Game Preview

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Sam Smith

There’s a lot of strategy we might get lost with considering Wednesday’s Bulls-Atlanta Hawks 9/10 play-in game for one of the teams to continue its season. There’ll be talk about Trae Young’s no good, very bad defense and Andre Drummond’s get-out-of-my way rebounding, and DeMar DeRozan’s now he’s shooting, no now he’s shooting, no now he’s shooting pump fake. There’s the 180 or so high pick-and-rolls the teams will use, and the usual momentum, stops, downhill and no way that’s a foul.

And then like pretty much every game the Bulls have played this season it probably will come down to three-point shooting.

“That is a team that does give us problems, and now Trae is back and they have Trae and Dejounte (Murray) and Bogdan (Bogdanović), guys who can score the ball and make plays,” noted Nikola Vučević. “We have to match their physicality. They get up a lot of threes. We don’t usually do that, so we’ll have to take care of that as well.”

For all the elements of the game, the result in the three games between the teams this season could almost be attributed to three-point shooting. Though there’s also the defense with the Trae factor. He’s as poor a defender as there is in the NBA, but he also can get as hot as anyone shooting threes.

The one game Atlanta won in the three-game series this season was in Chicago April 1.

In that game in which the Bulls scored 101 points after averaging 127 points in the first two, 15 points more than their season average, Atlanta outshot the Bulls from three-point range 19-7.

In the first two games the Bulls won, Atlanta had a marginal margin of 27-20 on threes, which the Bulls more than compensated for with aggressive defense and rebounding. Atlanta is tied for second in the NBA in giving up the most points per game at more than 120. They’re also in the top-10 in three-pointers attempted and made. The Bulls are bottom five in both three-point categories.

"We've played them quite a bit over the last couple of years, so we know each other well,” said Vučević.

The teams had one of the most historic games in NBA annals in 2019, a four-overtime 168-161 marathon in which Young had 49 points and Zach LaVine 47. Though it was another Bulls era as Otto Porter Jr. spotted actually playing had 31 points along with Lauri Markkanen. Robin Lopez started at center with Wayne Selden, Shaq Harrison and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot contributing. Ah, the memories.

“This kind of comes down to who wants it more, who executes better on the floor,  who does the little things,” said Vučević. “I think the talent is pretty similar. It should be a good game, but it will come down to the little details at the end, which will be the difference.”

So as Shaq, the other one, might say, can you dig it!

“Now we have an opportunity to make some other season by giving ourselves a chance,” said DeRozan. “It should be fun; it should be competitive. I’m glad it’s on our home floor first. We can make something happen. They’re extremely talented. They have Dejounte Murray, who’s been playing at a very high level with Trae out. Now Trae is back and that changes the dynamic on their team. They have a lot of young guys on their team who play extremely hard. So it’s going to be a challenge. They kicked our butts the last time we played them. Now we have an opportunity put our money on the table.”

Statement Edition

Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls

Association Edition

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Sam Smith: Bulls-Hawks Play-in preview

The Bulls 2023-24 basketball extravaganza returns to the big city Thursday in the United Center with a preseason game against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. So it’s time for a little regional theater off-broadway preview noon Sunday in Milwaukee before the big show comes to the big city.

That view might be a little cheesy given that the small town guys from up the road, the Milwaukee Bucks with the addition of star guard Damian Lillard, generally are currently considered the betting favorites along with the Boston Celtics to win this season’s NBA championship.

So the Bulls, at least for now following a week in Nashville for preseason training camp, will concentrate on measuring themselves before they take the measure of themselves against the rest of the league, the Eastern Conference and the west side of Lake Michigan.

That’s one of the few personnel questions for these Bulls considering this is the start of the second consecutive season to feature continuity as a maxim, if not a maximum.

Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and newcomer free agent from the Bucks Jevon Carter are considered the prime candidates to start at point guard. Though Bulls coach Billy Donovan said it depends on how they play and fit with whom.

“The way you potentially start at the point guard position on opening night may be totally different by Game 35,” Donovan said last week. “Sometimes you change rotation. It could be somebody starting they give a boost to someone on the bench. I really admired Coby last year. Just from the standpoint that he started my first year, and then he started to come off the bench a little bit more. Last year, he really took full advantage of that. So you also want to try and put guys in the best position. When I would actually make that decision, I don’t know. I think you’ve got to let those guys play a little bit. We could potentially start one of those guys and then decide that it has nothing to do with them, per se, but it might be better to have them in our rotation, maybe play in the second unit or putting a different person in that position. Clearly opening night you’re going to have somebody start there. I couldn’t answer whether or not that would continue for all 82 games.’’

