Ball or Nuthin' » Derrick Rose

Heat Beating Bulls in Late Game Situations

T Lamont — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:25:27 +0000

Against one of the league’s toughest defenses, the Miami Heat are steeping up in grand fashion.

With their Game 4 victory, the Big Three have helped the Heat do something that hasn’t been done all season long: they’ve made the Chicago Bulls losers of three straight games.

Aside from the landslide Chicago win in Game 1, each of the games has been decided late in the final quarter. In a series that – on paper – would have forecasted to be tight, many would have predicted that Miami would be troubled late in ball games. While it’s a fact that the Heat have experienced struggles in close out situations, it’s also clear that the Bulls have an even bigger handicap under identical circumstances.

Frankly, NBA MVP Derrick Rose is not getting the job done in crunch time. And really, who would have expected him to? Despite the summer addition of Carlos Boozer, Chicago has clearly shown us that they are a one-man show. What they lack is a skilled wingman, who can take some of the pressure off of Rose. Miami, who, by the way, aren’t the defensive slouches that many would have assumed them to be, has the luxury of slowing down the Memphis alum with multiple players. Rose has gotten covered defensively by Mario Chalmers, Mike Bibby, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James – each of whom contain different attributes of speed, athleticism, strength and quickness. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra has fed Rose a steady diet of mixed defenders, but he deftly saved the most physically gifted of the bunch – LeBron James – for those key, end-of-game possessions.

Wade came up with a huge block on a Derrick Rose layup attempt late in Game 4.

James combines the characteristics of great foot speed, quickness, strength, and leaping ability that can shut down just about any offensive player. As poorly as the Bulls played in the fourth, they still had two opportunities to take the lead within the last minute of regulation. On the first possession, James absorbed a double step-back move, which would have lost the average defender, and managed to effectively challenge the shot enough to cause Rose to be off target. During the final possession in regulation, James forced Rose to his right (a side from which he doesn’t comfortably execute his pull-up jumper). Rose attempted to dart past him, but had to step back a fire a highly contested shot that had absolutely no chance of going in.

As one could foreshadow, the extra session belonged to Miami. The Heat simply have more scoring options, and their defensive intensity is matching that of Chicago. D-Rose has not been efficient at all in this series. He’s shooting 33-91 (36%) from the floor, including 5-22 (23%) from three-point range. That’s not going to get it done. In the bigger picture, his ineffectiveness enables the Heat to recover and not give up wide-open perimeter looks.

Miami was heavily criticized for its inability to work effectively in clutch positions. Now, isn’t it time that Rose and Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau start to take some of that heat? It seems that little, if any, adjustments have been made that would allow the Bulls to be successful. It’s clear to see that Thibodeau is between a rock and a hard place – he only has one player who can create off the dribble. But Rose still remains a shaky shooter. Thibodeau has one slasher (Luol Deng), no post-up players and one pure shooter (Kyle Korver) who is a major defensive liability.

Chicago’s grit has clearly determined the style of this series. Points are hard to come by, but Miami’s edge is clear. This series – along with its Western Conference counterpart – prove that the most crucial games are won and lost based on matchups. Dirk Notwizki is indefensible, and he’s giving the Thunder fits late in their contests. But Chicago’s problem is that Derrick Rose has been defensible in this series, and nothing else is opening up for them. When the Bulls attempt to apply extra pressure on Wade or James, it’s like sending Chris Bosh to Ryan’s. The five-time All-Star picks out everything that he wants, sits down, devours it, and doesn’t even tip the waitress. Bosh’s 96 points in the series (on 35-55 shooting) are 4 more more than Rose, and he only trails LeBron (101 on 34-75 shooting). That means Miami’s top scorers are outscoring Chicago’s top scorer by taking fewer shots at the hoop.

Fortunately, for the Bulls, they’ll be back on their home floor for Game 5.

Unfortunately, they still won’t have anyone who can truly relieve the burden on the league’s MVP.

Bulls, Heat Series Tied, 1-1

T Lamont — Thu, 19 May 2011 04:24:27 +0000

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In two games, each of the Eastern Conference finalists proved one thing – that they know how to play playoff caliber defense.

Game 1 saw the Chicago Bulls runaway from the Miami Heat late in the third, and early in the fourth quarters. Aside from Chris Bosh, the Heat were handcuffed by a great Chicago team effort on the defensive end, winning 103-82.

Tonight in Game 2, also at the United Center in Chicago, it was Miami who played stellar defense to close out the contest. An extraordinary bounceback performance from LeBron James (15-7 in Game 1; 29-10 in Game 2) propelled the Erik Spoelstra’s club to a split on the road, with a 85-75 victory.

What did we see in these two games?

Each team saw their superstars get slowed down. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James combined for 33 points on 32 field goal attempts in the series opener. In Game 2, Derrick Rose scored 21 points on 23 field goal attempts. Clearly, one key for each team is to figure out how to get their best player some good looks on the floor. This will enhance their level of comfort in situations when they are called on to make big shots.

LeBron stared down a potential 0-2 deficit and didn't like what he saw.

