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Billy Donovan warned everybody back when training camp began. And he reminded us again Friday.
“The defense is going to be a challenge; I’ve said that from the beginning of the year,” Donovan was reiterating after the Bulls loss to the undefeated, 14-0 Cleveland Cavaliers in the Bulls first NBA Cup series game.
Though Donovan probably didn’t expect even this as the Bulls, giving up a franchise-record 49 first-quarter points, lost to the Cavaliers 144-126 and now giving up more than 122 points per game — yes, long season still and small sample thus far — the Bulls are on pace to yield the most points per game in franchise history. And are 29th in the league in points allowed.
“The problem was to start the game they were 12-for-12 in the paint at the rim; that’s a major problem,” agreed Donovan about an other worldly Cavs first quarter in which not only did they make every one of their two-point attempts, but they also hit 14 consecutive shots, had 20 points in the paint, shot 70% on threes and 87% overall and led by 17 points.
Perhaps equally impressive was that the Bulls actually got ahead late in the third quarter, 90-89, and were within two points at 114-112 with nine minutes remaining in the game.
“They came out hot; teams sometimes are going to do that,” acknowledged Coby White, who led the Bulls with 29 points and 6-of-11 threes. “The message was great from everybody on the team, telling everybody to keep going, keep going. We made a push back. But it seemed like every time we made a run we either had a miscommunication on the defensive end or a bad turnover at key moments. Can’t do that against a team like that; they thrive off your mistakes.”
Too deep a hole, taking too much energy to get all the way back and sustain, tough when a team that’s cruised after a big lead gets serious again. Familiar with those.
Patrick Williams, who had another fine game with 17 points and nine assists, then made one too many extra passes and it was stolen. White then dribbled into an error. Josh Giddey and Julian Phillips, the latter getting some fourth quarter time with Dalen Terry, missed threes, and then Giddey was blocked on a drive. All of which gave the Cavaliers led by him again Donovan Mitchell with 37 points and Darius Garland with 29 opportunity to extend to a 122-113 lead with five minutes left.
No clutch time this time.
Zach LaVine had just eight points on 4-of-16 shooting as the Cavaliers staff apparently watched some Bulls game tapes. The Cavs doubled, trapped and showed with center Jarrett Allen all game on LaVine, who did have nine assists and just one turnover. He scored on a reverse and then Ayo Dosunmu with 15 points and starting the second half for the defensively-challenged Giddey, slammed in a White miss on a putback. So 123-119 Cavs with 2:52 left; Cleveland wasn’t rockin’.
Dosunmu blocked a Mitchell drive. But Dosunmu then fouled Garland on the inbounds. He converted a pair of free throws before the play that typified the Bulls night. Caris LeVert, who had 22 off the bench, drove at Dosunmu and missed. Dosunmu collected the over-the-rim air ball and two hands fired the ball three quarter court where LaVine and White were running the lanes.
The ball was between them in a sort of you-take-it, no-you-take-it, and instead Cleveland Dean Wade did.
And then that was LeVert’s corner three to make it 128-119 Cavaliers with 2:01 left. Dancin’ in the Streets. Cleveland then ran up the score to finish for the point differential tiebreaker for the in-season Emirates NBA Cup Las Vegas Wild Weekend Retreat.
That may not be the official title.
“They got going, but the three-point line wasn’t a big deal even though they shot a high percentage (in the first quarter),” Donovan said. “Both teams shot it well (20-of-42 on threes for the Bulls and 21-of-43 for the Cavs). The difference was the rim. You can’t give up threes and the rim (52 Cavs paint points despite the 20 in the first). That’s what was happening. As the game went on we did a better job of that; the rim was a major problem.
“The defense is a challenge, but the turnovers to me are just crazy, just crazy,” Donovan reiterated about the 17 giveaways for 22 Cleveland points. “We had 13 in the second half; such a clean first half. We start the third quarter with four straight fouls and three straight turnovers. We’re not giving us a chance against a team playing as well as anyone in the league. You are not going to win like that. We’ve got guys open down the floor and we can’t execute the pass. We’ve got to be able to take care of the ball better collectively. It’s not one guy, it’s all of us.”
