Kings of NY

The Chicago Bulls keep proving that they can roll with the best of them. To beat the Nets in Brooklyn without some key players is pretty impressive. The Bulls were without Javonte Green & Coby White to begin the game due to the players entering the NBA’s Health & Safety Protocols while Alex Caruso was questionable with a hamstring strain. Caruso did start the game but only played 8 points, leaving the game & not returning. It was a huge blow but the Bulls were able to persevere with the help of their stars & great help off the bench in the rookie Ayo Dsonmu. Along with Caruso, Dsonmu is becoming a fan favorite & why not? The kid is from Chicago, plays with grit & intelligence & has helped the Bulls win multiple games this season. He was a whopping +16 that night too. The Bulls did struggle a little bit against the team but were able to string together some runs & rally back into the game. There were great adjustments made throughout the game & of course the help of two of the best fourth quarter players in the NBA, DeMar DeRozan & Zach LaVine.

The Bulls came out looking fine. They moved the ball really well & played okay defense; their shots weren’t falling though & let the Nets get a few wide-open looks. Their defensive rotations did look a little sloppy but eventually were able to somewhat tighten it up. Caruso scored six points in the first eight minutes before exiting the game. Zach was able to pick up some of the scoring slack by getting to his spots to score eight in the opening period. Rebounding began to look like an issue in the beginning & almost remained one the whole game. Brooklyn took a six-point lead at the end of the first. The second quarter was a little more even as the Bulls were ablet to make some adjustment & hit shots. They did shoot eight free throws compared to the Nets zero in the second quarter but only cashed in on three of them. They got outrebounded big time & the Nets were constantly able to not only get second chance points, but even third & fourth opportunities. Kevin Durant was getting to his spots & scoring while DeMar did the same. Ayo came off the bench & provided some spark for the Bulls with high energy & hustle. DJJ played well too even though he had become the primary defender on Kevin Durant. Coach Donovan brough in Alize Johnson to help with the rebounding but that was of no use since the Nets continued to outrebound & outhustle the Bulls. The quarter remained a lot of back & forth with Brooklyn taking a 56-52 lead going into the break.

The Bulls defense looked a little bit more like themselves during the third quarter but were still having difficulty making shots. They were able to go on a little 6-0 run early in the quarter with some spark of the bench once again. The impact of the bench won’t really show in the box score though, those are the type of plays they made. Zach got going however, scoring 13 in that frame; he was able to get to the line as well hitting six of seven from the charity stripe. Coach Donovan did throw Tony Bradley in the game to help with rebounding which was huge. His large body was able to help the team box out & allow for easier rebounds. The fourth quarter was a sight to see. This is when the game became so much fun to watch—felt like a playoff game. The Bulls were able to identify mismatches on both offensive & defensive ends to ramp up their overall play. Their rebounding got significantly better & hands became more active on defense. Ayo played exceptional basketball to supplement the fourth quarter kings, DeMar & Zach. Watching DeMar & KD trade mid-range shots for a couple minutes during the quarter was beautiful; I’m sure the old-heads that watched the game thoroughly enjoyed those sequences. DeMar scored a smooth 13 points in the quarter & Zach added seven. It definitely helped that James Harden does not look like himself plus the incredible defense played by Lonzo. Speaking of Lonzo, the dagger three ball he hit at the end of the game gave me an adrenaline rush—just awesome. DeMar clearly trusted Zo even though he had struggled the whole night but was able to cash in on the most important shot in the game. That’s trust. Bulls go on to outscore the Nets by seven in the quarter to steal a huge win in Brooklyn.

The Bulls look good, man. If anyone is still doubting them then they’re just in denial. Without some key players in the game, they were able to show tenacity & pull through. Kevin Durant called the Bulls a contender—that's huge. Now the Bulls go on to face the Denver Nuggets tonight but with the heartbreaking news of DeMar DeRozan entering Health & Safety Protocols. The last time the Bulls faced the Nuggets was in the mile high city without the MVP, Nikola Jokic. This time Jokic will play & Vooch will too, so it’ll be a fun matchup to watch. Zach will be needed right off the bat with DeMar being out & DJJ & Ayo will need to play tremendous basketball as well. Troy Brown Jr should be getting more playing time as well so expect him to play good defense & hit some threes. The Nuggets aren’t playing fantastic since they have so many injuries & missing key players so even without DeMar, the Bulls should be able to squeeze this one out.

