Continuing on our path to beating the Bucks, we’ve already established a couple things: Vooch does not shoot any treys, and Zach being the best version of himself. If you’re interested in those details, check the last couple days. If you’re caught up, let’s move forward. What else do the Bulls have to do to win this series?
50-50 Balls. You hear Stacey talk about this a lot during the season, for good reason. It’s those loose balls, those long rebounds that both teams have a chance to get. Those deflections, tips, where the ball goes off its intended course, and is there for the taking. It’s those hustle “points” that will be key to upsetting the reigning NBA champs. It just can’t be hustle… you just can’t take the court and because you play harder, you’re going to win; no, it’s much more than JUST that. But, getting these 50-50 balls for example, can certainly sway things throughout the game. In a close game, a close series, this could be one of the deciding factors. The Bulls need to make this a deciding factor; they need to win these more than not. They need to play at that level… that level that we see for flashes during the game; we’ve seen this during the season, some times more than others. We know the Bulls have that in their makeup. Honestly, we just haven’t seen this enough. We need to see this from opening tip to the closing horn. If the Bulls can win these battles throughout each game, the odds certainly move closer to a Bulls victory. This is one of the keys to the series.
This “hustle” aspect of the game can be applied to the defensive side of the ball as well; this has been an area where the Bulls have struggled. I see these teams shooting 70% from the field to start the game against us. I think, damn, they’re hot… that won’t last. After a few times, I have to think it’s something else. Is it just our luck that so many teams start off so hot against us? No, no it’s more than that. Our defense is allowing these high percentages; these hot starts by the opposition put the Bulls behind the 8 ball. Digging out of these deficits is not fun; while the Bulls have done this, more so earlier in the season, it’s no way to make a living. Getting to our next key to the series: the Bulls need to bring the defensive intensity from the jump; they cannot dig an early hole. Make the Bucks earn their buckets. Bucks, buckets… The Bulls need to keep these games close in the first quarter. Regardless of how hot or not the Bulls start off on the offensive side of the ball, the consistency needs to come from the defensive side of the ball; we have more control over our defensive effort than we do over all of our shots falling. If the effort is there, and the Bucks are truly hot, then OK; tip your cap… keep pushing. But don’t make it easy for them. No easy shots. No open shots. Hands in the face. Get physical. Get scrappy. We’re the underdogs; let’s enter the series with that chip on our shoulder.
Chip on our shoulder… yeah, yeah! You know, that chip that the Bulls started the season with, coming out of the gates blazing… proving to the NBA that we were back. Was it just a case of these top teams being that much better than us, or were the Bulls feeling themselves a little too much? Don’t care now; forget about what happened or did not happen during the regular season. It’s a new season; I’m developing the blue print for beating the Bucks. Do we have enough yet? Maybe one more blog… Go Bulls!
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