I hate to be the one to say “I told you so” but when Vinny Del Negro substituted Brad Miller for Taj Gibson early in the first quarter, Antawn Jamison went off for 5 straight points and left Miller gasping for breath.
It didn’t really matter in the end, as LeBron James proved to be completely unstoppable. He dropped 40 points on the Bulls and even winked at the Bulls bench after a 3-pointer over the recently vilified Joakim Noah. Last night was LeBron’s night and there was nobody that could stop him. Well at least, nobody on the Bulls bench. Especially rookie James Johnson (can you say FACIAL? That dunk was so sick).
Looking for some silver linings in the game however brings us to Flip Murray. As I mentioned in my last article, Flip Murray is instant offense and the Bulls needed him badly last night. With Kirk Hinrich struggling with his shot (and TNT analyst Reggie Miller astounded at how off his timing was), Flip came to save the day. His ability to consistently drive and hit the 3-pointer makes it a no-brainer to play him consistent minutes in Game 3.
Derrick Rose did his usual thing scoring 23 points, and what was more impressive was he limited his turnovers to only 1. Luol Deng was consistent and even drove coast-to-coast and dunked on the Cavs. Love the aggressive nature. Stop settling for jumpers! You can’t hit them consistently!
Joakim Noah had a playoff career-high 25 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and taking the constant punishment of Shaquille O’Neals high-flying elbows. Can a ref please call him on an offensive foul for that play? I love that Noah has gotten into the crowd and even though his quotes are locker room material for the Cavs, he has some more room to grow in the “Most Hated Athlete” role. (See Dennis Rodman getting into Karl Malone’s head in 1997-1999 seasons).
But who really beat the Bulls yesterday? The obvious answer is to name LeBron James and certainly going 40-8-8 is tough to stop. But Jamario Moon proved to be the guy that drove the nail into the coffin, with his timely 3-pointers. It reminded me of Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers, or to take it back, Steve Kerr of the 90s Bulls. Michael Jordan drives, kicks out to a wide open Kerr…Ka-Boom (shout out to Neil Funk)! Game over.
“He was probably the main reason we won,” said James.
For Game 3, The Dr. has come up with a few remedies to finally get the Bulls their first postseason win of 2010:
1. Do not play Brad Miller – Miller has length sure, but his jump shot has proven inconsistent and he cannot keep up with the likes of Jamison, Varajeao, or Moon. He should retire immediately.
2. Do play Hakim Warrick – He has played LeBron very well this year and his length really does bother LeBron.
3. Bring 3-pointers back to the game – Flip Murray wasn’t afraid to shoot them. And it helped. How about some minutes to Pargo?
4. Keep driving the ball, get to the line, get LeBron into foul trouble – The most frustrating thing about watching the Bulls is to see them make 2 passes and then have someone shoot a jumper. And more often than not, they miss. Having LeBron off the court is the best thing to happen to the Bulls.
For the offseason, The Dr. recommends that Derrick Rose become a lethal 3-point shooter. They are giving him that shot ALL NIGHT. Take it...next year.
It seems that Rose is ready though for Game 3.
"My confidence isn't going anywhere," Rose said. "If anything, it's making me want to play even harder to beat them. At the United Center, it's going to be time to ball."
If that doesn't get you pumped for Game 3, I don't know what will.
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