Bulls vs Knicks @ MSG 12-2 6:30pm

[bearadonisdna]

Bulls vs knicks .
Knicks are 1 of my favorite teams so this is bitter sweet moment .

There’s a lot of cool side stories . Thibs , Rose, the garden . Should make for a good watch as long as bulls come to play . Right now I have them as the decisive stronger team and I hope it shows up on game day .

So , as far as matchups are concerned I see them as such :

Vuc > Mitch
Green < Randle
Derozan > Fournier

1. Lonzo > Burks
2. LaVine > RJB

———————-

1st half rotation :

Vuc-18 Bradley-6
Green-12 Djj-12
Derozan-12 Green-2 Caruso-10

1. Lonzo -18 Coby-6
2. LaVine -18 Derozan -6

———————
Think I’m understanding Donovan’s system more . It’s easier to follow to figure out which is the best backcourt and then the extra guard is the SF.
That’s conjecture it’s just my perspective.

Here the Caruso crew should be happy I found him a cushy spot in the rotation. Derozan really packs some umph to the backcourt rotation. My reasoning it’s a perimeter league you need your backcourt to be dangerous . As you can see a lot of the minutes appear interchangeable due to preference with minor tinkering .


1st option -Zach
Right now I like the strength of the SG position. Fournier seems like a guy you wanna pick on but their 1-3 can be interchangeable offensively and defensively . Plus I like Zach and demar the defacto zone beaters because of their handle etc.


—————————-

Pitfalls to avoid -
1. The zone defense which we went over in the last game thread .
2. Being hurt by self inflicting micro ball .
3. While we get hurt by zone defense , we have seen thib like to double . He likes to get after guys he singled out. Here you need help offense . They say find the open man , BE THE OPEN MAN.

————————-

In conclusion : this is another matchup that resonates that This is big 3 team with an elite pointguard . That is elite level roster construction , competitive advantage etc. Looking for a bulls win and hopefully we get it .


Game preview:
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/chicago-bulls-new-york-knicks-2021120218/

[bearadonisdna]

GT song : going with same song as last time , good vibe will ride it out

Watch on YouTube

[The Explorer]

So , as far as matchups are concerned I see them as such :

Vuc > Mitch
Green < Randle
Derozan > Fournier

1. Lonzo > Burks
2. LaVine > RJB

You know this doesn't matter right.
1. they already lost to them twice
2. Its about the coaching strategy more than who is better than who. Bulls have shown the entire league they are having great trouble against the zone

[bearadonisdna]

So , as far as matchups are concerned I see them as such :

Vuc > Mitch
Green < Randle
Derozan > Fournier

1. Lonzo > Burks
2. LaVine > RJB

You know this doesn't matter right.
1. they already lost to them twice
2. Its about the coaching strategy more than who is better than who. Bulls have shown the entire league they are having great trouble against the zone

1 The season series is tied.
2. That’s the misconception . It’s about the players. When you have a good Coach , it’s about the players.The bulls cooked the zone last night. It was a personnel problem not a strategy problem

And by the way I feel that is very important . Having the talent advantage at 4 out of 5 positions is a great competitive edge. It doesn’t help or matter when you don’t recognize or capitalize on it .

[The Explorer]

So , as far as matchups are concerned I see them as such :

Vuc > Mitch
Green < Randle
Derozan > Fournier

1. Lonzo > Burks
2. LaVine > RJB

You know this doesn't matter right.
1. they already lost to them twice
2. Its about the coaching strategy more than who is better than who. Bulls have shown the entire league they are having great trouble against the zone

1 The season series is tied.
2. That’s the misconception . It’s about the players. When you have a good Coach , it’s about the players.The bulls cooked the zone last night. It was a personnel problem not a strategy problem

My bad, yes series is tied.
Last night Charlotte went on a run in the first quarter using the zone. And again in the 4th went the cut the lead. Miami did the same and pretty much controlled the entire game. Donovan acknowledged he has to do better to put Vucevic in the best position to succeed. You beat the zone by excellent ball movement and too often he has the players going iso or shooting deep threes. That's not going to work.