DeMar Silences the Garden

The rivalry between the Chicago Bulls & New York Knicks has revived. Every game they have played so far has been a tough game—both physically & mentally. The Chicago Bulls went to the Big Apple to take on the Knicks in Madison Sqaure Garden, they were able to outlast a very well put together run by the Knicks & come out on top. The Bulls came out firing on every cylinder possible in the beginning but as the Bulls have done all season, couldn’t keep their lead. I was just happy to see the Bulls beat the Knicks & their insanely annoying fans, regardless of the circumstances. Coach Billy Donovan called a great game & the Bulls showed their potential by playing great team basketball. Alex Caruso was flawless, though the box score won’t show that, even though he had a whopping +21 in the game. The three-headed monster the Bulls fans were hoping to experience soon is seeming to come together as Vooch scored 27, Zach scored 27 & DeMar had a game high 34, with 18 in the final frame alone. Lonzo didn’t have a great shooting night but always makes up for it on the other end. If the Bulls can continue to play like this, they will absolutely be a team that’s a contender.

The first quarter was a beauty. The Bulls shot right out of the gun with a blistering 37 points in the first frame. Vooch & Zach looked awesome with 13 & 11, respectively. The ball was moving beautifully & the defense was tremendous—leading to 8 first quarter turnovers. The Bulls were then able to get out in transition & do what they do best. Practically every Bull scored & held an 18-point lead at the end of the first. There was no scoring disparity in the second quarter though, as both teams scored 32 points. With Lonzo Ball picking up a third foul early in the quarter, it gave the Knicks a little more wiggle room but Troy Brown Jr came & stepped up as well as he could; TBJ played great defense, showed hustle & hit shots. DeMar was the man during the second quarter scoring 14 points in the quarter along with Zach scoring 7. The Knicks tried to dial up their pressure but the Bulls continued to play decent basketball. By the end of the first half, the Bulls were up 69-51, in a game that had blowout written all over it.

As we have seen the Bulls do all season long, they did it again—took their foot off the gas. Clearly, Coach Thibodeau yelled at his unit during halftime with the Knicks coming out with insane ball pressure in the beginning of the second half. Although the Bulls didn’t turn the ball over a lot, they just didn’t look good. The offense became stagnant & they weren’t able to get good looks off. The Knicks started off with a 27-10 run against the Bulls & finished the quarter with 32 points to the Bulls 20. Their defense was honestly a sight to see as they held the Bulls to a terrible 35 percent shooting—turning a large lead into a 6-point lead. The fourth quarter was just as scary for Bulls fans, especially since we’ve seen blown leads not just this year, but all the time. Luckily the Bulls have two of the top three closers in the NBA; DeMar dropped 18 points in the final quarter & Zach had six big points. DeMar as usual, kept his composure down the stretch & hit his midranges & free throws like he’s done all season. He showed a flurry of moves & hit ridiculous shots to keep the Bulls from giving the game away. Vooch came through big time, similarly to the last game, by hitting a couple of big threes leading the Bulls Big Three to have all of the quarters 30 points. Although the Knicks took a momentarily one-point lead, the Bulls executed both offensively & defensively. Caruso & Ball excelled on the defensive end while the Big Three gave buckets. Caruso had three steals in the fourth quarter & now leads the NBA in steals. The Bulls kept it together & pulled out of this exciting game with a solid win.

As scary & intense this game was, it was really fun. The Bulls are an exciting team to watch & the rivalry being revived only adds to it. I was very happy to see the Bulls keep their composure & not panic, something that they usually do. The veteran leadership of DeRozan is clearly rubbing off on other players & was absolutely needed. Coach Donovan kept his unit together & in my opinion, outcoached Thibodeau. The Bulls will now face the Brookyln Nets tonight which will be another fun matchup; they already beat the Nets early in the season but that was when Harden didn’t look like himself. Harden is now slowly getting back to form & Kevin Durant is playing basketball at a level we’ve never seen before. The Bulls announced they Javonte Green has entered Health & Safety protocols to join Coby White—a huge loss. The Bulls are already short in the forward position but now DJJ & TBJ will need to step up by hitting shots & providing great energy. I expect Caruso to start at the PF position tonight. The Bulls should continue their momentum & immediately go to Vooch in the beginning of the game with Zach & DeMar following later at their own pace. This game might get a little ugly but should be fun nonetheless.

