Immediate reaction
The Chicago Bulls earn their first win with steady pressure on both ends. One thing that stood out in particular was their aggressiveness towards the basket, which turned into a lot of free-throw attempts—44 in total.
A ghost in the first half, Ben Gordon found his stroke as the game went on, and eventually nailed the dagger from the corner to put the game out of reach.
Kudos to the mental toughness showed by a very young team late in the forth quarter by refusing to give up a 10-point lead with 4:45 to go.
The offense was really exciting when Derrick Rose entered the game, and the defense stood its ground when he left. With effective substitutions throughout, Vinny Del Negro earned the game ball he received tonight.
Second impression
It’s early in the season for everyone—but if tonight’s game was any indication, the Bulls have a sound mindset of what they want to do offensively. With Drew Gooden starting at the center position and the athletic Tyrus Thomas playing power forward, the Bulls are soft in the middle on the defensive end. To counter this weakness, their entire team is composed of penetrators and spot-up shooters.
Early in the game this was a big factor, as both Andrew Bogut and Dan Gadzuric of the Bucks both had to sit much of the first half. Even though the score going into halftime was close, the Bulls had landed enough jabs early in the bout to take the Bucks out of their defensive game plan in the second half. This was most evident in the fourth quarter when Gordon scored 10 of his 18 points after struggling in the first half.
A quick glance at the final stat sheet reveals exactly what the Bulls want to see every game. A modest lead in free throws attempted (44 to 20) and made (33 to 15), a 19-point margin in the fast-break column, and a surprisingly slight edge (32 to 28) in the battle for points in the paint.
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2 months ago
Can you remember the last time the Bulls won the free throw battle in that substantial of a way? I hope they keep it up...
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