Open Game Thread # 38: Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors
[Thanks to wjb1492 for today's game preview. If you want more, I was the 'A' in 'Q&A' over at GSoM. -Matt]
Honestly, I have no idea what to say about tonight. I'm still feeling pretty mellow following the Bulls' humiliation of the Heat on Wednesday, which makes me want to say wonderful things about the team and its prospects for the rest of the season. Yet, at the same time I find that I just can't let go of the early season misery, and I'm bracing myself for an eventual return to frustrated sarcasm. That was the Heat, after all, while tonight is instead the high-octane Golden State Warriors, who average 108.5 points/game on offense. Considering the Bulls can be decidedly offense-challenged (for recent evidence, just think back to that killer 10 point 3rd quarter against the Magic), our guys are likely going to need one of their sharper shooting nights to get the W.
Meanwhile, the off-court adventures continue, with JamesOn joining Joakim in the news. I can't wait to see what Aaron Gray has up his sleeve, since it would appear to be his turn to make headlines. Boylan's comparison of Joakim to a puppy reminded me of some conversation on Blogabull long ago about what breed of dog each of the players would be, but sadly (?) I couldn't find the thread. Joakim definitely reminds me of my parents' lab, though. (By the way, you'll all be pleased to know that our friends, the Pistons, have "good" rookies who know their place. But I suppose that's a story for tomorrow night's game.)
Looks like Kirk is out again, so Thabo will hopefully have a third great game and make it impossible for Boylan to stick him back on the bench if Kirk ever gets healthy. Deng and Noc are expected to play in spite of their respective boo-boos. Hopefully the kids will get some run, since BW (aka Has-Ben, the Corpse, Ben Worthless) doesn't run at all lately and that lack of running could pose some issues with the Warriors. (It was good to see he can still dunk, though. It's always nice to know whether poor play is lack of interest or lack of ability.)
So, enjoy the game, all, and here's to hoping for a 2-game winning streak.
Blogging with the Enemy: Golden State of Mind
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I heard earlier
I liked Boylan's comparison of Joakim to a puppy.
I have no idea what to expect of this team for this game.
hoping for a 2-game winning streak
I second the notion though. :-)
Hopefully Thabo's good play continues
If GS plays up tempo
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 8:20 PM CST reply actions
Is Hinrich
Posting live from
Posting live from the UC
And while you're at it, go slap Boylan for us, will you? LOL
Hope the Bulls put on a nice show for you tonight. :-)
I am jealous
Nice to see
I wonder
This
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
I used to think the same way.
I would take JVG over Boylan ANYDAY
Boylan
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 8:55 PM CST reply actions
i wish tommy edwards
"thabo sefolossssssssshhhhhhhhhha"
Wow....
WTF? :-)
I'm trying to get the audio feed
I'm stuck at work.
how are the GS guys
They're actually alright.
And I can listen and work (although I'm not getting much done with checking here so often!), but if I watch I know I'll get nothing done.
I am getting that message too.
why would nelly TO
He must be
Thabo is proving effective against Davis
as well as Wallace started
Effective guard play
Maybe someone? Thabo? can run the offensive more, and the guards can interchange PG/SG duties throughout the games.
Also Gordon needs to focus on less dribbling and more on catch and shoot. Gordon needs to develop a inside slash using high floaters & extended early release underhanded kiss shots off the backboard.
Gordon needs to reduce his use of excessive dribbing to find a rythmn putting up difficult outside shots and/or drives to the basket where he just elevates like a midget with two hands and places the ball into the hands of the taller post defended for a easy block and a no call.
Both Kirk and Ben layup timing is a bit off, both need to extend earlier(burst of speed), and release earlier before the defender can time the block. If there was a combined statistic for guards on a team being blocked on drives, Kirk and Ben probably would win.
This really has little to do with their height? Rarely do you see other short guys like Nash or Chris Paul shots blocked as often. But also, Nash can shoot with either hand, he's fearless inside among shot blockers, and is crafty using either hand with a subtle delayed (2 speed) timing which throws off the shot blocker.
Actually Kirk inside drive was better in previous years and he had an effective floater which now seems to be non-existent?
Gordon and Kirk have not progressed in this part of their game as one would have expected? These ("timid") guys don't appear to like the physical part of playing in the NBA. In regards to driving to the basket, Duhon and Thabo have them both beat.
Gordon and Kirk have not progressed
I believe that Kirk and Thabo together to start will be JUST THE TICKET.
Someone needs to step on Jackson's left foot
didn't we have fouls to give?
