Bulls Lose

The series was played in spurts and the Pistons did a great job coming out on top of all those.

As Matt said on Blog a Bull:

"Sunday's game will be like a freaking wake."

Hopefully next year things would be better.

Bulls Lose Game 1 to Pistons

Bulls lost.

What can I say, Detroit outplayed them in every aspect of the game. How the Pistons handled everything is pretty much the best way to play Basketball.

I do expect the Bulls to show up in game 2. I mean, a lose like that could only result in two things: the Bulls's moral would be an all-time low the rest of the series or, it could stand as a wake up call and they'd go out on a tear come game 2.

If the Bulls steal one from the Pistons' homecourt then this would become a very interesting series for Bulls fans.

Head to Head: Pistons-Bulls

Deng is Good

Sorry if it's been a while since I posted here but I was quite busy for the past week and had rarely any time to log on to the web.

As we all know, Luol Deng won the Sportsmanship Award. Congrats to Deng and I hope he continues to put up monster numbers and move well around the floor like a Kurt Cobain on Acid in their 2nd round series against the Pistons.

Pistons vs. Bulls: Head to Head

Guards: Hinrich/Gordon vs. Billups/Hamilton

Capt. Kirk owns both defensively; however, during the regular season, Skiles usually puts him on Rip who likes to run all over the floor like the roadrunner out for a roadkill. Defensively too, if Rip is to guard Kirk, I believe Kirk will have a great offensive game since Hamilton is not that good of a defender compared to Billups.

As for the B Gordon, he's a defensive liability in this series. Billups and Hamilton are considerably taller and stronger. However, both move like cruise ships compared to Gordon. If Ben could find a way to stay in front of his defensive man and squeeze into those screen sequences that the Pistons love so much to give, then I think he'll give his man some trouble. One problem though is if he guards Billups and Chauncy decides to post up on him. Gordon would be creamed down the block against Chauncy since he's shorter and Billups is stronger. Offensively though, if Gordon plays as consistent as he did against the Heat, I believe he'll outscore whoever he is pitted against.

I expect Skiles to throw in Thabo for some help here defensively. As much as I love BG, there's little way he could matchup defensively with the Pistons backcourt.

Edge: Pistons

SF: Deng vs. Prince

People talk about this match up as the crucial match up of the series. And most also believe that Prince is going to come up on top because he could shut down Deng defensively.

Well, I don't think so.

Deng is not a face-up-I'll-take-you-off-the-dribble-or-jumper type of player. He plays more like a Dan Issel that's much more athletic, a better shooter, quicker, faster and covers the floor better. He rarely takes his defenders off the dribble, usually preferring to rotate and grab offensive put backs. But, if he does take it to the floor, he usually limits it to 3 or 4 bounces before he throws off a shot which is usually that sweet-looking running hook that's incredibly hard to stop.

Because of this, Prince will definitely have problems guarding him. Prince is a very good 1-on-1 perimeter defender. He could have been effective guarding a Wade or a Carter but he's going to have a hard time against Deng. Sure, he might disrupt Deng's jumpers due to his long reach but heck, Deng could find other ways to score and still be as effective. Offensively though, Prince isn't as good as a scorer as Billups or Hamilton and Deng could also hold his own on the defensive side so I guess...

Edge: Bulls

PF and Center: BWall/ PJ Brown vs. Webber/Sheed

Offensively, Bulls would get trounced on this one plus, Sheed could extend BWall's defense enough so that he won't be available for help to his teammates. On the other hand, BWall might already know how to play Sheed since he's been his teammate for a considerable number of years.

PJ vs. C-Webb. I'd give C-Webb a slight advantage over this one since he's much more effective offensively than PJ. However, PJ can guard him although, much like Sheed, a slight problem might be that Webber could extend PJ's D if he shoots well enough.

Edge: Pistons

Coaching: Skiles vs. Saunders

Skiles is better than Saunders as an in-game tactician. Skiles is also cooler looking (hahaha!) and a better motivator.

