Open Game Thread #19: Bulls vs Seattle SuperSonics

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 11, 2007 5:03 PM CST in News Comment 107 comments

Bulls can get fat this week, facing Seattle, Indiana, and the Knicks.

And then we can all superficially correlate those wins with Tyrus' reduced playing time.

First up is the Sonics, and this basically says it all:

Fans should see a fast-paced and sloppy game that in all likelihood will come down not to which team executes in the waning seconds, but who blunders into an unforced error. After all, Seattle boasts the league's 29th-best offensive efficiency at 99.9 points per 100 possessions, and the only team trailing the Sonics -- c'mon, you saw it coming -- is the Bulls, at a staggeringly bad 97.1.

The legend, Kevin Pelton, outsourced his Bulls coverage to me today, so go there and check it out.

Here's wishing for a Ben Gordon night of hot handedness.

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I am hoping

To see a lot of Sefolosha on the extra long Durant. That would be an interesting move by Skiles.

by givepaxahug on Dec 11, 2007 5:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Bold prediction

Kirk will play too many minutes, and Tyrus too few. Still.

"Shoot 25 balls in one minute? It's impossible for me. It's not my game. I know that." -Andres Nocioni

by cubbybear on Dec 11, 2007 5:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Durant

Durant should post up Hinrich more than Brian Cook did for the Lakers.

by NBA Observer on Dec 11, 2007 5:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope

Kirk continues to improve his shooting. I hope TT sees the floor tonight and I don't mean from his seat on the bench.

Just do it Bulls!!!

Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 11, 2007 5:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The Sonics looked good losing to the Hornets

They were behind by one point, with the ball with six seconds remaining and turned the ball over and lost (Seattle Post). They were down by 11 at the half and didn't fold. They are very athletic and prone to mistakes. If they hang around they can surprise us. It would be helpful if we start strong and don't let them hang around.

by chgobr on Dec 11, 2007 5:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

That

was my impression also. In fact, at times I started to think that I would trade our front line for their's even up. We wouldn't have a post up problem any more. We could even throw in Gordon to make the salaries match

by hlac on Dec 11, 2007 6:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

In a tough month

schedule-wise, this is their easiest week. So for believers of a turnaround, they'd better do well in these three games.

Durant is pretty good (no surprise!). His FG% is almost as low as Gordon's, though. Hopefully Skiles matches up better than Kirk or Du!!!

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 6:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Who do you think will be guarding Durant?

by chgobr on Dec 11, 2007 6:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Thabo

Sefolosha!!

by givepaxahug on Dec 11, 2007 6:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Thabo could be good but likely will not start.

Do you think Deng can keep up with him?

by chgobr on Dec 11, 2007 6:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Deng's back

is bothering him again. He's going to give it a try tonight but not sure how much he will play. No link just heard it on CSN.

Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 11, 2007 6:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not a good sign!

I'd like to know what is wrong with his back.

by chgobr on Dec 11, 2007 6:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What about Noc playing Durant?

by chgobr on Dec 11, 2007 6:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Doesn't Noc tend to

leave his man a lot? I'd rather not have their best player driving uncontested to the basket all the time or left open for a jumper. Whoever plays him will have to stay on him the whole time.

by cranscape on Dec 11, 2007 7:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He's shooting 39%

so Hinrich will probably be fine on him. Or Noc.

But let's see Thabo!!!!!!!!!!!! (=:

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 7:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Must force Sonics to play defense

When the Sonics try to play defense they lose. They're not holding anyone to poor shooting, low rebounding, and forcing turnovers to win ball games.

Ways to win

Make open shots
Rebound the s*$t out of the ball
Defense to offense transition, aka RUN RUN RUN

by NBA Observer on Dec 11, 2007 6:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I haven't seen

the Bulls run as much this year. That's what I really want to see tonight. Couldn't do it against Celts. Gotta keep dreams somewhat realistic re: Skiles vs TT and Thabo.

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 7:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You were totally right

about the rebounding. Just looking at the stats, that seems to be the key to this game (and the fact that we actually shot the ball well). We took 20 more shots than them! That'll help any cause.

by arjoseph on Dec 11, 2007 9:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

About the +18 shot advantage

This is slightly below the shot attempt advantage of previous games. We've had +20 shot attempt nights on a number of occasions, but shot misses were killing us. Last night, we continued the shot attempt advantage, but we sank 15% more of them.