My guess has been that it would be Carter since he’s the most defensive-oriented player to balance the offense regulars of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević. Those three also are not among the best defenders on the team. So Carter, in theory with Patrick Williams presumably starting at power forward, could provide two defensive-oriented players to start against the opponent’s top inside and outside scorers.

Carter also seems in a similar style, if not in talent, closest to injured point guard Lonzo Ball with a good perimeter three-point shooting game and aggressive defense on the ball.

Though in the training camp scrimmages the indications — reporters are not permitted to watch any parts of practice — have been that White has played more with the Big Three veterans.

Which could mean Donovan is leaning toward an offensive group to jump start an offense that last season often got behind to begin games.&nbsp;

Or it could mean Donovan is considering the potentially appealing prospect of two units with a 48-minutes-of-hell kind of defensive second group with Carter, Alex Caruso, Torrey Craig and perhaps Ayo Dosunmu to pressure full court and disrupt the game. 

It also could mean nothing since the results don’t count, the regulars will only play about 15 minutes, it’s a rare noon game following a week of late nights in the honky-tonks (nah, I don’t believe they did that) and everyone will be hurrying to make sure they don’t miss the 49ers-Cowboys Sunday night kickoff.

It seems most likely that Williams will start at power forward. But with the addition of the savvy, veteran Craig, it’s possible Donovan could opt to bring Williams off the bench. Which Donovan often did the last six weeks of last season when the team’s record improved. Though Williams also is on the verge of contract extension consideration and remains the primary young talent on the roster.

“A lot of times people get wrapped up in starting and not starting. I don’t want to sit here and say this is our starting lineup right now because I don’t know that,” Donovan said. “Patrick has played a lot of his career here as a starter. He also has come off the bench and helped us. I think we want to put all our guys in a position where they can be successful. He (Williams) did have success in the second unit. That’s not to say he’s going to come off the bench. But it may indicate he’ll start and then we potentially get him back in there with that second unit where he can be in situations where he can be more aggressive. Patrick has had a good summer. He’s worked. I think he’s gotten better. I give him credit how much he has improved shooting from his rookie year to now. Him and Ayo and Coby, those young players, we need to take the next step.”

The regulars presumably won’t play that much for now, though I suppose we could get a glimpse of some competition with the Bucks unveiling their new superstar duo with Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. LaVine, DeRozan and Vučević may like the first word.

Though the word about those three also remains a Bulls concern. Shouldn’t they be producing more?

“You look at Zach, DeMar and Vooch, those three guys in particular had career effective field goal percentage (last season),” Donovan pointed out. “All three of those guys were in the top one, two of their best seasons. So how do you have three guys at that level offensively and look at the fact that we’re 24th on offense? We shot the ball 11th best of anyone in the league, our effective field goal percentage was good. The key for us was we did not get to the free throw line. We were 24th or 25th there, and the other part of it was we didn’t have many opportunities to offensive rebound. Our biggest challenge with this group is we’ve got to get into the paint. It’s not about plays and different things because I know we did get pretty predictable before with some of the injuries, becoming so heavily dominant by relying on DeMar. But we’ve got to do a better job spacing, a better job attacking the paint. The best opportunity to offensive rebound is on those shots (Craig is regarded as a top offensive rebounder). Then the third thing is where are you get kick-out threes. That’s got to be a real focus for us. We’ve not only got to play fast, but play with a purpose and get into situations where we have a mentality that is going to change our shot profile. I think what changes our shot profile is how well we can attack the paint.

“We struggled from an offensive standpoint (not) so much that we didn’t shoot the ball well or didn’t make any improvements on the fastbreak. We did not get to the free throw line at a high enough rate and we did not get to the offensive glass enough,” said Donovan. “Some of that is where we’re shooting the ball from, and to be honest with you we (were) one of the worst teams in the league last year in getting into the teeth of the defense. We’ve got to create the space to do that. So it’s not so much that I want those guys to change the way they play, but can they be more into a mindset and understanding of the way the game is going trend-wise. You’ve got to be able to make some plays at the basket to open up opportunities to offensive rebound and shoot free throws.’’

Which probably won’t be known yet after Sunday’s game.

As these things go, it also figures to be an opportunity to get a glimpse at some of the new and Windy City guys. Like rookie second rounder Julian Phillips, Onuralp Bitim from Turkey, Adama Sonogo, Carlik Jones, Justin Lewis and Henri Drell. If there’s a role this season for last year’s first round pick Dalen Terry. And what’s to become of Andre Drummond, who remains big at a time Donovan continues to talk about small ball type lineups with Caruso also perhaps at power forward and Williams indicating he’ll be in wing situations.

Perhaps most of all don’t forget the clever scheduling. It’s turned cold and the Bears aren’t playing this weekend. Good time to take that first look at the 2023-24 Bulls.