Edge: Bulls

Bench: TT, Thabo, Duhon, Nocioni, Griffin vs. Delfino, McDyess, Hunter

Pistons are stronger physically but Bulls' bench are quicker (a testament is TT constantly being able to slip into the paint during their regular season matches against Detroit) and, reliable perimeter and help defenders which is crucial in helping Hinrich and Gordon against Rip and Chauncey.

Experience goes to Detroit side though but heck, except for the two rookies, Bulls bench knows how it feels like to be in the playoffs too. Experience is not going to be much of a factor here--at least not as much as what most people claim it would be.

Edge: Bulls

This is going to be a long, hard-fought series. Experience edge by the Pistons won't matter as much since the Bulls also have significant playoff experience. They may not have gotten past the 1st round before but, bear in mind that this team have been in the playoffs 3 straight years running now--they also know how it feels like to be in this situation.

This series will come down to who asserts their game and who defends well enough to take those key stops down the stretch because games in this series will go down the wire.

Whoever wins this series, I believe, will win the Eastern Conference title.

My Prediction: Bulls in 6 or 7

NBA All-Defensive Team Results

BWall and Capt. Kirk made it to the 2nd All-Defensive Team.

Bowen in the first team? What's up with that? He was a great defensive player a few seasons ago but now he's just like any other aging basketball schmoe. He can't keep up with younger, more athletic players anymore. I don't think he deserves to be a part of any All-Defensive team, specially the 1st team. He did limp behind chasing Lebron and Dwyane Wade on the court so far in the Spurs' games against the Heat and the Cavaliers this season. He looks more like Keith Richards still desperately trying to live out the Rock n' Roll lifestyle at age sixty.

Anyway, BWall and Kirk deserves to be in the 1st team and not the 2nd simply because they are able to defend the opposing team's top guys efficiently. For instance, Shaq and Wade in the Miami series were defended by those two in terrific fashion--a major reason why the Bulls swept Miami.

Let me ask this question then, Popovich won't put Duncan strictly on Shaq during a Heat-Spurs game, right? Duncan's not usually that effective one on one Defensively against a top center or PF. He's great as a help defender but Wallace is also good with that. Camby, on the other hand looked like a terrific defensive player because he plays with teammates whose defensive capabilities are almost non-existent. His 3 blocks per game average, if you've seen a number of Nuggets games this season, usually comes off from covering defensive blunders by his teammates. If the Nuggets were only good at protecting against the penetration and entry passes then Camby wouldn't have needed to block that many shots. To sum it all up, the Nuggets D is as open as Paris Hilton's pants. I give Camby credit though for being able to time those shots well but still, I doubt he could really match up well with the best big guys out there. He's been consistently shaky against Duncan and an aging Shaq throughout the season.

Oh well, these all-NBA teams and personal awards are usually popularity contests and based on poorly interpreted stat sheets so I really can't complain that much. A championship though isn't.

SWEEP WOOHOO!

'Nuff said.

Motor City here we come! Woooohhhhoooooooo!!!

My Dream Championship Match: Suns-Bulls

Shaggy and Nocioni, any comparisons?

If it were up to me I’d like to see the Suns face the Bulls in the 2007 NBA finals. It would make a great series.

The Suns, with their high octane offense, have always been an exciting team to watch but, why do I want to see them match up with the Bulls? Is it because I’m a Bulls fan? It’s partly because of that and mainly because those two teams are the best that’s ever happened to the NBA since the Bird-Magic rivalry.

The Suns, with their high octane offense is just so good to watch. They’re hard working and athletic. Also, Shawn Marion, in my opinion, is the only superstar I’ve seen that plays like a compliment player but in reality is way better than the team’s primary offensive threat (Stoudamire). Plus, I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to see a team run the break. They’re just so good to look at—too bad they can’t play good defense.