[bearadonisdna]

You know this doesn't matter right.
1. they already lost to them twice
2. Its about the coaching strategy more than who is better than who. Bulls have shown the entire league they are having great trouble against the zone

1 The season series is tied.
2. That’s the misconception . It’s about the players. When you have a good Coach , it’s about the players.The bulls cooked the zone last night. It was a personnel problem not a strategy problem

My bad, yes series is tied.
Last night Charlotte went on a run in the first quarter using the zone. And again in the 4th went the cut the lead. Miami did the same and pretty much controlled the entire game. Donovan acknowledged he has to do better to put Vucevic in the best position to succeed. You beat the zone by excellent ball movement and too often he has the players going iso or shooting deep threes. That's not going to work.

Also elite ball handling can carve up the zone. Like a Chris Paul type . Stacey mentioned it once last night , zone Taps.

Basically dribble penetration in and out of zones pretty much exposing non committed defenders.
And/or dribble penetration on a zone that is stretched out by viable offensive threats .

The problem last night is that billy had a C lineup out there for extended minutes. Micro ball etc.

As an example , 1 of my favorite from last night . This is Zach at 3:00 minute mark. This is their little zone , everyone flat footed and 1 guy with ankle broken at the top of the key.

Watch on YouTube

[HoopsterJones]

Should be another slug fest. Need to limit the open three looks for Fournier, Burks, and Quickley. The Knicks defensive rating has been middling, but Thibs will likely employ the double team for LaVine and Derozan again. This will come down to Vucevic being able to score efficiently and open 3 point makes by the other guys on the floor. I think the Bulls will win this but it will be grimey.

[drosestruts]

I want to see some aggression from the Bulls here. We know a Thibs team is gonna play hard. We come off as a very skilled team, but what's it gonna look like when we have to slug it out? I'd rather find out here than in the playoffs.

I've seen Zach get mad at the refs this year - still don't think I've ever seen him be mad at a player. Oubre hit him in the air last night and he was just like "we're cool, all good". Stop being so nice Zach.

[madvillian]

I want to see some aggression from the Bulls here. We know a Thibs team is gonna play hard. We come off as a very skilled team, but what's it gonna look like when we have to slug it out? I'd rather find out here than in the playoffs.

I've seen Zach get mad at the refs this year - still don't think I've ever seen him be mad at a player. Oubre hit him in the air last night and he was just like "we're cool, all good". Stop being so nice Zach.

This isn't your Thibs' Bulls. The Knicks, for the most part, are a finesse team that likes to hoist up threes. They are 9th in threes attempted, 6th in percentage. They are 15th in ORTG and 16th in DRTG. They are a decent but not great team and this is the type of game that if Chicago wants to push for a top 3 seed needs to win more often than not.

Knicks are also in transition a bit, benching Kemba and working more off players not named Randle. We'll see how the game goes but Chicago should win this one coming off two days rest (finally).

[sco]

My keys to a Bulls win:

1) Bulls need to shoot 3's at 37%+
2) Bulls need to keep TO's below 14
3) Keep Randle from having an efficient scoring night

[drosestruts]

I want to see some aggression from the Bulls here. We know a Thibs team is gonna play hard. We come off as a very skilled team, but what's it gonna look like when we have to slug it out? I'd rather find out here than in the playoffs.

I've seen Zach get mad at the refs this year - still don't think I've ever seen him be mad at a player. Oubre hit him in the air last night and he was just like "we're cool, all good". Stop being so nice Zach.

This isn't your Thibs' Bulls. The Knicks, for the most part, are a finesse team that likes to hoist up threes. They are 9th in threes attempted, 6th in percentage. They are 15th in ORTG and 16th in DRTG. They are a decent but not great team and this is the type of game that if Chicago wants to push for a top 3 seed needs to win more often than not.

Knicks are also in transition a bit, benching Kemba and working more off players not named Randle. We'll see how the game goes but Chicago should win this one coming off two days rest (finally).

I don't think shooting three's and being physical are mutually exclusive.

Mitchell Robinson's foul on Williams put him out for the season
Randle plays a physical game
Taj is a physical player - same for Barrett and Noel

This McBride kid just got a lot of attention for his defense on Devin Booker the other night.

Gonna be a hostile environment in the garden. Lots of Bing Bong nonsense.

[Michael Jackson]

I expect Kemba to have a big game, a big game of candy crush I guess.

[coldfish]

Thibs already used a ton of his tools on the Bulls and kind of showed the rest of the league what to do. The game Chicago lost against the Knicks was likely the first time they saw defensive changeups like that. Now they have seen it many times.

Hopefully the team is ready for the double teams and zones.

[Dez]

My keys to a Bulls win:

1) Bulls need to shoot 3's at 37%+
2) Bulls need to keep TO's below 14
3) Keep Randle from having an efficient scoring night

Randle had an efficient game last time and the Bulls won, having them go to Randle works in the Bulls favour.

[bulls_troy]

I expect Kemba to have a big game, a big game of candy crush I guess.

Not now that he's out of the rotation

I think that Houston loss may of woken them up. I expect a Bulls win by 12

[Michael Jackson]

I expect Kemba to have a big game, a big game of candy crush I guess.

Not now that he's out of the rotation

I think that Houston loss may of woken them up. I expect a Bulls win by 12

The candy crush part was a joke about him not playing, so I concur.

[bulls_troy]

I expect Kemba to have a big game, a big game of candy crush I guess.

Not now that he's out of the rotation

I think that Houston loss may of woken them up. I expect a Bulls win by 12

The candy crush part was a joke about him not playing, so I concur.

Oh..... I had just gotten home from work and was knackered. Note to self, never post when exhausted

[bearadonisdna]

Here’s a sneak peak to Nets game following the Knicks. It’s not to look ahead but see that consistently the bulls can put out an advantageous lineup . Basically I don’t want 1 or 2 games to be the plateau . Last week was last week and this stretch of just a couple games the Bulls can erase all out that. Like it never happened , they’ll be at the #1 seed,Among and THE Elite team of the conference. Make your own destiny or go along for the ride .

Vuc > Aldridge
Green < Durant
Derozan > Bembry

Lonzo < Harden
Zach > Mills

[bearadonisdna]

So I just had an interesting write up about ref play and not letting it effect us or dictate whether we win or lose. But the damn website refreshed .

They call it playing 5 on 8.
FTr has always been a key stat to me in player evaluation and getting teams in the penalty early is a championship caliber recipe.

Also I feel having the more dominant FC can transcend officiating. Which the bulls got here.
The theory is the officiating is what has led to the perimeter preference of the league unless your FC play says watch this .

Don’t let a couple bad calls ruin the game, most decent officials are still prisoners of the moment but can do make up calls . And things generally balance out.

We got a guy like Demar who’s FTr is fantastic so I do think we have some luck getting calls.

[kodo]

Thibs already used a ton of his tools on the Bulls and kind of showed the rest of the league what to do. The game Chicago lost against the Knicks was likely the first time they saw defensive changeups like that. Now they have seen it many times.

Hopefully the team is ready for the double teams and zones.

Everyone has to move. Demar will dribble into the zone and everyone just stands around picking their noses wondering what will happen next. Really makes me wish we had 2 or 3 Caruso's, he's the only player who seems to know what to do.

I guess that's just the roster we have. Most of these players have never been in a situation where other teams are trying this hard like Coby or Vuc or Lavine. Caruso is the only one that's played on a team where every night the other team is pulling out all the stops to win.