Got a question for Sam?Submit your question to Sam at&nbsp;asksam@bulls.com

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

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Sam Smith previews Sunday's Bulls-Bucks preseason opener

The Bulls swept Miami for the first time since the 2010-11 season, winning all three games — including two in Miami. Before this season, the Bulls had lost 18 of the previous 23 against Miami. The teams have played each other seven times in the playoffs. This is not officially a playoff series, but it's a postseason elimination game.

The last time the teams met in the playoffs was 10 years ago in 2013 when Miami won 4-1 in the conference semifinals. Miami also won 4-1 in 2011. In 2007, the Bulls had an historic first round sweep of the defending champion Heat. Miami won 4-2 in the first round the previous season when the Heat won the title. In the Bulls championship 1996 and 1997 seasons, the Bulls swept Miami 3-0 in the 1996 first round and won 4-1 in the 1997 conference finals. Here’s how this season’s games went:

October, 19. Opening night in Miami. Bulls win 116-108.

After being swept the previous season and losing eight of the last nine to the Heat, the Bulls — without Zach LaVine recovering from his offseason knee surgery — pull off a 116-108 surprise that becomes a harbinger for the Bulls’ 2022-23 season. DeMar DeRozan picks up where he left off with 37 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block. Miami’s Big Three of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry play in what becomes rare for them in the season. Ayo Dosunmu, starting for LaVine (or Lonzo Ball), dominates Lowry and has 17 points. Nikola Vučević has 15 points and 17 rebounds and former Heat player Goran Dragić makes four three-pointers.

“So called experts, look for another job to do or something like that,” DeRozan says after the game. “They can say what they want. I learn never to get caught up in that, never going to change the way I approach the game, my passion for the game, the things I put in. Let everyone say what they want; everyone got freedom of speech, right? We had a hell of a learning lesson of all the mistakes we made against the good teams (last season, 2-21 against the top four from each conference) and what it really took to compete at a high level if you really want to beat the good teams. We have that blueprint and that’s all we’ve been stressing through training camp is that’s what wins games, the IQ, the grit, getting dirty, attention to detail late in game; I think we did a great job of that.

“Everybody stayed locked in,” said DeRozan. “When they hit a big shot or we made a mistake we didn’t get down on ourselves, made it up on the next play and the one after that. Last year we used to let other teams steam roll and we’d lose a lead and let mistakes affect the rest of the game. Tonight we stayed the course when they made big shots; we made big plays when we needed them.”

Miami, after falling behind by 19 points in the third quarter, drew within 100-95 in the fourth. DeRozan closed it out with nine points in the last seven minutes. The Bulls had 12 steals and 17 points on Miami turnovers. Joakim Noah sat in the stands to watch his former team.

It may have been the biggest game of the season coming off the worst loss — the 150 points given up to the Minnesota Timberwolves — and rare controversy for the team with media reports of Zach LaVine supposedly being challenged by other players in the locker room. There were subsequently differing versions of whether that occurred. The Bulls were in the national media’s scope for a potential team meltdown at seven games below .500. But LaVine got the Bulls going with 11 first-quarter points and had 21 points and seven assists with a team-best plus/minus. Vučević had 29 points and 12 rebounds and DeRozan had 24 points. Butler and Lowry didn’t play for Miami.

“It was good to get the win, that positive feeling especially after that tough, terrible loss in Minnesota the way we played,” said Vučević. “It was needed; hopefully, we can learn from this and start to play consistently. Obviously, we were very disappointed with our effort Sunday; it’s one thing to lose, but to lose the way we did to sum up in one word: Embarrassing.&nbsp;

“We just wanted to rebound from that, play better, show a little more competitiveness, a little more heart; I thought we did that,” Vučević added. “We did what we had to do. Obviously, they were shorthanded. But it was a good win for us to get back in the winning column; hopefully, it gives us positive energy moving forward. Hopefully, it’s a good lesson for us and we can start something good.”

“Every great relationship is a work in progress,” DeRozan added. “You’ve got to go through the good and the bad; not necessarily saying the bad is a bad thing. It just comes with it. I’ve never seen nobody in a long term relationship be all smiles and giggles every single day. Sometimes you have to go through things to make that marriage even better at the end of the day; that’s all it is. The first couple of days with a person is always awesome. Then sometimes if somebody orders the wrong meal and don’t like it, you’ve got to talk about it and fix it.”

Bam Adebayo had 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Tyler Herro chipped in 19 points for Miami. But the Bulls chased Miami into 15-of-44 on threes and got 21 points off Miami turnovers, out-rebounded Miami and shot more efficiently on threes.

This was the Pat Bev Effect game with a raucous home crowd urging on the Chicago favorite who made three straight threes and four in six possessions and had 14 points in the second quarter to rock the Heat with a 25-point Bulls halftime lead. Butler and Adebayo did play, but the Heat were never much even in the game until a run at the close thanks to Beverley. The game was sandwiched between two double overtime wins for the Bulls.

