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It really looked like the Bulls were going to get themselves back into this series against the Detroit Pistons ... for a half anyway. In the second half, Detroit stormed back to beat the Bulls 81-74.
Up by 16 at halftime, the Bulls led by as many as 19 points shortly into the third quarter. The Bulls looked like the were on the way to dismantling the Pistons at the United Center the same way the Pistons had done to the Bulls on their home court.
The momentum shifted dramatically, and by the end of the third quarter the Bulls led by just one point. Tayshaun Prince scored 13 points, and Chauncey Billups added 10 points in the third quarter, after the entire Pistons team mustered up only 28 first-half points. Meanwhile, Detroit's zone defense shut down the Bulls offense.
The Bulls shot just 34% from the field, with Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich combining to make just 10 of 31 shots. In the fourth quarter, the Bulls hit on only 4 of 25 shots — not good! The Bulls also shot a Shaq-like 61% from the free throw line. As in the first two games, poor shooting killed the Bulls — they've yet to shoot even 35% in any of the three games.
With Detroit up 3-0 in the series, it's all but over. No team in the NBA has ever come back from a three-game deficit to win a best-of-seven series. And with shooting like the Bulls have displayed in the first three games, they certainly won't be the first. The only question is whether the Bulls' summer vacation begins on Sunday or Tuesday.
Photo via AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh.
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The Bulls are playing with no heart. Isn't that why they got Ben Wallace?
At least Pau Gasol plays with some heart...
That was a pretty demoralizing loss.
I remember when the bad boy Pistons used to manhandle Jordan and Pippen back in the late 80s. It was like a trip back in time last night. This Bulls team can't play physical. They're going to have to learn how, just like the old Bulls did.
They didn't learn how to do it. They drafted Horace Grant. The first year he averaged double-digit rebounds (1991), the Bulls won their first championship.
If Ben Wallace can't play with any heart, the Bulls can neither expect to win anything now, nor in the future.
Horace Grant was a key part of the shift, but he wasn't that physical for a power forward. The big difference came when Jordan and Pippen beefed up their slender frames with the help of Bulls strength coach Al Vermeil. Meanwhile, brick wall Bill Cartwright began to mete out justice to anyone foolish enough to play dirty down low.
You hit the nail on the head, mike. The young Bulls need to put on some muscle mass and get used to the fact that, in the playoffs, any time you take the ball to the hole you're going to get smacked good and hard (hell, you don't even have to take it to the hole to get smacked good and hard by the Pistons).
The most frustrating thing about the Bulls right now is that their most pressing problems (other than lack of muscle) are psychological. Coming out with an aggressive mindset and playing with enough focus to eliminate mistakes is imperative in the playoffs. They were able to do it for one half last night, but then the relentless pressure (defensive and psychological) of the Pistons wore them down and they reverted to that frightened brand of basketball they played in the first two games (and for various portions of the regular season). When that happens, they get into this mindset where nobody wants to take the shot no matter how open they are and they overpass until the possession is frittered away (either with a shot clock violation, bad "time running out" shot or turnover).
As frustrating as this series was/is, I still think they have the talent to take it to the next level and that this is just part of the learning curve. I remember how weak and pathetic the Jordan Era Bulls looked against the old bad boy Pistons before they broke through into championship level play, and these baby Bulls can do the same.
Unfortunately, you can't work on height like you can on strength. How many times last night did Ben Gordon try and drive to the hoop, only to get stuffed by taller defenders? They need to learn to play to their strenths a little better. Deng has, and it shows in how his game has progressed.
Overall, these Bulls are where the Jordan era Bulls were in '88 or '89. It'll be another year or two before they can really compete.
"Overall, these Bulls are where the Jordan era Bulls were in '88 or '89. It'll be another year or two before they can really compete."
Yeah, no doubt, Benji. I'm just a bit sad because I thought they might have been a little further along than that after the way they handled Miami.
On the bright side, that nice draft pick from the Knicks should get them another quality player. And who's on the free agent market this off season?