Udonis Haslem stepped up at a time when Miami needed him most. If a team allows itself to absorb an 0-2 deficit, the odds are heavily against that team to get past its opponent. The veteran Haslem knows this, and his effort sopke volumes of the intensity that only he can give to the Heat. Miami doesn’t expect to get much off of the bench, and the Heat got a lot more than they bargained for from Haslem. But Haslem has the postseason experience and toughness that Miami desperately needs. And his mid-range shooting gives James and Wade another option when they attract too much attention from the Bulls defense. Haslem will be the Heat’s x-factor for success in this series.

How can Chicago use Kyle Korver? The series’ best shooter has been unable to get a feel for his offensive game. His presence on the floor would give Rose a little more space to operate. But so far, Korver is only 2-10, and he’s finding it difficult to get floor time because of his weak defensive abilities. By running the screen and roll, Korver runs the risk of getting matched up with LeBron or D-Wade, thereby leaving the middle of Chicago’s defense vulnerable to ball penetration.

Wade got off to the quick start (with 17 first-half points), while LeBron took over late in Game 2. The Heat got forced some turnovers, and got some easy points out on the break – which they desperately needed. They were more aggressive than Chicago, and it showed as they collected every loose ball – as opposed to Game 1.

As of right now, the advantage in this series lies with the Heat. They’ll head back home with some confidence in tow, knowing that they’ve won the last game. Winning a tough game in Chicago could give the Heat the edge that they need to do their thing at home.

Thunder Need Westbrook’s Reckless Style

T Lamont — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:34:57 +0000

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Russell Westbrook – please ignore the haters.

You’re an All-Star, and your ability and performance are tops in the NBA. But some would have you to believe otherwise.

There are many analysts out there – some of them well-accomplished in their careers, and some of them not-so-much – who have heavily criticized your game of late.

Their criticisms are robust (like the analyst, in some cases, eh hem…) and plentiful. They generally center around the fact that you are taking too many shots, and consequently, not looking to be the primary facilitator to present your teammates with the gift of open shots.

I guess what they are saying is that your 8.2 assists per game (9th in the league) – which, by the way, trump the averages of Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, Mike Conley and Jameer Nelson – is not good enough for them.

When defenders attempt to come to your rescue by bringing up the high-volume shooting of recently crowned MVP Derrick Rose, the critics continue with their case against you – laboring the point that you have scoring champ Kevin Durant on your team while Rose has no alternative scoring options.

But, of course, you had nothing to do with Kevin Durant leading the Association in scoring. None of the alley-oops that Durant finished nor the 670 assists you tossed helped him to assert himself as the league’s most dominant scorer. Sure, Durant inbounds the ball to himself, brings the ball up the court and scores on his own. Your assist numbers are clearly forged. And nevermind that OKC’s interior tandem of Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed have as much rhythm as Evander Holyfield, you remain responsible for their lack of offensive game on the low block.

No other point guard can match the sheer athleticism of Westbrook.

Your uncontrollable forays into the paint prevent your inconsistent teammates from getting opportunities to improve upon their shooting strokes. Russell, you clearly need to get James Harden and Daequan Cook more open looks although they haven’t cashed on what you have given them thus far in the Thunder’s postseason run.

So, despite the fact that your team’s current formula for success has helped you to improve your record and playoff duration each season, you need to make adjustments to your game.

Will it make Oklahoma City better? Who cares. At least the analysts will respect your for playing the game the right way – just like your contemporaries like Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Tony Parker…who are all at home watching you play now.

That’s right, Russell. Sacrifice your stats, All-Star status and team success to lead your team as a true point guard should.

Then, tune back in to TNT and ESPN to hear them reveal how much they liked the old Russell Westbrook better.

Johnson and Crawford Take Down Chicago

T Lamont — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:46:50 +0000

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Derrick Rose may be the player who’ll soon be named NBA MVP, but he and his Chicago Bulls became the victims of simple math.

Two playmakers are better than one.

Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford exploited the mismatches they had, using their abilities to propel the Atlanta Hawks to a 103-95 victory over the Bulls in the United Center.

To say that Johnson (34 points on 12-18 FGs, 5-5 3FGs) had it going tonight would be a grand understatement. J.J. patiently seized the opportunities that presented themselves within Atlanta’s offense, and made critical shots and plays to close to game – including 10 points in the final quarter. His size and ability to create (for himself and others) has been overlooked at times. Nowadays, Johnson is easily one of the most heavily criticized players from a productivity standpoint, particularly because of the ridiculous contract that the Hawks signed him to in the offseason. (Ironically, the Bulls were one of the team who were heavily in the running for Johnson’s services.) But Atlanta knows that J.J. is fully capable of doing what he did tonight, and efforts like that can only be matched by a select number of players in the Association.

What truly makes the Hawks special, is having a performer the caliber of Jamal Crawford – coming off of their bench, nonetheless. Chicago knows Crawford (22 points, 3 assists) well, as the 6’5″ lead guard spent the first four seasons of his career there. He’s an established scorer (averaging over 17 ppg in 8 different seasons) with the unique ability to create opportunities for others. He’s earned the role of Atlanta’s ‘last shot taker / playmaker’, as his ability to create space and command help from additional defenders is unparallelled.