Bulls Swat the Hornets

The Chicago Bulls faced the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. It was the first time the Ball brothers would face off this season—a much anticipated matchup. It is time to give Lavar Ball his flowers since he was indeed right. Both of his boys are playing great basketball & have great potential. The Hornets are one of the most explosive & fun teams in the NBA, similarly to Chicago. They have great talent in LaMelo, Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward & other players like PJ Washington & Terry Rozier. They get out quick in transition & love shooting the three ball—all which was displayed that night. The Bulls would definitely be able to match their energy which would provide for a fun game. The Bulls looked almost flawless throughout the game except for the beginning & the end. They gave us a scare by letting the Hornets claw their way back into the game but it was good to see the Bulls finish, even though things like that need to stop occurring. It was a beauty to see Vooch finally get going & get into the groove of things, scoring a team-high 30 points. The triple threat of Zach, DeMar & Vooch all scoring twenty-plus with Lonzo sprinkling in 16 points is exactly the full potential of the Bulls. This led to a season-high scoring effort of a total of 133 points.

The Chicago Bulls started off well with Zo leading the way with a couple threes & great ball movement. They went to Vooch early as well with different post up variations & pick & roll options-- something they need to do often. Once the inside game is established, the Bulls can start spreading their game out to the outside. Their defensive intensity was great as the crowd cheered anytime the Ball brothers guarded one another; the Bulls were rotating on defensive well & forced turnovers throughout the whole game. Then PJ Washington came in & scored four straight three-pointers on the pick & roll—exposing Vooch on the defensive end. As usual, there wasn’t an adjustment made right away giving away the Bulls 9-point lead & letting the Hornets get out on a small run. The Hornets ended up taking a one-point lead at the end of the first. The Bulls then had a great second quarter, scoring 39 in just that quarter alone. The ball was moving beautifully with the Bulls finishing the game with a season-high of 35 assists. Everyone took turns scoring the ball & suffocated the Hornets on defense. Everyone was finding & hitting good shots led by Vooch. He scored 8 points in the frame, finishing it off with a three-pointer at the end of the half. The Bulls took an 11-point lead going into the half.

The Bulls continued to stay hot as they entered the third quarter, with the long-distance shots cashing in. Five three-pointers in a quarter may seem rather small but you have to consider that the Bulls aren’t really a three-point shooting team, sitting towards the bottom of the league in that regard. Vooch continued to play well as he scored twelve points in the quarter & Zach dropped in nine. The ball movement remained amazing as the Bulls consistently got open looks & had 10 assists in the quarter. They continued to rebound & play great defense to take complete control of the game. The Bulls were up by 29 at the end of the third quarter. Then the Bulls went on to do something we’ve seen for years; a habit I was hoping they’d drop this year—blowing a lead. The Hornets seemed to catch the Bulls off guard with their energy in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Their offense became stagnant & the players seemed to be afraid of the moment by passing up open looks. The Bulls managed to score six points in almost 6 minutes in the beginning of the quarter while the Hornets were clicking on all cylinders with 21 points scored in the same time span. The Hornets were able to bring a 29-point lead down to four points...FOUR POINTS. Billy Donovan then called a timeout; the timeout clearly worked as the Bulls proceeded to go on an 11-2 run to regain control of the game. Then as one of the best fourth quarter teams in the NBA, the Bulls were able to close out the game strong—sealing the win.

It was great to see all the Bulls players get going. After struggling the first few games & then getting COVID, it was a pleasant sight to see Vooch get going offensively. He made big plays defensively later on as well; when the buckets start falling, you automatically start doing other things better. DeMar & Zach continued to do their own thing as they hit tough buckets when they were needed. Lonzo came out on top against his younger brother. Billy Donovan called a solid game as they Bulls were able to defeat the zone defense & move the ball well to hit good shots. It was a team they should have beaten & they did. They face the New York Knicks tonight for their third matchup of the season. The Knicks are struggling way more than anyone would have imagined; the starting lineup isn’t playing well & Thibs just announced that not only is Kemba Walker out of the starting lineup, he’s out of the whole rotation! The Bulls just have to fight tough & deal with the physical brand of basketball that the Knicks have patented. With Coby White getting COVID, the Bulls will need some spark off the bench, hopefully through the likes of Ayo, DJJ & Javonte—Caruso is a given. Let’s see the Bulls start off December with a solid win.