The Bulls in some way are the same. They too are hard workers, quick, athletic and very exciting to watch. The only difference is that their quick as a half-court team and are, obviously, way better defenders. Come to think of it, one of the Bulls’ steady hard workers, Nocioni, looks like Shaggy…

It would be a great match up. Everything good in basketball could potentially be seen in that dream series. Imagine the dynamic play executions, the great kickout and drop-off passes, the scoring barrage, the great defensive scrambles from the Bulls’ part and the highlight plays by the Suns. It would be an incredible series and it would be teaching people what basketball really is—a team sport.

These two teams throw out the classic notion of the superstar out the window every time they play. They all live for the team and die for the team. What makes their game are crisp ball movements, finding the open man and great team defense. There are no room for egos, no primadonnas. Now, if only Kobe could realize that the Lakers wouldn’t suck as much…NAH!

Just One More Win

Bulls gets the road win, 104-96.

In the NBA, 78 times a team have trailed 0-3 in a best of 7 playoff series, 78 times they got eliminated. I'm not saying that it's impossible for the Heat to come back from 0-3 down but, it sure would take more than those all-white seats in American Airlines Arena to get them back into contention (FYI: I really don't like the all-white bit, it's as if a huge cult has converged to watch an NBA playoff game in the AAA).

The big three was great tonight. Hinrich had 22, Deng had 24 and Gordon had 27--and they all performed well from the stripe during those Miami foul barrage in the closing minutes of the game. They just moved well and executed well. Great win.

A "W" on Sunday (Monday here in the Philippines) would mean a sweep--what a great way for the Bulls to win their first playoff series in 9 years.

On the Side Tracks: NBA is Better than the NCAA

Since the Bulls-Heat series don't carry on up until Saturday here in the Philippines (Friday in the U.S.), I thought I might as well post a link to this article by Brian McCormick on why the NBA is better than the NCAA.

"People love the pageantry and amateurism of college basketball, while they detest the multi-millionaire, spoiled brats of the NBA. They envision college players working hard, going to class and being part of the college campus; they picture the star shooting guard as the kid across the street. They figure NBA players spend all night at strip clubs and roll into the arena, throw on a jersey and jack up shots; for most people, they have a hard time imagining someone they know playing in the NBA."

Personally, I agree with what Brian McCormick is saying. The NBA's reputation has been tarnished in the past years by some of its players behaving like thugs. From the now defunct Jail Blazers, to the Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson-led Pacers, to the recent Sebastian Telfair gun incident.

Still, one could not deny the fact that NBA games are waaaayyy more fun and exciting to watch. The talent level and the understanding for the game of NBA players is just in a totally different league than their collegiate counterparts. NCAA games are dubious for so many things: long non-scoring stretches, lack of good post-up action, lack of highlight plays, tedious ball-handling, etc. Watching an NCAA game is like listening to Radiohead's first album--it's okay but, if you compare it to the band's later releases, it's way behind in quality. This is because, whatever other people might think, the NCAA is an amateur league. The caliber of play is just not that high. Even with slightly varying hand-check rules, Greg Oden's post moves are sub-par compared to that of an average NBA post talent's, like Kaman or Ilgauskus. But do not fear, when Oden gets picked up by an NBA team this summer, he's going to get better. Why, you ask? Because they're going to prep him, train him, hone him into becoming an outstanding NBA post player. And, most true of all, he's got years more to improve on his game in the NBA.

The bottom line is that Basketball has always been a spectator sport and, when it comes to spectator sports, entertainment is always what comes first before anything else. That's the edge the NBA enjoys over NCAA basketball.

We're Up 2-0

Bulls takes game 2 at the United Center, 107-89, goes up 2-0 in series.

