'Da Bulls' Take Game 1 in Miami →
I’m not going to blow this out of proportion and say the Bulls are going to win the series. But the Bulls walking into Miami and taking game 1 from the defending champions, the NBA favorites to win it all, the team led by this year’s MVP, is a major statement. Even if the Bulls go on to lose the next four games, they have just announced and proven they are a team to be reckoned with.
Much respect to Coach Thibodeau and his team. They are proof that coaching, heart, and guts do go a long way.
Derrick Rose Out For Playoffs
It was tough to see the injury take place but even tougher to hear what the actual injury is. This is the last in the line of injuries that kept Rose on the bench this season, and this one will sideline him for the rest of the post-season. I hope he can come back in time for the new season, stronger than ever.
2011 NBA Playoffs
I know both Conference Final series are 2-1 but I feel it’s pretty clear who will win each series. It looks like we won’t have a Bulls vs Thunder Finals in 2011 but one of those two teams is bound to win a championship in the next couple of years. Both of those teams need to make some adjustments before they reach their goal.
First “da Bulls”, it has been the Derrick Rose show. I’ve liked Boozer for a long time but he seems to ALWAYS disappear as soon as the playoffs begin. I think he makes sense as a team’s muscle; the guy the team can count on to crash the boards, play hard, and maybe become the 3rd scorer. Noah seems to be the same way but he is younger so perhaps he’ll know what he needs to improve now that he has another playoff year under his belt. The rest of the guys can score but are role players so they’ll have good and bad games. I think the Bulls need to go get a true number 2 player or they need to see that Noah somehow becomes the number 2 that Rose needs.
The Thunder’s problem is simply immaturity. It seems that Westbrook is modeling his game after Rose when he should be looking more at Chris Paul’s game. Durant is the team’s number 1 option, not Westbrook; it seems nobody has told Westbrook. Durant is not free of blame, he has not really acted like a leader. He needs to demand the ball, he’s 6’ 11” so he should be demanding the ball in and around the paint. Nowitcky has improved over the last years but his greatest improvement is that he doesn’t live on the perimeter anymore. I don’t like Dirk and feel that he’s getting compared to greats like Bird much too early, but the reality is that Durant should be taking notes on Dirk’s game and how he’s improved. Harden has had a good series but he’s not going to carry this team, they need Durant and Westbrook to understand their roles first.
I want to believe that but I just haven’t seen anything special from the Bulls. They are definitely a better team than what they’ve shown so far.