I'll check the shooting chart. I suspect we had a lot more shot makes from 10' and in due to the atrocious Sonic front court. I don't think any of their bigs approach average status as defenders.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 10:40 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

keys met

1. Make open shots
95 attempts, 51 makes, ~54% from the field.

2. Rebound the s*$t out of the ball
Fewer misses on the night as both teams shot well. But Chicago closes the evening +10 DREB and +4 OREB.

3. Defense to offense transition, aka RUN RUN RUN
+11 fast break point advantage

The Sonics had 27 assists on 49% shooting and lost.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 9:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack

it's been too long since i had access to the game and a computer at the same time....sorry guys i've been gone....blowing off finals for this but don't fret...

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 7:49 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Ben Gordon

& Smith first 11 points for bulls.

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 7:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

im listeing to the game

and i can't figure out how we blew that lead

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 7:57 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

4 turnovers

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 7:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Deng on Durant

not working very good.

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 7:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

It'd be worse

if they use Green instead of Wilkins. More post-ups.

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 8:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Crowd cheered

Tyrus entered to the court.

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

BG fell down

and never got back after mkaing a shot...god i love him

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

oh, yeah, now I remember

why we all liked BG

Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 11, 2007 8:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Looks like matts wishing for a Gordon hot hand

has come true.

by Ibleedbullsred on Dec 11, 2007 8:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

free money

is pissed about not playing me thinks

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 8:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

i love how funk

says gelable

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 8:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Tyrus looking active...

..hope he can stay in.

by bullsfaninbigapple on Dec 11, 2007 8:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

See Tyrus made the block but he will get yanked

cause he didn't sprint back afterward...

by Ibleedbullsred on Dec 11, 2007 8:18 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Gee, this Tyrus Thomas is pretty good.

by philosoball on Dec 11, 2007 8:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

TT! Kirk!

I hope Tyrus keeps it up. He looks like he is hustling more, on top of everything else he usually does. And Kirks dagger of a three is great. Hopefully games like this will boost everyone's confidence. Mine too. I am tired of talking about losses.

by cranscape on Dec 11, 2007 8:24 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe he got some ideas

watching active Noah from the bench for couple games.

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 8:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

nocioni

must have an atrocious +/- rating

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 8:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Does Matt Know this Kyle Dwyer

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts/post/The-10-man-rotation-starring-DJ-LBJ;_ylt=ArSMTTNSk hV6ACgnRMv6yu.kvLYF?urn=nba,57205

by Ibleedbullsred on Dec 11, 2007 8:30 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

damn this is going to pump up our hollinger #'s

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 8:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

great first half!!!

Keep it going

by bullsfaninbigapple on Dec 11, 2007 8:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

holy hell

Is this the halftime score? Wow.

by T Maple on Dec 11, 2007 8:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Ah yes

a little West Coast defense. Just what the doctor ordered.

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 8:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Skiles will probably bench TT

because of a blown assignment. He'll be on the bench for the next three weeks.

by chgobr on Dec 11, 2007 8:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I didn't notice one yet

but he did miss a couple layups....

10 Man Rotation or Fire Skiles!

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 8:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Forgot the :=)

by marionette on Dec 11, 2007 8:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Funny how the guy on the Sonics

blog thought this would be a close game.

by philosoball on Dec 11, 2007 8:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Looks like

from the half time score the crowd will get free Big Mac's tonight.

Nice to see TT get some play tonight. Seven rebounds already. Good for him.

Keep this up guys.

Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 11, 2007 8:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe they should throw in

some fries with that big mac.

by cranscape on Dec 11, 2007 9:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

no wilcox longing?

Officially a hater on Ballhype!

by hscs on Dec 11, 2007 8:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

whats up with this guy they dropped Thomas Garder

for?

by Ibleedbullsred on Dec 11, 2007 8:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

I was hoping we'd get to see him in garbage time..

by Jaina on Dec 11, 2007 10:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you'll see his contribution

reflected in better play from Thabo. It looked to me like a classic 'message' signing. Physically, the guy's almost a clone of Thabo...a big, athletic option at 2 guard.

Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 12, 2007 1:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I wanna see

TT and Noah at same.Even in garbage mins.

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 9:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

ditto

by Ibleedbullsred on Dec 11, 2007 9:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

just got your wish

Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 11, 2007 9:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bulls are playing

pretty well.If they will play like this in Indy,then I call it "turning corner" or "curve".