“I’m a basketball player,” Beverley said. “I’m 38% in my career from the three over a decade. But no matter how well I shoot it, I think it’s the look of me. People want to leave me open. Keep letting them do it. They see me as a defensive guy. They don’t see me as a three-point shooter. My numbers are up there with the best of them. (But I guess) you’ve got to take away something. I’ve played with a lot of great guards and am fortunate to play with DeMar (DeRozan) and Zach (LaVine). No one person can guard them. I guess it’s Pat Bev (they’re leaving open). I like it that way. They double teamed (LaVine and DeRozan) and they were able to kick it out. I’m a basketball player. I’m always going to make the right play.”

DeRozan and LaVine had just combined for a franchise-best 88 points in the previous night’s win over Minnesota. But when Miami did a series of traps and double teams, Beverley found himself available. Beverley sprinted into the stands after his third three. That fourth one came a basket after the barely six-foot Beverley had driven for a layup and lowered his hands to signal the defender was too small.

DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points with LaVine getting 18, Beverley 17 and Vučević 13. Coby White had 18 points and four-of-eight threes off the bench. Miami had a 19-5 edge in second-chance points, but the Bulls had eight steals and got 22 points off Miami turnovers. The Bulls had 34 assists, with DeRozan leading with 10.

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Bulls enter play-in looking for season sweep against Heat

Sometimes it just simply is basketball, and it’s just what you do.

“This is a two-game road trip for us,” Alex Caruso was saying late Wednesday night after the Bulls thrilling comeback 109-105 win over the Toronto Raptors in their play-in tournament game. “We won the first one. We’ve got to go on the road and get the second one.”

And perhaps now the underdog has the momentum.

“You’ve got to feel confident if you win the first game going into the second,” Caruso added.

Because it was the 10th and lowest-seeded Bulls who became the first No. 10 to win a play-in game. And it’s the play-in favorite — however those things go — Miami Heat trying to secure a win to get No. 8 in the Eastern Conference playoffs after a grueling loss at home in their opening play-in game Tuesday against Atlanta. As the play-in quartet leader at No. 7, the Heat get two chances at home to move into the elite eight to start the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bulls in theory had the most difficult path by needing two wins away from home.

But it’s now perhaps a confident Bulls team that rode Zach LaVine’s brilliant 30-point second half to erase a 19-point deficit and make the crucial plays at the close to win in Toronto and end the Raptors season. And now the Bulls face a Miami team they swept 3-0 this season.

“Once again it’s a one-and-done situation, so we have to go in with the same mindset,” said LaVine. “It’s going to be whoever wants it more; it comes down to that.”

The Bulls showed that determination in not giving up or giving in as they lagged behind most of the first three quarters to a bigger and more athletic Toronto team that had won two of three from the Bulls this season and both in Toronto. LaVine was terrific in carrying the Bulls back from the brink of defeat with 11 straight points to end the third quarter among his 17 that quarter, and 13 more in the fourth. Big defensive plays and threes from Caruso and Patrick Beverley were vital in the closing quarter for the Bulls.

But it’s a different challenge this game for the Bulls.

The Raptors were taller at most positions and caused a lot of turnovers, but were a poor shooting team. It showed in a surprise way when Toronto missed 18 free throws, including two of three with 12 seconds to go with a chance to tie the game.

The Heat are one of the best three-point shooting teams, though small with 6-9 Bam Adebayo at center. Former Bull Jimmy Butler is their star, but he had a poor game in the loss to Atlanta shooting six of 19. Oft-injured Kyle Lowry coming off the bench had his best game of the season with 33 points. The Heat pride themselves on being a defensive team with players making supposed to make multiple efforts on plays. But they don’t have those physical, hard nosed kinds of players anymore and rely more on perimeter shooting.

“They’re a switching team (on defense),” said Vučević. “We moved the ball well (against them). Defensively, we did a good job on Jimmy and Bam and (Tyler) Herro as well. We will have to play better early in the game. Especially against Miami, a team with a lot of experience. If they have a big lead, it’s hard to play against them. But they don’t have as much size (as Toronto). I think we match up well. They’ll be battling for sure.”

That’s the desperation factor facing Miami with the prospect of consecutive losses at home to end its season without a playoff appearance after being the East’s No. 1 seed last year.

“We know going there it’s another great road test against a team that’s seasoned,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “Coming off a loss they will look to rebound and play to their identity and their style. There will be some things we can take from the first three games (against them). But those are over now. This is a new challenge and opportunity.”

With their win against Miami, the Atlanta Hawks earned the No. 7 seed and an opening round series with the Boston Celtics. The winner of Friday’s game (6 p.m. CT on TNT) between the Bulls and Heat gets the No. 8 seed and a first round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks starting Sunday.

