Game 6/82: Bulls (2-3) @ C’s (4-1) Open Thread

Posted by Brian Robb on Nov 5, 2010 1043127 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F11%2F05%2Fgame-682-bulls-2-3-cs-4-1-open-thread%2FGame+6%2F82%3A+Bulls+%282-3%29+%40+C%27s+%284-1%29+Open+Thread2010-11-05+20%3A56%3A54Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D10431

Offensive Efficiency:

Boston: 105.6 points/100 possessions (19th)

Chicago: 108.3 points/100 possessions (10th)

Defensive Efficiency:

Boston: 99.2 points allowed/100 possessions (4th)

Chicago: 107.5 points allowed/100 possessions (18th)

Probable Chicago starters:

Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Keith Bogans, Taj Gibson

Thumbnail: Tom Thibodeau and Brian Scalabrine return to town for the shorthanded Bulls that will be hungry for a win coming off a home loss last night against the New York Knicks. Meanwhile the C’s try to improve their home record to 4-0 before heading off on a tough 4 game road trip next week.

WHAT THE BULLS DO WELL:

• Shoot The Ball Inside The Arc. For a team that had no offense last year, the Bulls did quite well in this department to up their firepower, adding Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, and C.J. Watson to the mix as well as an (injured) Carlos Boozer. This crew collectively along with Chicago’s leftovers have the team number 1 in FG percentage this year at 48% despite struggling from beyond the arc. That number should be able to stay consistent once they get Boozer back as well.

• Hit The Offensive Glass. Noah is the team’s best rebounder on both ends, and he will wreak havoc on this end tonight if the C’s don’t keep a body glued to him all night

WHAT THE BULLS DO POORLY:

• Keep Opponents Off The Line. The Bulls rank next to dead last in this department, sending their opponents to the line at an alarming rate through five games this year. With this in mind, expect Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce to be aggressive in trying to get to the bucket and force their way to the charity stripe.

Three-point shooting. Surprisingly, they are in the bottom third of the league in this department despite having two guys that are shooting over 50 percent thus far (Korver and Deng) from downtown. Derrick Rose throwing up nearly 5 three-balls a game while shooting just 27 percent clearly has weighted down the numbers. Rondo would be wise to entice him to throw up more of these bricks tonight.

PLAYER/S WHO MAKE ME WORRY:

• Noah. There is no worse front-line player in the league to face for an aging front line. The C’s big men have done well to hold their own on the glass this year, (with some help from the guards) but the C’s must have all hands on deck tonight to protect the glass against one of the peskiest rebounders in the game. A 20-rebound effort is not out of the queston.

• Rose. Torched the C’s for 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting the last time these two teams played but did nothing in the prior two meetings. Always a beast on defense, but his offense disappears if the mid-range shots aren’t falling.

• Scal Don’t laugh. Ok, maybe laugh a little bit You know this guy will hit a 3 tonight which will probably bring some of the biggest cheers of the night.

PLAYERS WHO DO NOT MAKE ME WORRY:

• Keith Bogans. It amazes me this guy is only 30 but he’s the ultimate filler point guard. He can play some defense but is an absolute zero on the offensive end.

WHAT WE WAN TO SEE FROM BOSTON TONIGHT:

Keep Minutes Down. Did you know Rajon Rondo is leading the league in minutes per game and Ray Allen is 11th? I know it’s early in the year and the C’s are shorthanded without Delonte West but both those numbers are too high. Doc needs to preserve these guys before a tough four game road trip. An improved effort from the bench should help in this department.

PREDICTION:

Bulls coming off a back to back….and C’s will want to prove they can beat their former mentor: 100-93, Celtics.