as hell, which is an amazing thing to see on the Bulls. Thies looking like a beast. Young, Lauri, Temple - real good contributions from almost everyone on the team. I can sleep well tonight.

MrSparkle wrote:Really nice b-ball on both ends.

Miami are an old and hurting squad right now, but Ariza turned back the clock tonight, and they really wanted the W to keep that #6 seed.

There are some match-ups were the huge line-up/Lauri-SF works.

Also been discussing this in the "Lauri..." thread.

The Bulls again closed out the game with Lauri at SF.

Depending on the teams that the Bulls face, this could become a pattern for the rest of the season.

It's really hard for other teams to defend, and it also opens up the paint for Coby to split the perimeter defense and drive all the way to the basket untouched.

It's nice to see the Bulls wear down teams over the course of the game, then deliver the knock out punch in the 4th quarter.

This is the type of coaching that I'd hope to see after the Bulls hired BD.

We're starting not one, not two, but THREE defensive non-entities (Vuc, Pat, Coby). Not ideal. That means the starters need to be scorcing hot offensively for us to even stay in games in the 1st quarter.

This needs to be fixed, and since Zach eventually replacing Coby does nothing in this regard, the only option is to bench Patrick Williams (long overdue anyway).

He was again abused all night long and the Heat actively sought out 1-on-1's against him.

Not holding my breath, though. Williams will keep getting his entitlement starts the rest of the way, and the Bulls will keep falling into deep holes to start games whenever they're not shooting lights out.

We gotta resign Theis. I can’t see a better frontcourt player we can obtain to replace him. I don’t think any team will throw the bank at him. At least I hope not.

ZOMG wrote:We're starting not one, not two, but THREE defensive non-entities (Vuc, Pat, Coby). Not ideal. That means the starters need to be schorcing hot offensively for us to even stay in games in the 1st quarter.

This needs to be fixed, and since Zach eventually replacing Coby does nothing in this regard, the only option is to bench Patrick Williams (long overdue anyway).

He was again abused all night long and the Heat actively sought out 1-on-1's against him.

Not holding my breath, though. Williams will keep getting his entitlement starts the rest of the way, and the Bulls will keep falling into deep holes to start games whenever they're not shooting light out.

LMAO, you're joking right?

What's really funny is that the Coby - Temple - Mr. Patrick Williams - Theis - Vuc lineup has a Defensive Rating of 111.4 in 101 minutes. Decent sample size, plus it's a lineup that hadn't been on the floor at all this season until the last 7 games.

For the first 54 games, before the Coby - Temple - Mr. Patrick Williams - Theis - Vuc starting lineup became a thing, our Defensive Rating was 112.3

Our Defensive Rating for the season is 112.1, which obviously means that our current starting lineup featuring "THREE defensive non-entities" is more effective defensively than team as a whole.

The Coby - Temple - Mr. Patrick Williams - Theis - Vuc lineup has an Offensive Rating of 94.8 - obviously, it's their collective offense that has been their problem as a starting lineup.

In tonight's first quarter, the starters were 7/15 from the field and 1/4 from behind the arc - hardly "scorching hot".

But we were only down by 6 at the end of the 1st quarter, which most definitely qualifies as "staying in the game".

VUCEVIC VS. HEAT

This was the fifth time Vucevic faced Miami this season, including three games before he was traded by Orlando. He had 127 points and 63 rebounds against the Heat in 2020-21; only Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon (152 points, 76 rebounds in 1988-89) and New York's Patrick Ewing (149 points, 66 rebounds in 1989-90) have ever had that many points and rebounds in a season against Miami. Olajuwon and Ewing both faced Miami six times in those seasons.
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That's some pretty good company right there. And Vuc is doing it against a guy who was 2nd Team All-Defense last season.

Hakeem did it against an expansion team that won 15 games, and Ewing did it against a 2nd year franchise that won 18 games.

Will watch the game later. Theis 20-10 is not sustainable. But I like that it seems the team does have some grit and scrappiness in them to try to claw out wins despite depleted (no Zach). I want this scrappy blue collar identity to remain even when Zach rejoins the team.