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 9:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

OMG, this is what it looks like when Kirk and BG

are both playing well.

by Ibleedbullsred on Dec 11, 2007 9:06 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

They have 13 assists O turnovers.

by philosoball on Dec 11, 2007 9:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess Noah will learn not to pick up

2 quick fouls next time.

by philosoball on Dec 11, 2007 9:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

that was my only problem with the game

(clearly there were few things to complain about.)

But yanking Noah in less than a minute just because of two fouls (or missed rebounds, or whatever the reason) seemed silly. He's not a starter, so he doesn't have to come out when having 2 fouls. It just seemed like Skiles playing the role of high-school disciplinarian in that case.

But, it did get Thomas in, so...

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 11, 2007 10:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It was kind of funny hearing the crowd

applaud Tyrus' entrance into the game. I'm sure every Bulls fan was thanking Noah for his early foul trouble.

by philosoball on Dec 11, 2007 10:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

as soon as he picked up that second one I let out a "Skiles HAS to put Tyrus in NOW"...not that I have anything against Noah, but it was good to see TT just get out on the floor again

It was interesting, because it seemed like the players reacted to it too

by ScottieCartwright on Dec 12, 2007 9:24 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

really like Deng's game tonight.

A lot of short drives to the basket.

Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 11, 2007 9:14 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

noah and TT

in the game together. good times ( i hope).

by fundamentallysound on Dec 11, 2007 9:20 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I just turned on the game late in the 3rd....

is THIS the BULLS???

'Course, this Sonics team is a mere shell of what it was just three years ago....too bad for Seattle that they're gonna lose their team...

Is it spring training yet?

by Bluelou on Dec 11, 2007 9:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

they

should replace the black sleeveless jersey with the red pinstripes.

by Dr0ne420 on Dec 11, 2007 9:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

man, we look great

...next few games will be interesting

by bullsfaninbigapple on Dec 11, 2007 9:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yep

especially in Conseco Center.Pacers ussually play
tough at home.

by Azabullsfan on Dec 11, 2007 9:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

we'll be ok

as long as Free Money doesn't have any automatic weaponry around tinsley

these ARE the pacers

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 9:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Gray!

Finally some court time for my boy Gray. He has some nice post skills and even dropped in a pass that made Griffin look good.

by cranscape on Dec 11, 2007 9:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

No way, that was all about my

man Griffin's skills.

by philosoball on Dec 11, 2007 9:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

best line of the night

"Griffin on the run".......

by KT on Dec 11, 2007 10:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I am glad to see

Tyrus play like a madman

TMD- http://playahatersblog.blogspot.com

by TMD on Dec 11, 2007 9:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

just had a sad though

this may be the last time we ever see the super sonics in the UC...

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 9:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

saddest thing of the night

AG has a season high in points....six

hey matt tomorrow wish for a bulls win

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 9:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Seattle is loaded

Blogabull faves Sene and Wilcox + Sam Smith trade scenario star Wally World = STACKED

Officially a hater on Ballhype!

by hscs on Dec 11, 2007 9:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

interesting thought

how much will tyrus command when he gets a contract extension in 2 summers?

by milesgmsu on Dec 11, 2007 9:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

OMG: Tyrus only 1 for 6!!!!

He sucks at shooting. Or, he's rusty. 9 REB's in 20 minutes.

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Dec 11, 2007 9:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Made his free throws though

and like 3 of those misses were that one series of offensive rebounds under the basket where he was blocked.

by Jaina on Dec 11, 2007 10:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

We

Should use the black jerseys alot more.They look good.Bulls played well tonight even tho it was Seattle,Durrant is gonna be a star.

by eross226 on Dec 11, 2007 10:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think the black is cool

but I really liked the ones tonight with the red pinstripes, as opposed to the plain black ones which are our current road alternates.

by Jaina on Dec 11, 2007 10:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The jerseys always look better

When the guys in them just won.

GO BULLS!

"Shoot 25 balls in one minute? It's impossible for me. It's not my game. I know that." -Andres Nocioni

by cubbybear on Dec 11, 2007 11:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yea

Can we just keep on celebrating the early Bulls squads? I like the way we play in the pinstripes.

by NBA Observer on Dec 11, 2007 11:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice

That was a pleasant game to take in. It reminds me of the good Bulls teams of yore. And by yore, I mean last year.

