The Chicago Bulls entered a crucial game against the then sixth-place Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. A loss in the Bulls’ column would have shot the Cavs above the Bulls for the fifth-place spot in the Eastern Conference.
Nevertheless, the Bulls prevailed 98-94. Not after, however, the Bulls allowed the Cavaliers to come back from an 18-point deficit at halftime.
On offense, DeMar DeRozan became a crutch for the Bulls. It was evident because Javante Green’s single shot attempt in the second half represented the only shot attempt from the entire bench.
Once the Cavaliers started to make their way back into the game, the Bulls got nervous. Every single play on the offensive end was aimed at getting the ball into DeRozan’s hands. The same off-ball screen up from the corner to DeRozan was used twice in a row. DeRozan’s isolation was the only option they used on offense.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
One thing that scares me about the #Bulls entering the playoffs is how their opponents guard DeRozan.
Look at the clip below.
The Cavaliers swarm DeRozan. Instead of trying to kick out, he tries to force a foul and turns the ball over. pic.twitter.com/AvPPabXhm8
— Ryan Taylor (@ryan18taylor) March 28, 2022
His dominant isolation play carried the Bulls this time, as he finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. But, what if DeRozan gets stuck in the playoffs? Against higher-caliber teams, the Bulls will need to change their strategy.
The real trouble of the night came on the defense.
In the second half, the Cavs shot 52 percent from the field and scored 59 points. Large contrast from the 35 they scored in the first half. There were many instances where the defense lapsed and allowed the Cavaliers to get easy buckets.
A lot of the time, Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic were on a Darius Garland goose chase. Garland used his downhill speed off big-man screens plenty in the second half to help the Cavs cut the lead. Garland finished with 28 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field.
There were plenty of examples where the team failed to contain the Cavaliers’ offense with small, defensive lapses.
This one epitomizes Dosunmu and Vucevic’s attempt to contain Garland, especially in the second half. Garland started his screens higher as the game went on to get downhill easier. Quickly, he was able to get to the paint and draw three Bulls onto him. Once he did so, he made an easy kick out, which went up to Caris Levert for a three-pointer.
Pick-and-roll defense has always been a difficulty for the Bulls, dating back to last season. Last year, head coach Billy Donovan implemented a drop pick-and-roll defense, so the defender of the screener would drop back into coverage. We saw Vucevic and Wendell Carter do this plenty.
Now, the Bulls are overemphasizing the defense, especially in these situations. But, in this play, in particular, Zach LaVine felt the need to help collapse, freeing up his man in the corner. The Bulls need to communicate better, especially in helpline situations.
This time, Garland found a mismatch with Vucevic guarding him at the top of the key.
First mistake — Garland went 1-of-7 from three-point range in this game, so Vucevic should not be guarding him above the arc. He should guard him below the arc and give him the shot. Vucevic is overplaying Garland, essentially asking him to drive down the lane.
As Garland dusts by Vucevic, LaVine provides a stunt to help protect the rim. But, Ayo Dosunmu gets a nice “welcome to the league” back cut from Levert, who slams it home. Keep your head on a swivel, rook.
Last one, and it’s a tough one to watch.
Alex Caruso played tremendous defense on Levert. He stayed in front of him, using his body and cutting him off from any angle. Levert started going on a tear in the second half, but Caruso kept him honest.
Caruso lets Levert get across into the paint area, but nowhere near the rim. LaVine feels the need to help, which is unwarranted since Caruso managed to stay in front and Vucevic is under the rim.
Levert kicks to the corner for an Isaac Okoro three-pointer. LaVine looks and sees that he messed up, and starts jogging down the floor. Not the type of defensive effort you want to see out of LaVine.
LaVine blew plenty of helpline coverages playing free safety too.
I won’t continue to expose the Bulls on here. But, they must communicate on the floor and understand the scouting report. The Bulls will have much better opponents to take on in the playoffs.
They play the New York Knicks on the road on Monday night.
