Chicago Bulls failing on both ends of the floor in the Eastern Conference Finals – Part 2
Link for Part – 1
http://www.senore.com/Chicago-Bulls-failing-on-both-ends-of-the-floor-in-the-Eastern-Conference-Finals-Part-1-a70984
However what’s more damaging for the Bulls and what’s hurt their pride the most, is the short falls on the defensive end. Chicago live to defend; Tom Thibodeau, their coach has cultivated such a culture of hard work, grit and determination
on defence that no team in the league can match. The Bulls are the best defensive team in the league and no one romps through them like Miami have done in the last two games. The Bulls are being undone by the three pronged attack of Miami in the form of Chris
Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. With each passing game it seems more and more like the Bulls simply do not have enough resources to deal with the triple threat.
It’s like the Heat are a three headed menace and Chicago are a knight with just two swords. No matter how hard they fight, one head still gets through. It happened in game-1 when they stifled LeBron James and Dwyane Wade only for
Chris Bosh to pile on 30 points. The Bulls still managed to win then because their own troubles hadn’t begun yet.
In game-3 they held LeBron and Wade to a relative low of 39 combined points, and again Chris Bosh got a free hand as he dropped 34 on the Bulls. And before that, in game-2 when Chicago seemingly had all three threats under control
for the majority of the 48 minutes, Udonis Haslem came off the bench to upset their defensive gains once again with 13 quick fire points.
Miami shot at over 50 percent from the field in game-3. Even more damagingly, they shot 54.3 percent in the second half. Those are numbers you cannot allow a team in the playoffs, let alone in a grinding Conference Finals series.
Chicago’s leader and talisman Derrick Rose had this to say on the subject, "If anything, you're going to miss shots, but our defense, that was the key of the game," Rose said. "Something like that [letting a team shoot 50 percent],
in the playoffs, and we call ourselves a defensive team. That's definitely not going to work against a team like that, where they've got great players and great shooters on their team."
For the Bulls, this is simply not acceptable. Offence is a necessary endeavour sure, but for this Chicago side, defence is the staple. Being beaten at what they do best is demoralizing for the team.
That was the reason for the beaten look on the Chicago player’s faces after the game. Chicago’s offensive lethargy could have been expected given their resources, or the lack of them, in that department. But the beating meted out
to the defence was decisive, the Bulls know that and it is hurting their players.
Chicago’s guard Keith Bogans highlighted the fact, saying the Bulls simply do not allow that kind of offense against them,
"We've been known as a defensive team. I haven't seen a team shoot 50 on us in a long time," guard Keith Bogans said. "If they're shooting 50 percent, they're not doing our job," Bogans said. "We definitely have to bring the energy,
that gets everything going. Our offense and our defense."
If Chicago cannot get back to what they do best, defence, they are not going to go any further in the playoffs.
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