After a rugged win against the Detroit Pistons for their season opener, the Chicago Bulls had their much awaited and exciting home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. After a shortened season due to COVID and safety concerns, Chicago Bulls fans were finally able to experience a game live. There aren't that many NBA arenas throughout the country that create the same hype, excitement and noise as the United Center does. It was great to see fans present & get loud as well as the players getting to experience a roaring atmosphere at home for the first time in over a year & a half. The United Center was electric and that definitely played in part of the Bulls fantastic home opener.
New Orleans came in without their "star" Zion Williamson, who is out due to an ankle injury & rumors spreading that he wants out of New Orleans. Apparently, Zion has also gained weight with some reporters stating he has hit north of 300 pounds. After a pretty solid season & having two all stars last year, the Pelicans should have high aspirations for this year. Trading Lonzo to the Bulls probably impacted them more negatively than they imagined, but us Bulls fans definitely would like to thank David Griffin. The Pels did get their new point guard in the sharpshooter Devonte Graham, but I would not consider that an upgrade over Lonzo Ball. Brandon Ingram is a stud, Jonas Valančiūnas is a solid big man, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a well rounded guard who can definitely have a breakout season & Jaxson Hayes is a high energy big man; Willie Green, a coach who I think has great potential, was just signed as their new head coach in this past offseason.
Alright, on to my thoughts on the game.
Being the home opener and fans present, I expected the Bulls to come out hot and look flawless. I may have been wrong again. The team started off kind of sluggish and slow, once again missing makeable shots. Zach seemed to be forcing some shots early in the game going 0-4 from the field but Demar Derozan came out hitting. DDR was hitting his midrange jumpers along with finishing at the rim-- things he wasn't doing the game before. The ball movement reminded me of the classic Spurs basketball or even the 2016 Warriors; seemed like everyone was getting touches on practically every possession. Even with multiple 3-level scorers on the floor there was no selfishness, almost to a point where they may have been a little too unselfish. The biggest advantage I saw the Bulls have is their transition game, seemed like after every rebound someone was getting out in transitions; dunks everywhere, fancy layups & transitions threes were raining. The second quarter was once again Zach's with him going for 20 points. DDR & Zo were consistent throughout with Zo even getting a triple double against his former team. Alex Caruso is looking like a sixth man of the year with his crazy intangibles and hustle. Alize Johnson, like Stacy King said, is a baby Rodman; he's always hustling and never giving up on a play. Lastly, Javonte Green absolutely deserves a roster spot; Green was constantly playing elite defense along with crazy hustle and constantly running out in the fast breaks.
The defense, once again, looked excellent. The pick & roll defense has improved significantly since last year; players battling through & over screens. Players rotating on defense in a timely matter & having active hands-- stopping dribble penetration. I feel like practically every jumper the Pels shot, there was a hand in their face. Not sure why sports analysts expected the Bulls to be bad defensively this year-- considering they were the 12th best defensive team last year. Zach Lavine has improved a lot on defense & Vooch looked pretty good as well; he kept his arms & used his large frame to disrupt shots. PWill looked a little off on his defense, not really looking like he did last year. This could be due to his ankle injury and now shoulder injury. PWill is not someone I'm concerned about though, he's a second year player who's only twenty years old with a lot of room to grow. If this was last year's defense or team, they would've lost for sure. They got a large lead & then took their foot off the brake & allowed the Pels to come back to within 10 halfway through the third. Luckily, this year has a team full of known winners & we knew to up the defensive intensity and get a dub.
Overall, the Bulls looked very good. They had an electric home opener with a lot of showtime and highlight plays. Offense & defense clicked well while Zach & Demar have made it clear they are the scorers on the team. Zo messed around and got a triple double on his old squad-- completing his revenge game. The Bulls now have their first back to back game tonight against the Detroit Pistons. Let's see if they can come out aggressive
& have relatively fresh legs to secure their third consecutive win.
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