“It’s going to be a desperate game,” said Caruso. “They didn’t play great the last game against Atlanta. Atlanta punched them in the mouth early and they tried to make a run. I think they’ll be a little bit more prepared to fight from the beginning. You know the competitive greatness of Jimmy and Kyle, so we know they’ll be ready to play. It’s the same mindset for us. Be locked in and do what we do well.”

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Bulls gear up for play-in game against Miami

It’s the two best words in sports. Not beer man. But it’s heady, Game Seven.

It’s resulted in some of the most memorable highlights, which the Bulls hope to reproduce in Toronto Wednesday even if it’s not exactly a Game 7, though it is the end of the Bulls 2022-23 NBA season if they lose.

“You have that moment when you look up and the time on the clock is really (perhaps how much of ) your season left,” acknowledged DeMar DeRozan. “Everything leading up to it you just have to focus on that game. If you win you travel somewhere else and (attempt to) get another win. But at the moment you have to understand getting past that test and keep it going. So stay composed in that moment is one thing we have to concentrate on. We understand we are going into this situation, the importance of it; it’s literally do or die. It’s like a Game 7; it’s gonna show how bad we want it.”

That’s the play-in tournament game Wednesday between the ninth-place Toronto Raptors and 10th-place Bulls. A few years ago, both teams would be emphasizing two syllables, Can-cun. But in 2020, the NBA inaugurated what eventually became a post-season tournament among the sixth through 10th place teams for the Nos. 7 and 8 places in the playoffs. The Bulls avoided it last season with a 46-36 record and sixth in the Eastern Conference.

In this unpredictable season, the Bulls finished 40-42 and 10th in the conference, necessitating the lesser play-in matchup. The loser is eliminated and the winner of the Bulls/Raptors game then has to travel to play the loser of the Miami/Atlanta seven and eight game to earn eighth place in the conference and an opening round series with the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks. The Miami/Atlanta winner draws seventh place and an opening series against the Boston Celtics.

So for the Bulls, it’s effectively a Game 7 scenario because it becomes one game to either end their season or move on.

“I guess you can liken it to a Game 7; you can liken it to an NCAA tournament, one and done, so to speak,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who coached two NCAA champions at the U. of Florida. “There are different points at which you feel, ‘We’ve got to win to keep this thing alive and keep it going.’ I think we are excited about the opportunity. I don’t know if our guys feel desperation as much as the excitement to be able to continue to play and the excitement to be able to continue to move on. We’re going on the road, which obviously makes it more difficult. That’s a great place up there and they have great fans and good support, but I think our guys are excited to play and I don’t think we have this attitude, ‘Hey we’ve got nothing to lose and whatever happens happens.’ I get all the statistics of teams playing on the road in the play-in (10th place hasn’t won in the two years it extended to 10). But it’s such a small sample size. For us, I sense our guys are excited for the opportunity to be able to continue to play.”

There will be all the potential matchups and strategies and adjustments.&nbsp;

The Raptors this season have focused on DeRozan, who spent nine years in Toronto. His lowest scoring average against any opponent this season was Toronto at about 14 per game.

“That’s (Raptors coach) Nick Nurse,” DeRozan said. “I know how to deal with it now. Playing against Nick and playing against those guys, they try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them.”

So it’s also a homecoming for DeRozan, who is one of the most popular players in Toronto franchise history.

“Full circle moment going back,” DeRozan said. “The atmosphere is going to feel like it’s an Eastern Conference finals game, not a play-in game. Driving to the arena, walking into the arena, you’re definitely going to feel it. That’s the beauty of that place and those fans. Any competitor will want to be a part of that for sure.’’

With veterans like DeRozan, Patrick Beverley and Alex Caruso, who all have been in Finals and conference finals in addition to players like Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević and Andre Drummond, the Bulls have an experienced group that should be able to endure the pressure well.

Toronto won two of three games from the Bulls this season and in the victories had an edge in rebounding. Donovan doesn’t hint about his starters, though it’s expected he’ll continue with Caruso and Beverley starting in the backcourt and something of a four-guard combination with Vučević based on that group’s effective defensive rating since the addition of Beverley at the All-Star break. The Bulls finished the season with a top five rated defense. Donovan also acknowledged forward Patrick Williams will be actively involved. The rotation likely will include the improving Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and perhaps more time for Drummond given the rebounding importance.

Though Donovan says the players have to emphasize an in-the-moment attitude instead of considering the ramifications.