Duhon
Ellis is blowing by him and shooting over him. Then when he picks up jackson in transition, they go right down to the post. Duhon getting beat so badly is also causing defense to rotate to compensate leaving lanes for other cutters.
I'm still at work
Bummer you're at work
I'm hoping
Good luck with that
That is part of the reason
I just hope
I never know
WOW!!
why is noch covering ellis?
I was thinking that, too.
I Just hope that this isn't another night
He needs to be in there at some point too...
And just like that...
Now I just hope he's dialed in tonight
Did they just say
Well that sucketh.
He just needs to play, regardless...
jesus they are killing us on the boards
Oddly backwards for these two teams, no?
I think he'll come around
But he may not get that chance.
what does that really show?
Hopefully he will.
tonight
I don't think
Ben Gordon has never gone 3 minutes without showing how good a shooter he is? (and 1 rebound every 3 minutes would be an improvement for Wallace)
I think you need to take another look
by bullshooter on Jan 18, 2008 10:03 PM CST up reply actions
That
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 9:46 PM CST up reply actions
The guy
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 19, 2008 5:27 PM CST up reply actions
Get Rebounds!
they're going to change that to a 2
god the dubs look terrible from 3
Pistons lost to the Kings
so i defend Tyrus earlier
Hope you're right.
No, I want TT to get minutes.
Don't get me wrong...I like it when Noc plays well and he has been as of late.
But I really wanna see TT develop and gain some genuine confidence.
And the only way that's gonna happen is if he gets to play MEANINGFUL minutes.
So
if Wallace keeps shooting 3's
WTF is Wallace doing
what ever happended to
did the dubs release him bc they had biedrins, or bc he was always injured
i always thought he looked like the european paul shirley
any chance of an ESPN P2P link
by Seth @ Blog a Bull on Jan 18, 2008 9:42 PM CST reply actions
Get This
by Seth @ Blog a Bull on Jan 18, 2008 9:51 PM CST up reply actions
from one Boilermaker to another
It's good that you add
kill ya!:-)
by Azabullsfan on Jan 18, 2008 10:14 PM CST up reply actions
you could have the chinese muted
or just go with the feed...nothing wrong with neil and bill
I do that.
Unfortunately
by Seth @ Blog a Bull on Jan 18, 2008 10:00 PM CST up reply actions
I don't know what they've been sacrificing
That was sweet!
Nice.
john salmons
No kidding...geesh...
AND DID YOU SEE THAT RUNNING STUFF BY BG!??!
Hack a Ben
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 9:51 PM CST reply actions
HOLY SHIT!
like a real dunk
Gordon
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 9:53 PM CST reply actions
nice pass
Just once I'd like to see
The GS guys are funny
very good that we scored 29
Looks good
game
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 9:59 PM CST reply actions
this should be the bulls pace too
by bullshooter on Jan 18, 2008 10:00 PM CST up reply actions
They're
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 18, 2008 10:06 PM CST up reply actions
the bulls are 10 guys deep
by bullshooter on Jan 18, 2008 10:06 PM CST up reply actions
You're
Everyone in the league is 10 deep in one fashion or another but you can't run teams outta the building without the right people and the Bulls don't have that team
by Rusty LaRue on Jan 19, 2008 3:31 PM CST up reply actions
Anybody else think
The thing I'm sick of at this point
I was all for BG coming off the bench
BG may not be qualified to start, simply because of his sloppy ball handling.
Noc
The guy always seems to let go of the ball only using one hand.
The left hand is always dropped
this is going to be a hard game to
observations
Gordon still pounds it way too much and makes crap passes.
I guess I like the zone switchup, but the bulls did get fortunate because the wars missed a lot of open threes.
Period when both tyrus and noah were getting pinched under the baskets, allowing too many war rebounds.
More thabo, less duhon.
Right now, nba.com has them at:
BG +7
Du -1
Easily
by Beef Wennington on Jan 18, 2008 10:10 PM CST reply actions
im excited for the
WOWZIE!!!
Nice dunk by BG. Thabo is looking good again too.
Thabo
Did they just say 4 team fouls on GS already?
One thing is evident:
And I think that is only going to improve.
Honestly, no
It's time for some subs
6 mins w/o jizzle and noch
We maybe
sheeeeet
we need to finish them
he's still out of your league
by bullshooter on Jan 18, 2008 10:32 PM CST up reply actions
kirk sounds like he could be a foreigner
Warriors are starting to hack now,
Come on Bulls
Shooting % going the wrong direction
They get "physical"
get duh outta there
not good
I sure hope not
Get
WTF is Du-NOT still in there?
b-diddy is killing
by Ibleedbullsred on Jan 18, 2008 10:46 PM CST up reply actions
Thank you BG
wow that was a late call
Their ability to make them, in relation to ours
by Seth @ Blog a Bull on Jan 18, 2008 10:46 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, even with 5 of the misses on BW
Time
ugh i can see why mavs fans go crazy
Baron Davis is getting RED hot
What I don't understand is how Boylan can't see that too...?