Though it was a lot on Giddey Friday as Donovan, though he explained it was more for fear of both Giddy and White fouling out, started Dosunmu for GIddey to begin the second half and played Giddey just 15 minutes. Giddey had five points and one assist.
The Cavaliers were targeting Giddy in switches constantly, though it wasn’t just him. The tone was set when Garland began the game driving by White for a layup. Not that all of this should be that much of a surprise, as Donovan indicated while loath to point fingers. You lose the league’s best perimeter defender in Alex Caruso and start Giddey, a high level passer and offensive player and below average defender. That complicated the perimeter with the paint, where Nikola Vučević also is somewhat slow to react. White is a short-armed 6-foot-4 and LaVine is perhaps playing his best defense, but still challenged off the ball.
Vučević had yet another excellent offensive game with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He’s been offsetting his defensive weaknesses this season with his best offense since his All-Star days in Orlando. Not so much Giddey trying to adjust to a new team and a new city and a new style and a new role. Though I’ve rarely heard a player accept more responsibility and not run from the obvious.
“Defensively talk about me a mess from the jump,” Giddey offered firmly and without hesitation. “They put me in action (pick and roll). I have to be way better whether that was coverage or guarding someone. I just couldn’t get going; one of the nights to put in the (toilet).”
I may have heard “bogger” or “brasco,” the Australian slang for toilet, but that’s probably just me.
It was from the start with that start.
They say you don’t play perfect games, but the Cavaliers were awfully close in that first quarter.
The coach will always say there are ways to improve and it’s his job to help. But you can’t make people faster. There are schemes. You can play more zone; you can provide help on rotations, though that’s potential poison in this era when teams are looking to open a corner or wing three-point shooter from passing rotations.
You can slow the pace, which is the rub for the Bulls, who without DeMar DeRozan have opened up their game, playing the leagues fastest pace and often putting up 30-plus assist games with an appealing offense that has seen the Bulls defeat tough teams, like Milwaukee, New York and Memphis on the road.
It enabled the Bulls to climb over .500 for the first time in two years and often look like an appealing and fun team most around the NBA underrated. The Bulls now at 5-8.
Turnovers often have been anathema for the Bulls, but they may also be a product of the way they are playing.
“Sometimes we play to the identity of playing fast and sometimes we get too fast, myself included, and we get overwhelmed instead of playing just a good pace,” said White. “Sometimes the game doesn’t call for you to go 120 miles per hour.”
If you play faster with not only a new point guard in Giddey, but are then asking players not accustomed to making quick decisions to move the ball rapidly, turnovers seem just part one the final result stew. You may have to accept more than you’d prefer and overcome them with more threes from the ball movement. That late Williams turnover seemed like a prime example coming on the third of fourth pass seeking the best shot. Extra passes can lead to a better shot. Or one pass too many. Experience helps with that, and the Bulls don’t have many players accustomed to playing like that yet.
Is that what they also call a process?
And then there’s the Giddey conundrum.
Donovan said Lonzo Ball is out at least another week, and Giddey, looking splendid at times, has been expected to lead the offense. But Donovan has mostly taken him out for Dosunmu to close games, and it was a quick hook Friday. Though Donovan said it was more related to foul trouble for Giddey and White.
“Josh and Coby both had three fouls and I was concerned about starting them both together,” said Donovan. “Ayo had done a good job pushing the ball, and did I sub Josh back in for Coby. Our backcourt was in foul trouble. It was just a way to stagger them because Ayo didn’t have fouls.
“I think Josh is a good player,” insisted Donovan. “Tonight wasn’t one of his better games. In certain situations Josh may close. In certain situations he hasn’t. I’ve said before we have to use all our guys. Clearly the matchup for us with Garland and Mitchell is tough. So we are trying to find the best matchups we can. I’ve got confidence in Josh. I’m going with the lineup I think is best at that moment in time. We’ve got to be able to all work together. It’s not all on Josh. Certainly they are bringing him up there (on pick and roll, but also Vučević). But when there are two coming to the ball, it’s the responsibility of both guys to do the job together. It’s a team effort and I don’t think we did a great job collectively.”
Nor individually, unilaterally, integrally, viscerally, harmoniously, judicially and basically existentially.
Like they said, just one of those nights, and so whoosh like a race car exhaust or like they were suggesting an airliner toilet. Movin’ on.
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