When we look back, it's been an interesting season for Coby. Lots of ups and downs, this is when young players usually learn and grow. Hopefully this positive stretch the last several games is a sign of growth and the new normal for Coby.

WindyCityBorn wrote:We gotta resign Theis. I can’t see a better frontcourt player we can obtain to replace him. I don’t think any team will throw the bank at him. At least I hope not.

Every team can use a guy like him. We need to improve our defense, doesn't make sense to not resign him when he's one of the few bright spots on D.

Stratmaster wrote:

SalmonsSuperfan wrote:Missed the game, was going to watch the replay and avoid realgm so as not to get spoilers...go out for a cig, look at my phone and open espn/nba according to muscle memory...well we won and seems like a game worth watching!!

Definitely worth watching. It was a great game.

Even if it hadn't been, Jimmy Butler missed a layup down the stretch trying to flail his way into a foul. That alone was with it

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Truer words have not been spoken.

I hate flop ball. Was beautiful watching Jimmy choke.

CobyWhite0 wrote:VUCEVIC VS. HEAT

This was the fifth time Vucevic faced Miami this season, including three games before he was traded by Orlando. He had 127 points and 63 rebounds against the Heat in 2020-21; only Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon (152 points, 76 rebounds in 1988-89) and New York's Patrick Ewing (149 points, 66 rebounds in 1989-90) have ever had that many points and rebounds in a season against Miami. Olajuwon and Ewing both faced Miami six times in those seasons.
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That's some pretty good company right there. And Vuc is doing it against a guy who was 2nd Team All-Defense last season.

Hakeem did it against an expansion team that won 15 games, and Ewing did it against a 2nd year franchise that won 18 games.

For people that are under appreciating how good Vuc is or complaining about being a defensive liability without him this is probably a bottom 3 team in the league. (Assuming Zach isn’t playing either).

The Bulls have a 4-3 record over the last 7 games primarily because of Vuc. He significantly increases the floor of this team. Let’s assume the trade isn’t made and WCJ is playing instead of Vuc. Do people see the Bulls winning any of these games?

RSP83 wrote:

WindyCityBorn wrote:We gotta resign Theis. I can’t see a better frontcourt player we can obtain to replace him. I don’t think any team will throw the bank at him. At least I hope not.

Every team can use a guy like him. We need to improve our defense, doesn't make sense to not resign him when he's one of the few bright spots on D.

Yes a great supporting player to have. Not sure what he will cost though or if he even wants to stay with the Bulls. As good as he is there are more important areas to address (ex: PG) but it is a no brainer to bring Theis back.

The Bulls played well, but I don't see how that's a particularly great win. The Heat's supporting cast is Houston level, nothing but corpses and never wases. It had Max Strus and Gabe Vincent on the court down the stretch.

At any rate, Vuce delivered again -- he's very consistent -- and Coby continued to be clutch down the stretch. When he shoots an open 3 in the 4th quarter, or drives to the rim, I have a very high degree of confidence.

Am2626 wrote:

CobyWhite0 wrote:VUCEVIC VS. HEAT

This was the fifth time Vucevic faced Miami this season, including three games before he was traded by Orlando. He had 127 points and 63 rebounds against the Heat in 2020-21; only Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon (152 points, 76 rebounds in 1988-89) and New York's Patrick Ewing (149 points, 66 rebounds in 1989-90) have ever had that many points and rebounds in a season against Miami. Olajuwon and Ewing both faced Miami six times in those seasons.
______________________

That's some pretty good company right there. And Vuc is doing it against a guy who was 2nd Team All-Defense last season.

Hakeem did it against an expansion team that won 15 games, and Ewing did it against a 2nd year franchise that won 18 games.

For people that are under appreciating how good Vuc is or complaining about being a defensive liability without him this is probably a bottom 3 team in the league. (Assuming Zach isn’t playing either).

The Bulls have a 4-3 record over the last 7 games primarily because of Vuc. He significantly increases the floor of this team. Let’s assume the trade isn’t made and WCJ is playing instead of Vuc. Do people see the Bulls winning any of these games?

Amen

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