One quarter for all the marbles.
Baron is the only guy scoring
He's frickin' 6 of 7 from 3!
Hate to keep harping on the fouls
"Magic" is rare, obviously
by Seth @ Blog a Bull on Jan 18, 2008 10:52 PM CST reply actions
Thank you
Nice pass by Thabo to Noc
I picked Thabo up for fantasy
Fucking horrible charge call
by RogersPark Kris on Jan 18, 2008 10:54 PM CST reply actions
We're getting hosed on calls
ANOTHER horrible CALL!!
Come on where is the foul on noc for the and1
by Ibleedbullsred on Jan 18, 2008 10:54 PM CST reply actions
Van Gundy agrees
by Azabullsfan on Jan 18, 2008 10:56 PM CST up reply actions
Noah
noah is cleaning up the boards nicely
noch's shot was ridic
dubs should be in the penalty the rest of the way through
I LOVE Noah's rebounding
Maybe that's why HE'S in and BW is out...?
I can only hope
Something tells me you'll see Body in there soon though
And Nelson
by Azabullsfan on Jan 18, 2008 10:57 PM CST up reply actions
Noah is also a dare I say Chandler like
Chandler had another double-double tonight
I could live with that
If it makes you guys feel better
it doesn't
by bullshooter on Jan 18, 2008 10:57 PM CST up reply actions
They can't BELIEVE BDavis isn't getting calls
fools gold...gonna rush out to see that
ps i thought the refs were calling an excellent game until the 4th
deng has an outside chance at a triple double
But he needs ton shoot free throws :-(
by Azabullsfan on Jan 18, 2008 11:00 PM CST up reply actions
Noah is absolutely a FREAK tonight!!!
jesus noah is 2/6 from the line
We've missed 12 of them tonight
GS radio guys
Noah
Noah's horrible on the line tonight
Alot of fouls
by RogersPark Kris on Jan 18, 2008 11:01 PM CST reply actions
If we just hit free throws...Ugh
by Azabullsfan on Jan 18, 2008 11:05 PM CST up reply actions
Luol
by james@lifeinthecell on Jan 18, 2008 11:04 PM CST reply actions
he'll never get a call
by james@lifeinthecell on Jan 18, 2008 11:07 PM CST up reply actions
Deng never goes HARD to the basket!
by GranvilleWaiters on Jan 19, 2008 1:27 AM CST up reply actions
DAMN IT NOC
Just don't take bad shots
by RogersPark Kris on Jan 18, 2008 11:08 PM CST reply actions
one shit pass for thabo
Stupid.
Now davis will abuse du and ellis will abuse gordon. No perimeter d.
cant let em score...100 is the benchmark
Tyrus Thomas!!!
We have got
Well
I expect that will happen.
And these refs seem intent on the calls going in favor of GS
That stat: 0-15 when giving up 100 pts.
COME ON BULLS!!!
See I didn't want to say nothing bout that
by Ibleedbullsred on Jan 18, 2008 11:15 PM CST up reply actions
I know Deng is good and all...
And then the traditional BG run down the lane
COME ON Boylan...call a TO, slow the pace, and put Thabo back in
Got away with one but dam the ball never lies.
by Ibleedbullsred on Jan 18, 2008 11:13 PM CST reply actions
this is a horrible
Okay so what now...
WTF?
DAMN IT!!!
Help me Thabo
WTF with free throws???????
why is duh in and not jizzle
at least the (black)hawks won tonight
*i doubt this will catch on
"thats a no call or a block"
Does anyone have a little hero in them tonight?
was that a travel?
Finally
I've just learned that these fouls
Oh SHYTE
And then Noc saves it back to GS...
Grrr...
Thabo and BG
Come on Boylan
Put Thabo in with BG and LEAVE them in
played that pefectly....
FUCK FUCK FUCK
why am i being yelled at?
thabo standing in the corner, on the bench
by Ibleedbullsred on Jan 18, 2008 11:23 PM CST reply actions
Dagger in the back by Jackson
I can't stand that asshole
Well, we played
I guess I'm glad Van Gundy isn't our coach
Scripted once again for BG, and he'll either turn it over or dribble the clock down and then miss.
Boaylan clearly has no balls to try something new.