The Bulls will have to find a way to slow down five-time All-Star Joe Johnson.

Tonight, Tom Thibodeau had the unenviable task of wondering how he would defend these multi-talented players. Chicago had Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer at its disposal, but more often than not they’d be coming in for one another due to their inability to play the point. And when Kyle Korver hit the court, the Hawks were clearly going to let their guards go to work.

While shooting over 51% from the floor against one of the league’s best defensive units, the Hawks were also able to severely limit Rose’s effectiveness in Game One. Gifted with speed, a crafty handle, and amazing change of pace, Rose has also improved his outside shooting. Unfortunately, it remains a liability which was on display tonight. Atlanta went under every screen, daring Rose to launch triples (on which he was 2-7). Rose is rightfully the leading candidate for the season’s MVP award, but his incompleteness may keep his team from being as good as it can.

Neither team sported a discernible advantage in the paint, meaning the game’s deciding moments were determined by perimeter play.

And when all was said and done, Atlanta was more than prepared to contain the running of the Bulls.

Same Players, Different Result for Hawks

T Lamont — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:14:53 +0000

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The enigma of the Atlanta Hawks continues.

There’s certainly no surprise that the Hawks, an ultra-talented team, have sent the Magic fishing. But, at the same time, it is a surprise.

Over the past few years, if there’s one thing that Atlanta had firmly established about itself, it has been that they are disturbingly inconsistent. Last year, the Hawks were good enough to sweep their season series with the Boston Celtics, but somehow required seven games to advance past the first round of the postseason (they outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks).

Atlanta’s former head coach, Mike Woodson, pulled the Hawks from the league’s basement, and turned them into a playoff team. But was it really him? Or was it talent from years of lottery picks? Or perhaps a huge free-agent purchase half a decade ago? It’s no secret that in the midst of the team’s development into an annual playoff participant, Woodson clashed with some of the Hawks’ best players.

Last season was clearly the best regular season effort that Atlanta had put together in quite some time. The bar of expectations was raised, simply based on the familiarity that roster members should have had with one another, as well as the maturity that each player should have made individually. However, a nip-and-tuck series with the Bucks made many wonder how an undersized, inexperienced, undermanned team like Milwaukee – who were without center Andrew Bogut – could come so close to taking down Atlanta.

And then, the bottom dropped out.

Smith and Horford match up favorably with Chicago's frontcourt of Noah and Boozer.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Hawks set playoff series futility records against the Orlando Magic. To say that the Magic utterly destroyed Atlanta would be a huge understatement. Woodson’s squad were swept – losing the four games by a total of 101 points.

It certainly appeared as if the Hawks had maxed out their potential.

Now, of course, after such an embarrassing defeat, something has to change. Atlanta let Woodson walk, and brought in a fresh, new coach in Larry Drew – with ‘fresh and new’ meaning a very lightweight resume as far as NBA head coaches are concerned.

What else changed? Nothing. Seriously?

There were no significant roster changes to improve their standing among the elite beasts of the East. Miami now had ‘the Big Three.’ Boston had ‘the Fantastic Four.’ Orlando still had their MVP candidate (Dwight Howard), and a team that crushed Atlanta when it mattered most. And Chicago had renewed hope with roster additions and an improving Derrick Rose.

Predictably, the Hawks finished this regular season fifth in the conference, behind each of those teams. And guess who was knocking on their door for an opening-round series?

Howard certainly got his, but no other Magic players did.

A couple of years ago, the Boston Celtics established the blueprint on how to defeat Orlando – with single-coverage of Howard. Not doubling him on the touch stifles the Magic’s offense output for the following reasons:

- It discourages ball movement, keeping the rock of Howard’s – occasionally unsure – hands

- It encourages Howard to attempt offensive moves that he has yet to perfect

- It results in possessions in which Howard is fouled (instead of possessions where a basket is made, or a better free throw shooter is fouled)

Atlanta – with new coach Drew – obviously noted that, because it was that difference in defensive philosophy that kept the Magic at bay this time around. Orlando, a team loaded with exceptional long-range bombers, only shot 27% from beyond the arc in the series. Drew focused his team’s individual defensive responsibility, stressing that they not overreact to perceived mismatches. The Hawks used their length and athleticism to shadow the Magic’s perimeter players.

The Hawks will now move on to battle the conference’s #1 seed, the Chicago Bulls, led by their superstar and MVP candidate, the aforementioned Rose. Unlike most teams, Atlanta is equipped with the personnel to make things tough for Rose. Kirk Hinrich, a former teammate of Rose’s, is a tough, smart defender. If he’s able to shake off the apparent injury that he suffered last night, his ability to play offense and defense could be key for Atlanta. Al Horford and Josh Smith provide just as much strength and even more athleticism than Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.

This Atlanta team has a real chance to knock off Chicago, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time (since they’ve been the “Atlanta Hawks”).

And it’s all thanks to the one change that they made.

And the many others that they didn’t.