Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

Bulls Should Remain Hopeful Heading Into Game 4

By Jonathan Macri

Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Chicago Bulls might’ve fallen back to earth in Game 3, but should remain hopeful ahead of Game 4

Following the Chicago Bulls grabbing an unexpected 2-0 lead on the Boston Celtics to open their first round playoff series, the prevailing thought around the basketball world was that this wasn’t an aberration.

The Bulls were winning with rebounding, big performances from playoff veterans, and just enough help from the supporting cast. There was no reason to think this would change, with the only hesitation over the Bulls’ maddening lack of consistency throughout the season.

That was before Friday afternoon’s news that Rajon Rondo would be out indefinitely with a fractured thumb. The storylines coming out of Friday’s subsequent 104-87 home loss have largely centered on it being a product of Rondo’s absence.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

This was no doubt part of the problem. Jerian Grant’s performance last night accomplished something no one thought possible: making Phil Jackson look smart.

Double the Trouble

The Knicks cut bait with Grant after only a year, and Friday night’s effort showed many of the reasons why. In the eight minutes he played to start the game, Grant had three turnovers, two fouls, and generally looked like he had no business being on the court with the other nine guys. He did not log an assist in his 25 minutes of action. By the time he was pulled for Michael Carter-Williams with four minutes to go in the first, the Bulls were down 11.

Things didn’t get much better from there. Carter-Williams missed a layup, and committed a foul and a turnover of his own. The score was 33-15 by the end of the first, which ultimately proved too big a deficit for the Bulls to overcome.

For the game, Chicago’s two backup point guards were 3-10 from the field, with all three makes coming on layups. They combined for seven turnovers to just three assists.

No Point Guard the Answer?

Clearly, the Chicago Bulls missed Rondo, but this wasn’t a loss impossible to overcome. During an early 13-2 second quarter Chicago run with Butler on the bench, the offense went through Dwyane Wade. He either scored or assisted on 8 of the 13 Bulls points. In the last minute of the quarter, when Fred Hoiberg finally went without a point guard, Chicago promptly closed the half with a 5-0 spurt.

Why he didn’t try this more in the second half is a mystery. In the postgame presser, Hoiberg was noncommittal when asked whether he would stick with one of the point guards at all times or go with more lineups where Wade and/or Butler handles the ball.

Live Feed

Former Indiana Pacers' player signs with Chicago Bulls
Former Indiana Pacers' player signs with Chicago Bulls /

8 Points, 9 Seconds

  • Offseason Report Card: Bulls get an A, three Bs and a C for summer movesPippen Ain't Easy
  • NBA Trades: This Bulls-Heat-Blazers-Clippers-76ers deal would be historicHoops Habit
  • NBA Rumors: Chicago pursuing the best remaining free agentHoops Habit
  • Chicago Bulls Rumors: Zach LaVine speaks out against trade talkDa Windy City
  • 3 Ways the Chicago Bulls can utilize their disabled player exceptionHoops Habit

    • The Real Problem

    Give the Bulls’ coach this: he understood why his team lost the game, and it wasn’t because of Grant or Carter-Williams – at least not primarily. Hoiberg was quick to note that the Celtics started the game with a barrage of threes, going 7-10 in the first quarter. After the game got close at halftime, Boston hit back-to-back shots from deep, and Chicago was never a threat again.

    Lost in all the talk about the ways that the Bulls were winning after Games 1 and 2 was the fact that the Celtics live and die by the three more than any team outside of Houston. Boston was third in the league during the regular season in both threes made and attempted. This series has been dictated by that three-point shooting more than anything the Bulls have done.

    In Game 1, the Celtics went 14-38, and lost a close game. They couldn’t buy a basket in Game 2, and got crushed. After going 17-37 on Friday night, Boston appears to be right back in the series.

    No Reason to Panic

    Still, the Bulls have reason to remain confident. They continued to maintain a huge edge in the rebounding department to the tune of 52-37, including 15-7 on the offensive glass. Robin Lopez, arguably the star of Games 1 and 2, had four of those to go with an efficient 5-7 shooting night, but he only played 21 minutes.

    On the downside, Jimmy Butler was off all night, finishing 7-21. He didn’t shoot a single free throw. Wade, other than his second quarter run, was just as inefficient, going 6-18. Not a single Chicago reserve had an above average game.

    Where Chicago Goes From Here

    Wade and Butler figure to be better in Game 4, and the Celtics likely won’t shoot 46 percent from deep again. The Bulls remaining point guards won’t become solid contributors overnight, but it would be difficult for them to be as bad as they were in Game 3 – especially Grant.

    If not, and the game is close down the stretch, it’s easy to see Hoiberg going with a lineup featuring his two remaining stars plus Lopez, Mirotic and Paul Zipser, who continues to impress. If the Bulls don’t come away with a win on Sunday night in Game 4, they’ll be left for dead.

    Must Read: Let's Not Jump The Gun On Kawhi Leonard

    Regardless of the result, this team shouldn’t use Rondo’s absence as an excuse. They have one indispensable player and one undeniable advantage. Chicago will keep cleaning the glass, and as long as Butler is healthy, the Bulls are just another poor Boston shooting night away from retaking control of this series.

    Home/Boston Celtics