He even has Du in with BG while Thabo sits
F.
This is why Noc SUCKS!
heres my theory on our record
He never does
or Du
or Deng
or (you pick the name)
0 - 16 when giving up 100 pts.
Yet another hearbreak
Are you kidding?
Everyone else ... yeeeeah. And now, we know why he wasn't passing to anyone and forcing up 3 balls, before.
a typical bulls game
Noah and Thabo
Looking for positives here.
by RogersPark Kris on Jan 18, 2008 11:28 PM CST reply actions
Well, it's been a lovely evening with you all
This sucks
he doesnt neeed to go
duh would be a fantastic trade bait for a late first round pick...and he's always going to be good for some games where he can spell kirk
Baron Davis is a tough guard
So Boylan rolled the dice on the more sure handed Duhon in the closing minutes.
by RogersPark Kris on Jan 18, 2008 11:35 PM CST up reply actions
omg
Why did boylan abandon the the thabo ben backcourt. Why why why why why why why why why why. It was effective all game. We pissed away the lead at the end of the third with that shit ben du backcourt.
That dumb cunt strategy down the stretch cost us this game. Boylan is a fucking moron. A moron.
Agree
Why can't coach do so Obvious things that every
fan sees????
by Azabullsfan on Jan 18, 2008 11:35 PM CST up reply actions
Apologies for the
I posted from my seats and I was infuriated.
There was no point in firing Skiles because Boylan is the same sort of conservative coward.
by 1958ChiTown on Jan 19, 2008 12:07 AM CST up reply actions
Good night
not that im looking ahead...
Kirk
Drafted Big Guard
Deng
Joe Smith
Noah
Du, Thabo, Jizzle, Noch, Free Money, Big Ben as our 2nd team
OR
Kirk
Thabo
Deng
Smith
Noah
Du, Jizzle, Noch, Free Money, Big Ben, and Kevin Love as our 2nd team
those are pretty good....
draft express and nba draft have him going
but forget love...kid's only 6'9 i have no idea how he demolished state in our game, besides having the refs back him up on all of his travels
we would be better going after hibbert, thabeet, or lopez
Boozer and Brand
You put Love next to Noah and you'll have one hell of a future front court
Yeah....Love is the white version of Marcus Fizer
by GranvilleWaiters on Jan 19, 2008 1:17 AM CST up reply actions
We let one guy beat us, and we let one
flippin yahoo
by bullshooter on Jan 18, 2008 11:36 PM CST up reply actions
It's easy to be pissed at Du,
But I'm also pissed at Lu, Noah, and BW each missing 4 free throws. Otherwise the shooting was good.
You can't be pissed at a player
It is Boylan's fault for playing him.
Thabo and Noah are starting to look
But it'll make Pax look worse for letting his
du, refs, and free throw shooting
du played 34 minutes for a wonderful -17.
the officiating was awful.
and if we had even made a few more of those free throws, we could have avoided the ending.
blah.
All an opposing team has to do tp beat the Bulls
Stupid Boylan runs the same players and the same shit at the end of every game.
Skiles did the same thing.
I think that no matter WHO the Bulls get for players - unless they replace Boylan too - it will still result in heartbreak losses like this one.
With the player they already have, the Bulls could have and SHOULD have beaten GS tonight.
It was coaching, horrible calls, and missed FT's that lost this game.
Does Boylan realize that Tyrus has
by philosoball on Jan 18, 2008 11:47 PM CST up reply actions
Poor Tyrus. What's happening
Poor us, the fans.
Shitty FT shooting
Noah should be called The Rebounder from now on. He was awesome. Thabo did well too.
Why does Noah get so much
by philosoball on Jan 18, 2008 11:57 PM CST up reply actions
Coulda won...Shoulda won...
I don't know if it would have been this close with Kirk healthy (sorry Sue). I'd sure like to see the rematch with Kirk for Du. NO DU PT!!!! It's not that he's bad; it's that he was physically overmatched against an Western Conference All-Star caliber PG. All VERY predictable.
But they say there are no moral victories. Did anyone else notice Noah w/his head buried in anguish? Then ESPN cut to Wallace with a towel on his head, looking quite carefree.
Where can I get gameflow?
Would you do me a favor?
You know, you can easily look this stuff up
Last night:
BG/Thabo +9
Du/Thabo 0
BG/Du -17
basketballvalue
http://basketballvalue.com/teamunits.php?year=2007-2008&team=CHI
Anyway, hlac likes WoW, and that made Gordon look bad even when he was 1a in plus-minus rating last season. WoW is crap.