Noah is a hussle machine, and Matt Duhon is our best guard.

by preverbal on Dec 11, 2007 11:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

That was

a fun game to watch and it looked like the players had fun too. TT made the most of his playing time and that is a good thing. BG got his shot back and that half court pass from Kirk to Lu was great.

I know it was just the Sonics but hopefully this gives them that spark they need for the rest of the season.

Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 12, 2007 7:29 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Question

Did Joakim Noah tank in his early minutes just to get Tyrus off the bench?

It's very unlikely, but we know that Joakim and Tyrus are good friends. Joakim entered the game and promptly mishandled not one, but two rebounds and on one of them hacked the Sonics player in what seemed like frustration. On the second blown rebound the Sonics player tried to put a shot up and Noah hacked him as well. This all happenned in about 90 seconds.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 8:56 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

and today's alec award goes to...

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 12, 2007 9:08 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

he's just being observant...

Nocioni-Khryapa in '08

by bullshooter on Dec 12, 2007 9:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I saw that and thought the same thing.

wtf, matt, bs?

Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 12, 2007 10:27 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

we can share the nightly award

Tyrus was still strolling around the court last night. I counted 4 offensive possessions where he essentially came back slow, picked a spot on the floor, and proceeded to stand there for the entire possession. This wasn't noticeable though due to hot shooting from Kirk, BG, Du, and Deng.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 10:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ya know, I saw it too

Tyrus was usually last up the court. But I'm still not sure it's that big of a deal, especially since he was playing well, and I don't expect 'consistent focus' or whatever it takes to sprint up and down like a madman all the time. Since, like, nobody does that. And usually he was the one with the rebound so another big was already up court, so he'd trail the play a bit and sometimes set a screen.

As far as the standing around in the offensive set, just call it 'spacing'.

And when he had the ball, he didn't finish but was getting fouled. On the times not near the basket, he clanked a jumpshot (and it wasn't taken exactly 'in rhythym'), and on another posession had a travel (could've been an offensive foul) when trying drive-pivot on Collison.

My point's always been even if Tyrus is taking a bad shot or two (amongst other mistakes) he still is a net positive overall when he's on the court, so might as well get the benefit of that plus whatever development comes with more minutes.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 12, 2007 11:04 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

you're kidding right?

Maybe not, I guess the award is named after you for a reason.

I guess I'm just not the pathological type that tries and dig deep into the mind-reading (or whatever) to come up with 'theories'. Especially ones that are so far-fetched.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 12, 2007 11:08 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I should clarify

the 'theories' work as jokes.

like, 'heh, maybe Noah played poorly on purpose to get his new friend Tyrus on the court'.

that's a quip I can dig. But when it becomes 'wait, maybe that IS what happened??!? Have you ever really thought about it man???' Then I just think you're not very smart.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 12, 2007 11:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

73 seconds Matt

Yes. It is far fetched.

I'll say this. It is just as likely that Noah tanked as the playoff chances were of Bears teams coached by "All the pieces are in place" Wannstedt.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 11:28 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Matt, if you're going to

a `Ridiculous Comment of the Day' award, and name it after me, what choice do I have but to play along with it?

Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 12, 2007 12:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ok, so you were kidding :)

my bad.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Dec 12, 2007 12:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Weird how

the Sonics put the 6'6" Damien Wilkins at small forward just so that they could put the 6'9" Durant at 2-guard. I know he's weak and not a good rebounder, but I didn't know it was that bad.

Anyway, it was nice to finally go up against another team with a defensive-minded, 6'9" center. This was also a team that went from small, shooting point guard to even smaller shooting point guard, so for once the Bulls weren't noticeably shorter than their opponents at every position. Great help that Seattle has no shotblockers (at least none who get a lot of minutes; Mouhamed "Albatross" Sene has a good blocks-per-minute ratio).

Lastly, I seemed to notice a number of shooting fouls where the Seattle defender clearly made a play on the shooter's body (undercutting Ben Gordon, pushing, etc.), not on the ball. A lot of these resulted in various Bulls players falling hard to the ground, but no flagrants. To me, this means that if this Seattle team had some heart then this game could've gotten out of hand quickly. But I guess two of the worst teams in the league, maybe the refs just wanted to get this one over with.

