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TGW wrote:
________________________________________
____________PF Trevor Booker_______________________________PF Carlos Boozer
______6.6 ppg (55% fg, 0% 3pt, 62% ft)__________-________13.7 ppg (45% fg, 0% 3pt, 77% ft)
_____5.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg__________________8.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.3 bpg

miller31time wrote:We can win this.

As I said in the game-1 thread, regular season Chicago isn't really any different than playoff Chicago. Thibs and Noah keep the intensity level at a maximum all 82 games. So when the playoffs roll around, I don't think they have anything extra to give their opponents. It's very "what you see is what you get".

But with the Wizards, we know what this team can do when we're focused and intense. Unfortunately, during the regular season, we simply aren't focused on intense on a consistent basis. But the playoffs are a different beast and we'll keep that level of focus and intensity sky-high for as long as we're in the show.

That's why I think we can win this series. The Bulls are a more consistent team but we have a higher ceiling depending on how much we give a crap.

doclinkin wrote:The playoffs are about adjustments. Teams have time to gameplan and practice and drill sets and defenses between games. The Bull's scheme was pretty good, trying to induce John to drive to his right for a pull-up after screen-rolls, many times Kirk not even faceguarding him but standing to his left entirely.

Thibbs didn't prep as well for Nene since it had been a while since Nene and John shared the floor much. The Big Brazilian had been coming off the bench for us and we were running the 2nd unit offense through him. Really though what fueled the comeback was the Wizards perimeter Defense, allowing the team to get loose for open shots after open court outbreaks, and then Andre Miller abusing DJ with his postgame mismatch.

But I can already see and predict some tweaks to the plan. There are counters, and counters to the counters and in that respect I still give the edge to evil genius "The Penguin" Tommy Thibbs. In that respect the Wiz are still best off hoping the players themselves know how to adjust to the counters-- instead of relying on Wittman to do it.

That and: take the Bulls example and keep up the defensive pressure. That's the piece that had me willing to be hopeful about the series, that when it came down to it the Wizards had shown with effort they _could_ raise their game on defense, while their offense was occasionally really good -- whereas the Bulls were operating at about max efficiency on defense already, and for them the real struggle was figuring out where the offense might come from if they hit a cold stretch.

The answer is probably: offensive rebounding. Though that can be dangerous since if you commit to crashing but don't collect it you may be out of position for transition D. And give credit to the Wiz Bigs, they played pretty well underneath, beating their season averages against one of the best rebounding front lines in the league. And they were supplemented by 2nd line rebounders as well, for all that Wall & Beal's game was stunted by the defense they both found ways to contribute on both ends regardless, great defense on teh outside, efficient passing, a few steals, timely blocks etc all from the perimeter players.

And that's what this series will probably come down to: perimeter defense and rebounding. Which is what makes me still anxious since when it comes to all-out hustle and will to 'go-get-it' the Bulls are more consistently channelling more power and effort. Wiz can get too cool, less passionate, and fail to rise to the occasion. Or being young may not have quite the same desperation to win. This is where the fossils on the bench help the wiz team out the most. This is the last best chance for the AARP crew of former stars and possible HOFers (like #3 all time assist leader Andre Miller).

Rafael122 wrote:So I noticed most of the Bulls players are doing leg warmers or whatever it is? Is that a playoff thing?

Nivek wrote:Over at basketball-reference, the Wizards odds of winning the series have jumped to 60% after their game one win. Nice.

MikeTheKid wrote:I just want to note 2 things going into Game 2:

-Last season BK beat Chicago by 17 and everyone screamed to the world that the series was over after Gm1 and what happened

-Though the Bulls won last season after a bad Gm1, they don't have the shot creators that they had last season (Belinelli, Nate) which really goes to our favor

And a Bonus Point:

-If we win Game 2 THIS SERIES IS OVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nate33 wrote:

closg00 wrote:The playoffs are about depth (especially the front court), endurance, and coaching.

Nonsense.

Depth and endurance matters a lot less in the playoffs because there are no back-to-backs and aging players don't have to think about staying healthy for the entire season. All your 33-36 minute players will play 38-40 minutes. Wall will probably play 42 minutes a game, for instance.

I think coaching matters less too. Coaching isn't some deep arcane science. Most coaches apply the same basic strategies. The good ones are the ones who recognize game conditions and adapt quickly to get the jump on bad coaches. For that reason, good coaching can often be the difference in a standard regular season game against an unfamiliar opponent. But in a playoff series, after the first game or two, everyone pretty much knows every play the other team is going to run and what the appropriate strategic counter should be. At that point, it boils down to talent, NOT coaching.

CHICAGO -- John Wall knew he was in the playoffs when he suddenly got gassed in Game 1, seemingly for no reason. He wasn't tired, but all of the games he has watched on TV and in person didn't prepare him for this reality. Playoff games are a different beast than the regular season.

"It's very intense. I watched it and went to a couple of games. But it's a lot different when you're on the court," said Wall, who shot 4-for-14 but scored 16 points in Sunday's 102-93 comeback victory against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. "It was one segment where I couldn't breathe when I was going up and down the court."

Dat2U wrote:

MikeTheKid wrote:I just want to note 2 things going into Game 2:

-Last season BK beat Chicago by 17 and everyone screamed to the world that the series was over after Gm1 and what happened

-Though the Bulls won last season after a bad Gm1, they don't have the shot creators that they had last season (Belinelli, Nate) which really goes to our favor

And a Bonus Point:

-If we win Game 2 THIS SERIES IS OVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big point there. Going from Nate Robinson & Marco Belinelli to D.J. Augustin is a huge difference. Especially come playoff time. I don't think D.J. has the same ability Nate had to play bigger in the biggest moments.

pancakes3 wrote:

Dat2U wrote:

MikeTheKid wrote:I just want to note 2 things going into Game 2:

-Last season BK beat Chicago by 17 and everyone screamed to the world that the series was over after Gm1 and what happened

-Though the Bulls won last season after a bad Gm1, they don't have the shot creators that they had last season (Belinelli, Nate) which really goes to our favor

And a Bonus Point:

-If we win Game 2 THIS SERIES IS OVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big point there. Going from Nate Robinson & Marco Belinelli to D.J. Augustin is a huge difference. Especially come playoff time. I don't think D.J. has the same ability Nate had to play bigger in the biggest moments.

Also, quietly, Boozer's production's really fallen off this season. Scoring volume, percentages, per-minute, raw, assists, PER, everything.