And yeah, Tyrus played poorly
In any case, it's pretty clear his confidence is gone. He is a shell of the player he was last year. He's been disheartened and ruined.
This season is basically over. Playing the veterans so we can have a .500 record in the remainder of our games is a boring, futile way to pass the time.
Before we go crazy
Yes, we missed free throws.
But I am not giving Boylan and DuDuDummy a pass.
by 1958ChiTown on Jan 19, 2008 12:50 AM CST up reply actions
I just thought criticism of Duhon
The thing is
he still has a high TOV%
As I said
Fuck you, Jim Boylan
Despite Sefolosha's improvement, Boylan said there are no plans to start him in place of Chris Duhon when Hinrich returns.
"I'm happy with the way things are going right now," Boylan said. " 'CDu' is doing a good job for us. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Yeah, things have been going so great lately. After all, they've only been blown out twice in the past week.
Jackass
With the exception of the Pistons, have the
I am so fired up.
15-23.
Oh yeah,
What more needs to be seen?
by messwiththebull on Jan 19, 2008 8:13 AM CST reply actions
Negative.
He is playing his best role right now and his points confirm it - and it has been proven TWICE now since he did the same thing LAST time he came off the bench.
We have NOT seen what Kirk and Thabo will be like starting together, and I believe it would be a good fit.
And after all, isn't that why they got Thabo in the first place...to add some height and strength to the 2G position along with Kirk?
Just Frustrating
Going all the way back to Game 6 of the '05 Playoffs when we built the double digit lead over Washington only to watch it and the season disappear.
Let's see some of the leads we have blown.
@Mil led by 12 in 2nd, lost by 6
LAC led by 4 with mins to go, lost by 5 I believe
@Ind led by 16 in the 2nd, gave it away by halftime
Orl led by double digits early, led by 4 with a min to go, lost in OT
Por led by 14 in the 3rd, gone by the start of the 4th, lost in double OT
NY led by 14 early in the 4th, led by 7 with 5 mins to go, once again lost the lead & the game
GS led by 14 at one point, once again, rinse, repeat
If this team falls into the lottery, seeming more likely after each game, I hope out of the draft this year, we can find a closer, someone who will drive the dagger into the heart!!!
Without a trade
Jeff Van Gundy...
I don't want to lose JVG
I believe Skiles is still on the payroll
NOTHING has changed...do him and Boylan sleep together or something?
At the game last night
But from watching the game live, it was very evident how much better the Bulls rebounded with Noah on the floor. He f'n boxes out. How simple does it have to get? He doesn't just claim a space and hope the ball falls into it. He claims a space IN FRONT of an opponent, protects it, and then he goes and gets the basketball.
Thabo was highly effective. The GSW offense appeared much weaker with Thabo's defense and limiting penetration than without Thabo. We could have used Kirk out there tonight for defense. The GSW guards play the entire game. Baron Davis and Monta Ellis would check out for maybe 90 second breathers.
The officiating was terrible late. It seemed fine in the first 3 quarters with some good and bad calls, but nullifying each other out as one would go our way and then one the GSW way. But late it was terrible. Everything seemed to go GSW's way. The Joe Smith block was the worst one. It was all ball and I could see that from a football field away.
The difference maker was the free throw line. GSW made theirs. We missed ours. Noah and Wallace had to be 3 of 10 or 12 from the line. Make our free throws and we're sitting on a 20 point lead instead of 14. Make the free throws and we're not looking at a tie score with 3 minutes to go.
GSW looked slow, weak, and ripe for the killing in the 2nd quarter. They couldn't wait for the half-time break. It was here that Chicago should have gone to the kids and turned on the heat. Increase defensive pressure and push the break. RUN RUN RUN. You beat these scoring teams by making them expend all their energy trying to slow the pace. GSW just wants to hang around, keep it close, and then shift into high gear in the 4th quarter and pray they make their threes. They did. And they won because of it.
NBA Observer help me!!
Those guys play at the end
Duhon
by goldengod on Jan 19, 2008 3:44 PM CST up reply actions
I think...
Yeah but
The key argument to play Duhon
The key argument against playing him is when the matchup is beyond his potential. Here, we need Thabo to come in for stops. He can take away a weakness we give away with Duhon. It won't happen every night, but it will vary depending on the opponent and therefore dictate who finishes at the PG.
by NBA Observer on Jan 19, 2008 5:39 PM CST up reply actions
He's also in there to be BG's valet
What do you think?
Duhon should see fewer minutes when Kirk returns. Hopefully Boylan isn't oblivious to the rate of return on playing time investment.
by NBA Observer on Jan 19, 2008 6:49 PM CST up reply actions

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