"But Butch, you said we could challenge you anytime we wanted to." "That's because I thought you never would."

by bullhockey on Dec 12, 2007 9:50 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

PJ and his subs

PJ likes the 3 and 4 subs at a time rotation. Has this ever worked for any club in the history of the NBA?

Durant is a SG btw. If he's been positioned at the 3 it's because his team had nobody else to start at the 3.

With the Sonics you wonder what if they had landed the #1 overall pick for the 2007 NBA draft. They would have drafted Oden I presume creating 4 consecutive seasons of drafting a center with their first round pick.

Johan Petro
Robert Swift
Saer Sene
Greg Oden

I still don't understand the selection of Sene in the lottery.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 10:37 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

FTs

I'm glad the Bulls won, but did anyone notice that they only shot 16 FTs in the game? BG, Big Ben and Deng each had ZERO! To me, this game was more about the law of averages (the Bulls have to hit their shots some time) than anything else. It's not like the Bulls had a new game plan or played great defense (the Sonics shot 49%!). The reality is that some nights the shots will fall and other nights they won't. This was a night where everything was going in. What happens when the Bulls shoot 40%? Oh, yeah-- they lose.

The easy answer is to say "well, the Bulls just need to hit more shots." Unfortunately, on nights when they can't, you need something else to rely on (e.g., getting to the line). Most of my posts on here deal with Tyrus and, as you can see, he led the team with 6 FTs last night (making them all).

by Stay Chisel on Dec 12, 2007 10:53 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

The 'Law of Averages'

There's definitely something to this. For example, Ben Gordon doesn't seem to be doing anything differently on his shots this season; they just haven't been going down. Same for Chris Duhon.

But this is how precious a commodity made jumpshots has become: during garbage time, I find myself wishing that instead of making that open jumper, Duhon saved it for next game. Does this make sense? Absolutely not. But that's how bad our shooting has been this season.

"But Butch, you said we could challenge you anytime we wanted to." "That's because I thought you never would."

by bullhockey on Dec 12, 2007 11:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It would have been nice...

If they could have taken ten points from last nights game and used it on the game against the Celtics. Alas, it isn't to be.

by cranscape on Dec 12, 2007 12:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Screaming for a post player

During the playoffs last year the Piston's easily exploited the Bulls' weakness. The guarded the shooters into poor percentages and Bulls could not respond due to no inside game. They need to develop one fast.

One observation about TT. Even though his box score says 1-6, I noticed from the shot chart that he only took 1 jumper. The other attempts were blocked/missed layups or being fouled on the shot. Skiles needs to give him more time on the floor so he can learn how to finish in traffic. It's encouraging that he made all his free-throws though.

by Hiryu on Dec 12, 2007 11:51 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The one team

If there is one team in the NBA where Tyrus should be able to demonstrate some offense on the low block it is against the not so Super Sonics. Even Joe Smith was scoring at will on the low block against the Sonics.

The only thing that sparkled last night from Tyrus was his time at the FT line. Get there is one thing. Making them all is a great thing.

The Pistons aren't so much a threat to pound you on the low block. Sheed should live there, but he's married to the perimeter on their offense. But when they do go to the low block it's either getting buckets or getting to the line. Rip and Billups beat this position to death with the true goal of getting to the free throw line where they book 9 of 10 attempts.

by NBA Observer on Dec 12, 2007 12:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

More TT

Tyrus is not the second coming of Ray Allen at the foul line, but here's the thing: even if he shoots a mediocre percentage, it still helps the team. Drawing fouls gets other (and better FT%) players on your team to the line. So, TT gets fouled a few times, Big Ben gets fouled a few times, and before you know it, (a) the Bulls' guards are on the line on non-shooting fouls, and (b) the other team's players are less aggressive on defense (or maybe sitting down).

My comments really have nothing to do with Tyrus individually but with the team as a whole. They have got to figure out a way to get to the line if they want to have any success with this jumpshot-heavy team.

by Stay Chisel on Dec 12, 2007 3:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Interestingly...

...twice now this season, the Pistons have forgotten this lesson.

I didn't know Tyrus had trouble finishing. I didn't watch the game--my guess is they were hard fouls?

Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Dec 12, 2007 5:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice to see Tyrus play well.

However, this win was really attributable to Ben Gordon.

Not surprisingly, when Gordon plays well, the Bulls can compete. When he doesn't, the team is usually doomed. Gordon is the human metronome who sets the rhythm for the offense.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 12:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs