Cle is ripe for the picking without Love and their halfcourt D is pretty poor but I still like their chances. Chicago just has a lot of pieces that don't fit and a lot of name guys that aren't close to their prime anymore.
Chicago not nearly as good defensively as in past years because Noah went from being a top 3 defensive player in the world to a glorified K Perkins. He is probably either hurt or just entering a new phase of his career where he is washed up but either way he likely needs to sit more in this series. Unless Noah just plays way better they won't be able to make Cleveland pay for going to smaller lineups and it'll be tough.
Really unless LeBron has some type of meaningful dropoff from his prime, Cle should be fine.
Chicago not nearly as good defensively as in past years because Noah went from being a top 3 defensive player in the world to a glorified K Perkins. He is probably either hurt or just entering a new phase of his career where he is washed up but either way he likely needs to sit more in this series. Unless Noah just plays way better they won't be able to make Cleveland pay for going to smaller lineups and it'll be tough.
Really unless LeBron has some type of meaningful dropoff from his prime, Cle should be fine.
wow. i think that's a bolder statement than mine.
Has he fallen that much defensively? I haven't noticed.
I love this Bulls team and Bulls are one of the teams I historically hate.
Butler best 2 way player in NBA.. big guys glaore.. It's not just their size but their depth. Gasol Mirotec ability to spread a defense. Noah Gibson cleaning up the boards... Rose can still score... Mirotic is a wreckless star. Half court defense, Tibs coaching.. I think this team has it all..
I don't think they are the best team in the NBA, but I think they match up the best with Cleveland.
Ya he has been pretty bad. Offensively he has just been awful around the rim as well. It is like playing 5 on 4. He is only 30 but he played a lot of minutes the last few years. Had knee surgery last offseason, just isn't the same player really.
Unless he plays better I think Gibson will likely play more as the series goes on but Thibs is the most stubborn coach in the league so who knows.
Gasol is really their only big mismatch and it has been awhile since he has dominated a playoff series so we'll see.
You still gotta be a threat though. If you're just a zero on offense and the other team doesn't have to cover you then it is a problem. Especially a team like Cleveland that wants to play a smaller lineup, you can get away with having a smaller lineup on the court if Noah can't make you pay for it.
I dunno, maybe they will shoot him up with something and he'll thrive off the home crowd adrenaline with a throwback game tonight.
Just defensively he isn't the same player either. Bulls have barely been better defensively with him on the court this year which is pretty crazy considering how good he was last year. Maybe he is hurt or maybe he just hit a wall fast.
I dunno, maybe they will shoot him up with something and he'll thrive off the home crowd adrenaline with a throwback game tonight.
Just defensively he isn't the same player either. Bulls have barely been better defensively with him on the court this year which is pretty crazy considering how good he was last year. Maybe he is hurt or maybe he just hit a wall fast.
I'm betting the Cavs for the series.
Chicago is an unknown though, they played Milwaukee rd 1 and they were by far the worst team in the playoffs. -2.5 SRS since the Knight/MCW trade, basically still rebuilding and just made the playoffs because the East is terrible. Bulls really didn't look all that impressive either.
Chicago is an unknown though, they played Milwaukee rd 1 and they were by far the worst team in the playoffs. -2.5 SRS since the Knight/MCW trade, basically still rebuilding and just made the playoffs because the East is terrible. Bulls really didn't look all that impressive either.
Game 6 against Milwaukee and then Game 1 in this series were 2 very impressive games by the Bulls. Led wire to wire in game 1 I believe.
Not shocked they lost game 2...and they won 3 of the 4 quarters in that game, just got punched in the mouth in the 1st.
I think Chi rebounds tonight with a W, game 4 will be difficult though.
Either way Defying is on crack, this series is likely going 7.