Luol Deng started the game a bit cold, shooting just 1-6 from the field but he was the main guy in a decisive fourth quarter run that saw the Bulls' Sudanese swing man pile up 14 points. He finished the game with 26. Ben Gordon was all business from downtown in this game, shooting 5-8 to end up with 27 points. Captain Kirk also bounced back from a dismal game one performance which saw him play only 19 min to end up 1-4 in the field. This time around he shot 50% (6-12 from the field) and ended up with 14 points and 8 dimes.

The officiating was also great in this game compared to game 1's officiating, so great in fact that Shaq didn't question it.

"'I have been around a long time and I've been in all these situations before,' O'Neal said. 'Basically, the Bulls did what they're supposed to do and protect their home court. We have to play smarter basketball. We got to come with a lot more energy and play with a lot more effort and a lot more passion.'''

I don't think the Heat played with less energy, at least I think they played with all the energy they could dish out but, the fact is, that the Bulls are younger, and that Wade is playing hurt--they just can't keep up, whatever they do, with the speed and athleticism that the young Bulls team have. It's just a matter of physical wear and tear on this one.

What really troubled me though is the fact that Skiles still stuck to playing Duhon first before Thabo on Wade. Duhon just can't match up with Wade. He's an easy prey when it comes to Wade's favorite fake-wait-for-defender-to-jump-and-then-draw-foul move. Each time Wade does this, Duhon gets caught in it like some crack addict who got busted in a sting operation for the nth consecutive time. He can't also bother Wade off the dribble unlike how Thabo can. I just can't think of any good reason why Skiles wouldn't just go straight away with Thabo as his secondary Wade defender. He did a great job in game 1, right? Still, Wade scored only 21 points--a far cry from what he usually pours on during playoff games.

Anyway, PJ Brown and Wallace also did a great job on Shaq, limiting him to only 17 points while continually pushing him outside of his comfort zone down low. If they keep this up, a series sweep would really be likely.

Great game overall for the Bulls. They executed well and defended well. Now it's time to take care of business on Miami's home turf. I sure wish the Heat fans refrain from putting up that all-should-wear-white bit that they pulled last year. Man that's just creepy.

Quinito Henson Is Overrated (At Least as an NBA Analyst)

I got this post in my personal blog. I wrote this at the time when this blog was inexistent (last Saturday). However, now that I have decided to put up this blog, I believe this is the appropriate place to post this.


A few days ago I had coffee with my dad and my brother and the three of us had a conversation on who is the best Filipino NBA analyst we have right now. "Quinito Henson," my dad quickly and unhesitatingly pointed out. I rolled my eyes at his answer and then said "Mine is Bill Velasco."

My dad and brother then looked at me enigmatically, begging to explain to them why I picked the Half-Brit over the guy people consider as the best contemporary sports analyst in the country. I took a sip off my coffee and then blurted out that Quinito Henson is overrated. I meant it. He's overrated, at least as an NBA analyst, and I'm willing to stick to my convictions.

That's what brings us to this post right now (which is also somewhat a recap of game 1 of the 1st round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoff match up between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat).

Quinito Henson's column in today's Star (Sunday, April 22) suggested that the Miami Heat would certainly beat the Bulls in their current first round match up in the NBA playoffs. After that, I switched on the TV set, tuned in to Basketball TV, and watched the game between the Bulls and the Heat. Well, what do you know--Bulls win, 96-91.

Henson pointed out that the Bulls are tougher this season albeit he still picked the Heat because of two names: Shaq and Wade. Well, I don't know if he really is a sports analyst or, if in reality, he's just a Heat, or Shaq, or Wade, or Riley fan who happens to write for the sports section of a major newspaper. The thing is, he didn't point any factual or statistical evidence why he picked the Heat over the Bulls. Basically, he just blurted out that Heat will win because they have more experience, apparently because they're older, because the Bulls doesn't have a deep bench, and because they have Shaq and Wade.