“I do think there is a mentality piece,” said Donovan. “You really have to get lost in the competition of the game and you really have got to go with a mindset of one possession at a time. I think it’s easy to sit there and say you should do that for every single game; yeah, you should. But when it’s Game 35 and you have another one coming…but now that you know that the season is coming to an end if you lose you can’t be thinking of the end and down the road but, ‘What’s going on right now?’ I do think a Game 7 or the NCAA tournament, I think you’ve got to get lost in where you are at that present time and what you have to do at that time because there are going to be ebbs and flows and swings in the game. You’ve got to be able to work your way through that moving from one thing to the next whether there’s two minutes to go in the game or two minutes in the first quarter. There are going to be 100 possessions on offense and defense and you want to win a many as you can.”

During the Bulls championship run in the 1990s, they were so good there were only two Game 7s. The Bulls led from the start and dominated the first, in the conference semifinals against the Knicks in 1992, eventually winning by 29. And then surviving a rugged Game 7 in the conference finals against the Indiana Pacers in 1998 that the Pacers to this day insist was changed by a jump ball that went the Bulls way with about five minutes remaining.

Some of the most unforgettable games in NBA history were in Game 7 eliminations, a Larry Bird shot in the 1987 conference finals that beat the Pistons after 12 lead changes and ties in the previous possessions, the infamous “Havlicek steals the ball” in the 1965 East finals, Willis Reed’s appearance to start Game 7 in the 1970 Finals.

The Bulls have been in 10 of these win-or-go-home playoff Game 7s, winning four and losing six. The losses are always particularly painful, like Game 7 against the Warriors in the 1975 conference finals when the Bulls were ahead 3-2 in the series playing in Chicago. And the infamous migraine headache in the 1990 conference finals in Detroit.

And then the euphoria of the most unlikely of Game 7 wins, the underdog Bulls on the road, given little chance with a spate of injuries throughout the roster, their point guard lost and having to rely on inexperienced youngsters or face elimination. But sometimes it just takes one special effort.

In that 2013 Game 7 in the opening round of the playoffs, Joakim Noah defied medical opinion and NBA experts with probably the best pressure game of his career, 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks to will the Bulls to the Game 7 win over a highly rated Brooklyn Nets team. Marquis Teague, Daequan Cook and Marco Belinelli made vital contributions. You don’t where it will come from and how it will happen.

“You never really know,” said Donovan, “until you go through it.”

ot a question for Sam?Submit your question to Sam at&nbsp;asksam@bulls.com

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Bulls prepare for gritty play-in game against Toronto

Bulls.com

The Bulls (3-2) travel to San Antonio (3-2) to meet up with the Spurs in the first of two get-togethers this season. The teams will close the annual series in Chicago on February 6th.

Last year the Bulls and Spurs split their series (1-1), each winning on their home floor. Chicago averaged a whopping 121 points in the two contests, with DeMar DeRozan shining the brightest, averaging 36 points and 7.5 rebounds against his former team.

Speaking of DeRozan, he comes in just seven points shy of recording 20,000 in his career. If he can do it, he’ll become the 50th player in NBA history to achieve such a feat.

After tonight, the Bulls immediately fly home to meet the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow at the United Center, closing a busy week in which Chicago will have played four games over six days.

As for this evening’s contest against the Spurs, here are a couple of things to watch (7:30 pm CST tipoff – NBC Sports Chicago):

For the Bulls to thrive offensively, Chicago must play at a fast pace, relentlessly attacking the paint and making their way to the basket and free throw line. It’s not a fluke the Bulls have scored 120 and 124 points in consecutive games. They’ve done it by regularly driving the ball deep into the paint and taking the action to the hoop. Combined, Chicago has outscored their last two opponents in the paint 92-72, and from the charity stripe, 48-29. The Bulls have also outshot their last two opponents .489 (85-174) to .398 (74-186), dishing 63 assists to 57 for their foes.    

It’s essential the Bulls freely move the ball from player-to-player, skipping it inside and out as well as from one side of the 3-point arc to the other. The ball can’t stick in anyone’s hands for too long while the rest stand and watch. Quick, decisive passing, nonstop player movement in and out of the lane and all around the 3-point arc is absolutely vital.

The Bulls are blessed in having two elite one-on-one players in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Each can breakdown a defender and light up the scoreboard at any moment. However, both are best served when everyone engages in the action. DeRozan and LaVine are more than willing passers. They’re unselfish players who continually look to set teammates up for easy scores. The Bulls can be tough to defend when everyone adopts this attitude. Against Indiana on Wednesday, Chicago dished a season-high 34 assists on 43 made baskets. DeRozan and LaVine combined for 11 of those 43 helpers.

With the Bulls playing the front end of a back-to-back tonight, there’s a good chance LaVine sits and plays tomorrow at home against Philadelphia. If that ends up the case, it’s all the more important, as a team, Chicago has everyone heavily involved in the action at both ends of the floor.

