Westerlund: 5 Thoughts On Bulls-Wizards
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – Down their two leading scorers and their sixth man, the Bulls earned a hard-fought 97-92 win against the Wizards on Tuesday night at the United Center.
Here are the observations and notes of the night.
1. We knew this before, and Tuesday only reinforced it: The Bulls and Wizards have a budding rivalry. Washington eliminated Chicago in five games in the first round of the playoffs last season, during which Nene was ejected in Game 3 for head-butting Jimmy Butler.
Then in the preseason opener, new Wizard forward Paul Pierce poked Joakim Noah in the face.
"They're the team that eliminated us last year in the playoffs," Noah said. "When that happens, it's always more than just a – even subconsciously – it's always more than just a basketball game."
On Tuesday, Nene and Noah were in the middle of more hub-bub. In the third quarter, Noah drove to the hoop, only to be halted and careen to the floor when Nene whacked him hard over the head. Nene – who when asked about the Bulls on Monday responded, "I hate them" – was assessed a flagrant 1 and remained in the game, though he'd foul out and go scoreless.
Asked for his reaction after the game, Noah largely deferred comment, pointing out that he teamed up on the release of an anti-violence short film earlier in the day to help bring awareness to an issue that plagues Chicago.
"It wouldn't have been a good look – not today," Noah said.
It's worth noting that the severely short-handed Bulls are currently the third seed in the East by a half-game over the Cavs. The Wizards are the fifth seed. A bad-blood, subplot-filled 4-5 matchup could await in the first round.
2. Forget, for a second, what lies ahead in the future of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau as his reportedly unrepairable relationship with the front office continues to simmer.
Tuesday was a reminder of Thibodeau's coaching acumen and how easily a 48-win 2013-'14 campaign could've been a 48-loss egg.
The Bulls were without Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Butler. They were comprised of a 34-year-old All-Star center, a quality power forward, a quality stretch-four (only two of which played at the same time) and a collection of role players/spare parts, playing a struggling-but-again-fully-healthy Wizards team that had given them fits in the past.
In the first half alone, Chicago used at least four lineups – and likely more (I couldn't count them all) – that had not taken the floor together for a single minute this season. The lack of continuity showed at times, with far too many pass flying at teammates who weren't looking.
Yet the Bulls controlled the game all evening. Offensively, they found space and left the Wizards scrambling with an array of high screens for Aaron Brooks. It helped that Pau Gasol was deadly from mid-range and shot 8-of-11 in scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, his NBA-leading 39th double-double of the season.
"Those guys are tough to guard in a two-man game," Mike Dunleavy said. "And if you are going to guard it, you're going to have to give help from one of the other players."
Defensively, the Bulls survived with Brooks defending John Wall for long stretches, often by sagging off in the half-court and/or rushing help at Wall when he penetrated, clogging a staple of Washington's offense.
3. Don't let this Thibodeau quote get lost in the shuffle of his usual postgame coach-speak, because it could mean something moving forward for forward Nikola Mirotic, who had 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 31-plus minutes.
"He's doing better with his team responsibilities," Thibodeau said of Mirotic.
Translation: Mirotic isn't as much of a defensive liability as he used to be.
That's important because a lack of awareness on defense was a big reason Thibodeau was hesitant to use Mirotic late in games. That's not just because Thibodeau skews to being defensive-minded; it's also because if you make a defensive mistake with a minute or two left, there just isn't a lot of time to make amends for it.
If Mirotic can just play a capable role within the defensive system, he can be a late-game option in the playoffs for the Bulls. With Gibson expected to be out another week, Mirotic will continue to get his chance to learn.
4. Down his point guard and a wing, Thibodeau only used reserve guard Kirk Hinrich for 12:27 – and for good reason. Hinrich again struggled, going scoreless and missing both of his shots. More startling, however, was how uncomfortable he was with the basketball in his hands when the Wizards applied on-ball pressure.
Hinrich had three turnovers, and it all became more difficult to watch as the game went along, as he looked to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as he could on several occasions. Thibodeau has shown an unwavering belief in Hinrich, but perhaps he's even rethinking the veteran's role -- Hinrich's minutes Tuesday were the second-fewest he's played in a game all season when healthy.
"They have to play well," Thibodeau said in the pregame of Hinrich and Brooks.
Brooks responded Tuesday, scoring 22 points and recording eight assists. It's why he played 35-plus minutes.
5. Your eyes didn't deceive you. With 4:38 left in the first quarter, that was Bulls wing Doug McDermott checking in. Because of a minor knee surgery, defensive limitations, poor shooting and his rookie status, McDermott's been buried on the bench for a long time.
With so many injuries, McDermott finally got a chance, playing 15:18, the first time he reached double-digit minutes since Nov. 25. The box score didn't leave much to cheer about, as he went scoreless in shooting 0-of-5, missed a layup and had a transition opportunity blocked from behind when he attempted a layup instead of a dunk.
Through it all, Thibodeau had kind words for McDermott.
"Doug was solid," Thibodeau said. "He didn't make shots, but I thought he was real solid while he was in there."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.