Well, I pick the Bulls over the Heat in 6 and I'm backing myself up with stats and facts that Mr. Henson dismissed in his article. Here are my reasons why I'm picking the Bulls over the Heat:

1. Bulls Defensive Personnel #1

Last year Shaq and Wade trounced the Bulls because the Bulls have yet the capacity to match up with the Heat man-for-man defensively. Last year's Bulls team had an athletic, yet a defensive non-factor when it comes to guarding Shaq, in the form of Tyson Chandler. Of course Chandler was great for the Bulls on the rebounding category but his slim, 7-foot, foul-prone frame could never bother Shaq at any given time. Shaq eats those kind of players (Rik Smits, Scott Pollard, Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Vlade Divac, Brad Miller, etc.). They're totally incapable of guarding Shaq, with or without help from their teammates. To the Big Aristotle, they're just foul fodders to aid him in his in-game Free-throw shooting practice, which, after all these years, have yet to help him shoot better from the charity stripe.

This season, the Bulls signed Ben Wallace to a 60 mil, 4-year contract. Big Ben might not be able to handle Shaq one on one but, with help from the other Bulls players, he might be able to contain Shaq just like what he and the rest of the Detroit front liners did in the Pistons-Lakers championship series back in 2004. I guess that's why they're the Number 1 Defensive Team in the League for the season.

2. Bulls Defensive Personnel #2

Last year, only one guy on the Bulls roster had the capacity to keep up with Dwyane Wade and that was Kirk Hinrich. This year, with rookie Thabo Sefalosha in the line-up, they have two great perimeter defending guys that could potentially contain Wade in those crucial stretches in the game that he usually likes to take over. I guess game one proved that point. Wade shot just 7-16 in the game to finish with 21 points--that's a big factor. Remember, this is the playoffs--Wade should be pouring in 30 or more a game this time of the year. And, the fact that Wade admitted in the post-game prescon that Thabo's length really bothered him just proves me right on this one.

3. LUOL DENG

No one from the Heat team could guard this guy. He moves great with or without the ball, he's got great basketball I.Q., he's a hard worker on both the defensive and offensive end and he doesn't force shots and, well I could ramble on and on why Deng is that good of a player but this post would just get longer than it already is so I'm cutting this one already. Fact is, they can't stop Deng because he's not a Carter or a Kobe who thinks he must score and do everything by himself in order for his team to win. Deng knows what it takes to win and that's by working hard and playing his part on the team exceptionally, to trust his teammates with the rest--something that the rest of the Bulls team seem to have realized along with him.

4. Deep Bench

This is what really pissed me off and what cemented my claim that Quinito Henson does not know much about the NBA. Contrary to what he said, the Bulls DO HAVE a deep bench. They have a high quality ten-man rotation that rivals only the Phoenix Suns in the League. Thomas, Sefalosha, Duhon, Nocioni, and Allen. That's a wide array of guys who could defend and score if needed be. Jesus, Henson should WATCH NBA games first before blabbering something about playoff match up predictions on his column as if he is Madam Auring.

5. Home Court Advantage

The Bulls have the best home winning record in the East during the season. They sold out all of their home games. The home crowd would kill for them. The United Center is the best place to play a home basketball game.

*****

What people say about stats being thrown out come playoff time is only half-true. Stats do tell us something (and they help gamblers pick better). They tell us what a team and an individual could consistently do.

The thing is, passion alone can't win playoff games--having the talent to back it up, excellent team coordination and the understanding that you have to sacrifice things in order to achieve your ultimate goal, the championship, is also as important as passion/heart come playoff time. The Bulls have all of those. I'm not claiming that they'll win the championship, what I'm saying is that they are a great team and could win the championship. Nothing's for certain--I just like their chances. And the fact that they're generally a young team but have, in fact, 3 years worth of playoff experience makes that more likely. yes, I am a Bulls fan and I am biased--the stats and facts I just stated are not.

Today, Kirk Hinrich only played 20 min and was generally a non-factor in the game due to foul trouble way before Wade and Shaq got into foul trouble themselves. Still, the Bulls won because of great defensive and offensive plays. It says a lot, don't you think so?