Defensively, Chicago has to come into tonight’s contest with a physical mindset, locking down the paint and denying easy scores at the rim and wide-open looks from the 3-point arc. The Bulls have to do a good job of communicating with one another and quickly cover for a teammate if he falls a step behind an attacking opponent.

Under future Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have always been a pass-happy team that looks to knock opponents onto the back of their heels with speedy ball movement, relentless slashes through the lane and finding open shooters stationed all around the 3-point arc. Under Popovich, San Antonio’s record is 189-27 (.875) when recording 30+ assists. Last season, 10 different players with the Spurs recorded a double-double.

Nothing has changed so far this year, other than the Spurs are shooting the most threes in franchise history. They come in tonight ranked 9th in scoring at 118.0 points, 7th in made 3-pointers (13.6), 8th in 3-point accuracy (.386), and No. 1 in the league in assists (30.8). Wingmen Keldon Johnson (21.8) leads the team in scoring while running mate Devin Vassell is close behind (19.8).

As of this writing, Vassell isn’t expected to play due to left knee soreness, but that may only give Johnson more opportunities to hunt for shots around the arc. Coming into tonight, Johnson launching an average of 8 treys a game and connecting on 40-percent. Former Bulls first-round draft pick, Doug McDermott, usually comes off the Spurs’ bench firing as well at 4.4 long distance attempts at 50-percent. McDermott is one of only eleven players in the league with more than 600 three-pointers while shooting at least .400 from beyond the arc.

The Bulls will need to continue to step up their perimeter defensive game tonight to frustrate and control San Antonio’s firepower. So far, the Bulls rank 29th in opponent 3s, allowing 14.4 per game. That number needs to come down tonight to a more reasonable 10 or 11, at most.

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Keys to the Game - Bulls at Spurs (10.28.22)

The Bulls (2-2) return to the United Center after an exciting blowout 120-102 victory over Boston on Monday to close the book on an early three-game homestand against Central Division rival Indiana in the first of four this season. Indy comes to town with a 1-3 mark on the new season after a being on the short end of a 120-106 drubbing in Philadelphia on Monday. Third-year guard Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 19 points and 10 assists, Buddy Hield added 18 points with six assists while Jalen Smith and rookie Bennedict Mathurin each scored 17. As a team, the Pacers shot just 42 percent from the field and 12 of 44 (.273) from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep up with the 76ers right from the start.

After tonight, the Bulls head to San Antonio to take on the Spurs Friday, then immediately fly home to meet the aforementioned Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at the UC.

As for this evening’s contest with the Pacers, here are a couple of things to keep an eye on (7 pm CST tipoff – NBC Sports Chicago):

For the Bulls to succeed offensively, Chicago must aggressively get the ball into the paint and attack the rim in any number of ways. Bulls center Nikola Vučević enjoyed a monster game against Boston the last time out, finishing with 18 points and 23 rebounds. The Bulls did a good job of recognizing when a smaller defender switched onto Vučević and quickly got him the ball. And Vučević didn’t just rely on teammates feeding him, as he forcefully went and got the ball himself off the rim (10 offensive rebounds) and ended up making five trips to the free throw line, hitting on four.

Although there is a chance veteran center Myles Turner could make his season debut tonight, the Pacers still come in undermanned in the middle, as 20-year-old, 6’10, 215-pound, second-year pivot, Isaiah Jackson, is likely to draw the starting assignment. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks over 17.9 minutes. He shows plenty of promise, but in all honesty, Jackson shouldn’t pose too serious a challenge for Vučević, who last season averaged 22 points and 16 rebounds while shooting .617 against Indiana. The Bulls will need more of the same from Vučević tonight.

Another important key on offense for the Bulls is that the ball must freely jump from player-to-player, skipping inside and out as well as from one side of the 3-point arc to the other. The ball can’t stick in anyone’s hands for too long while everyone else stands and watches. Swift passing, continuous player movement in and out of the lane and all around the 3-point arc is absolutely vital. Although the Bulls are blessed with two outstanding one-on-one players in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the team will be best served if everyone gets involved in the action. DeRozan and LaVine simply need to trust that the ball will eventually find them plenty of times each game.

Defensively, Chicago must come out of the gates breathing fire, hitting the hardwood sporting a physical mindset by locking down the paint, denying easy scores at the rim and wide-open looks from the 3-point arc.

Heading into the Boston game the other night, Bulls opponents shot a ridiculous .514 from the floor and .469 from behind the arc. Chicago had also been outscored in the paint 150-108. But the Bulls successfully turned the tables against the Cs on Monday, holding Boston to .370 from the field (37-of-100), and .375 from deep (18-of-48), while also outscoring them 46-34 in the paint.

