The Chicago Bulls: Where Low Expectations Lead To Happy Fans

Last night's Bulls game was up and down. I went to the game with my girlfriend and throughout the first half she kept asking me "Why do you seem mad? The Bulls are winning or at least keeping it close?" I was mad because nobody played any defense. Well that changed in the second half. Combine that with Gordon suddenly heating up (he has a tendency to do that at times), and you have the recipe for what turned out to be a 108-95 Bulls win. Here's a few observations from the game:

• Obviously Derrick rose is going to be bullet point numero uno. Statistically speaking, he had a decent game with 10 points and 9 assists. In the flow of the game though, he just did not look comfortable. He had 4 turnovers, which isn't terrible for a rookie, but that was not the problem. He was being extremely tentative with his shot and playing unselfishly to a fault. He needs to stick with what makes him great: attacking the basket. I also noticed the Bucks threw double and even triple teams at him to get the ball out of his hands. Although a few times he was able to find the open man, Skiles strategy worked for the most part. Lastly, the kid cannot play any defense. I shudder to think what's going to happen when the Chaunceys and Pauls come to town. (**UPDATE: This was way too harsh a review of Rose. He actually looked very solid for his NBA debut. I was just frustrated he wasn't attacking the basket more like he did in hte preseason)


• Bulls won fastbreak points 20-1. Vinny clearly had them running all game. It was very up-tempo and exciting. A new look for the Bulls.


• Rose-to-Skyrus alley-oop made the crowd go crazy. If Rose can find TT for those more it could be the next Paul-to-Chandler.


• Speaking of Tyrus, he had a double-double. He was knocking down that 15-17 footer consistently. If he can do that it will open up a lot of easy looks since defenders will have to respect his range. Also all those hours in the gym must have helped with free throws too. Even though he was only 5-8 from the line, there was a tangible difference in his form and shooting style. It felt like the free throws were going in every time.


• I can't imagine three guys I want to punch in the face more than the ridiculous Bucks coaching staff. Scott Skiles, Jim Boylan and Kelvin Sampson. The three stooges. I hope a piano falls on their heads.


• Tyrus got 41 minutes. 41 MINUTES! Don't you wonder if there were a few moments throughout the game where Skiles tried to pull TT just out of habit, then realized he was the Bucks coach so he pulled Villanueva instead (that guy is going to be Skiles new whipping boy for sure).


• Deng poured in 21 points while I wasn't looking again. It seems like he always does that. Except for one sweet dunk early, I don't remember him hitting more than a couple jumpers.


• Hinrich had a great game. He looked like his old self. He knocked down open Js and was able to set guys up for good shots.


• As a team the Bulls defense had some bad moments. The rotations were slow and the double teams did not come fast enough. Hopefully VDN can fix this.


• Quick Note on the Crowd: It was a pretty full house and any time Rose came in the game or touched the ball the energy level went way up. That being said, what is the deal with Bulls fans? I felt like I was the only one in the crowd into it. The only time people cheered was in the 4th quarter and when there was stupid bullshit entertainment during timeouts.


• Congrats to Vinny D on your first win. Not bad.

If you want to read some game recaps by people that know more than me check out this, this and/or this.