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NBA Playoffs: Bucks Look To Slow Down Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls In Game 2

NBA Playoffs: The Milwaukee Bucks look to slow down Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls In Game 2 in an attempt to even the series 

Is Derrick Rose finally back to his MVP form from the 2010-11 season? This question was roaring through Chicago after the Bulls opened up the series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a convincing 103-91 victory.

Rose had a nice game with 23 points and seven assists, but what was most impressive was how he attacked the Bucks’ interior defense.

Time after time, Rose went right to the rim, often finishing among the length of the Bucks defense. Each time he attacked the rim he looked explosive, bringing to mind his MVP season just four years ago. While reckless at times, the pace at which Rose plays at dictates the pace of the entire game.

With Chicago’s strong depth, particularly in the front court, the Bulls can afford to play a quicker pace, while simultaneously keeping fresh legs out on the court. Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson have played extremely well off the bench in particular, as has backup point guard Aaron Brooks.

For the Bulls, who finally appear to be healthy, a team like Milwaukee doesn’t pose as much of a threat unless they make some dramatic changes. Sure, Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo are potential stars in this league but, at this juncture in their respective careers, they are just too inexperienced to compete with a healthy Bulls team led by Tom Thibodeau.

On the bright side, John Henson and Jerryd Bayless played well off the bench, and Khris Middleton was aggressive all night, taking 17 shots and scoring 18 points. With these three players playing well for the Bucks, they are going to need stronger contributions from MCW and Antetokounmpo.

Carter-Williams, particularly, really needs to assert himself as the leader of the team. Combined, he and Antetokounmpo, went just 8-26 with 21 points. Overall, the team just shot 39 percent on the night.

Defensively, the Bucks have so-so interior defense, which improves when John Henson comes into the game. Still, they were able to force several turnovers (19) in game one, against a Bulls team that is usually pretty good at taking care of the ball (only averaged 14 per game in the regular season). They are going to have to find a way to exploit Rose’s reckless style of play, as he had four of Chicago’s 19 turnovers in the game last night.

With Antetokounmpo’s athleticism, the Bucks need to do a better job taking advantage of Chicago’s mistakes by turning them into layups and dunks on the other end.

Thibodeau and Bucks coach Jason Kidd have both proven to be good coaches in the NBA, and will likely make some adjustments going into tonight’s game two. The Bulls will probably try to take better care of the ball, and feed Pau Gasol on the block more frequently, while the Bucks will be focusing on getting Carter-Williams more involved in the offense.

Game two of this series will be tipping off tonight in Chicago, where the Bulls will be looking to sustain their series lead, and maintain home court advantage.

Next: What we learned from Spurs-Clippers after game 1

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