Indiana is far from Boston’s level, although the Pacers come in tonight averaging 117.8 points (7th in the NBA). However they also rank 20th from behind the arc (.331) and 24th (.439) from the field. Offensively, the Pacers are led by a talented trio of Tyrese Haliburton, rookie Bennedict Mathurin and veteran wing, Buddy Hield. Haliburton leads Indiana in scoring at 24.0 points and ranks third in the NBA with 9.8 assists. Mathurin, who was drafted sixth overall, is also enjoying a great start, averaging 22.3 points over his first four games as a pro, while Hield, who claims he’s open the moment he steps off the team bus, is delivering 13.3 points while shooting a solid .364 on 8.3 attempts from long distance.&nbsp;

The Bulls cannot afford a letdown this evening. In truth, they’re not good enough to survive a halfhearted effort. Chicago has to treat every opponent as if they’re the defending NBA Champs and be aggressive from start to finish.

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Keys To The Game - Bulls vs Pacers (10.26.22)

The Bulls return to the home hardwood to take on the Boston Celtics in the first of four between the two teams this season. Boston comes to town with a perfect 3-0 record while Chicago, 1-2, looks to get back on track after dropping two in row. Over their last 10 meetings, the C’s hold a 6-4 edge, however, the Bulls have won three of the last 5 in the all-time series.

Tonight also marks the end of a three-game road trip for Boston, while the Bulls are in the middle of a three-game homestand, having lost to Cleveland in the home opener on Friday and meeting up with Indiana at the United Center on Wednesday.

As for this evening’s game, here are a couple of things to keep an eye on (7 pm CST tipoff – NBC Sports Chicago):

After getting off on the right foot with an upset victory in Miami to start the season without two-time All-Star Zach LaVine life caught up with the Bulls, losing a tight, two-point game in Washington and getting blown out by Cleveland the following night. Against the Cavs, Chicago fell behind by nine points after one quarter and 16 at the half. After outscoring Cleveland in the third quarter, the Bulls were pummeled in the fourth, 35-17, on their way to a 128-96 defeat. DeMar DeRozan, after averaging nearly 35 points in the first two games and looking like an MVP candidate for the second season in a row, struggled against the Cavs’ smothering defense, finishing with just 13 points. However, LaVine was in action for the first time and looked sharp, scoring 23 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor (.563), dishing four assists and committing zero turnovers.

In order to come out on top tonight over a heavily favored Boston team that captured the Eastern Conference crown a year ago, the Bulls will need a similar performance out of LaVine tonight as well as DeRozan getting back in the groove. Center Nikola Vučević also must make his presence felt underneath the basket. The 6’10 pivot already has a 17-rebound game under his belt this year, and against the Cavs the other night, shot 7-of-12 (.583) overall and 2-of-3 (.667) from deep.

For the Bulls to be effective offensively the ball needs to freely move from player-to-player, jumping inside and out as well as from one side of the 3-point arc to the other. Chicago cannot afford to let the ball stick in anyone’s hands for too long while the rest stand and watch. Quick passing, constant player movement in and out of the lane and all around the 3-point are absolutely vital for success. Although both DeRozan and LaVine are excellent one-on-one players, in the long run, the team will be best served if everyone stays involved in the action.

Defensively, Chicago must tighten things up on the perimeter, otherwise they run the risk of this being a very long season. Albeit a small sample size of just three games, opponents are shooting a ridiculous .514 from the floor and .469 from behind the arc. Looking a little closer at the numbers, the Bulls have been outscored in the paint 150-108, which is an average of 14-points a game. Opponents are finding little resistance up top and have been able to blow by defenders to get to rim. When they reach the paint, the Bulls have been a step slow rotating over and shutting down open lanes. This must stop and tonight.

Boston opened its season with a win over Philadelphia by shooting 53% from the field and scoring 127 points. They followed up with 111 points and 51% shooting over Miami, and this past Saturday, the Celtics took down a feisty, Orlando Magic squad 126-120. Boston was led by three-time All-Star Jayson Tatum, who poured in 40 points and had eight rebounds as part of a Celtics team that shot 41% from 3-point range. Derrick White also chipped in with 27 points, two off his career-high, but the main story is Tatum, as he’s scored 104 points in just three games.

Tatum is a matchup nightmare for every team, but especially so the Bulls if they don’t change things up defensively. The 6’8 forward now in his 6th season is putting up 34.7 points while shooting .587 from the field and .880 from the charity stripe, making 8.3 trips to the line a night. The only part of his game that’s off to a slow start is three-point shooting (.333), but that hasn’t stopped him from trying, as he’s averaging 8.0 attempts per game.

Look for some sort of tag-team defensive effort from the Javonte Green and Patrick Williams guarding Tatum this evening. Both will need to play a strong, physical game and deny Tatum from getting to his favorite spots on the floor if Chicago is going to have any luck slowing him down.

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Keys To the Game - Bulls vs Celtics (10.24.22)

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