Bernstein: No Talk Needed For Tonight
By Dan Bernstein--
Tom Thibodeau shouldn't have to say a thing.
Bulls players will arrive at the United Center's private parking lot later this afternoon. Out of their overpowered cars they'll come, ambling down the linoleum-floored hallway to the home locker room. They'll sit on folding chairs, some wearing headphones pumping one motivational soundtrack or another, amid the wintergreen smell of FlexAll and the muted chatter of reporters. A screen or two on the wall may be on.
Some coaches like to run the game tape from the previous matchup with that night's opponent, for the purpose of familiarity. Reminders of personnel and tactics can't hurt.
But I'd have last night's tape running.
I want Derrick Rose to see what happens when his head turns and his man cuts to the basket. I want Carlos Boozer to see the result of lazy help on screen/roll. I want them all to see that unimpeded stream of weakside circles and slice-cuts providing a red carpet through the lane. I want them to see yet another head-fake that successfully gets a man off his feet, another jog back in transition, and a slow, late closeout to a jumpshooter.
They just allowed the Raptors to score 30 points in three of four quarters. Opponents average 92.4 against them, and they let one of the NBA's dog teams put up 118. Toronto shot 58%.
Dwyane Wade is not Jose Calderon. LeBron James is not DeMar DeRozan. Chris Bosh is not Amir Johnson.
The Bulls can beat anybody in the NBA. Any team, any game, any playoff series. They have proven to be better than many of us thought, and played their way into bigger conversations as the league took a break for the All-Star Game.
Yet their deserved status as a legitimate contender only lasts as long as their desire to play committed team defense.
Last night was another indication that this surprising, heady season still has a thin margin for error. The Bulls have already lost to some bad teams when their defense has lapsed, and have also been forced to ride Rose to some ugly wins over doormats.
I'm mindful of a recent quote from Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter, after his team notched two big conference wins over ranked opponents. "It scares you as a coach," he said. "You like winning, but winning makes you soft. Now somebody's getting ready to knock you off. One thing we try to do is keep our guys on edge."
In college, that means plenty of talking to the players. Constant reminders during practices and mealtimes, and on buses and planes.
The NBA doesn't work that way. Though I'm sure Thibodeau would agree with Painter, he's better off assuming Rose and his experienced, professional teammates understand.
Losses are never good. Great teams don't need reminders of what needs to be done to succeed.
The Bulls, however, are learning how to advance from good to great, mirroring the evolution of their best individual player.
A team in that position may benefit from some fortuitous timing.
Dan Bernstein has been the co-host of "Boers and Bernstein" since 1999. He joined the station as a reporter/anchor in 1995. The Boers and Bernstein Show airs every weekday from 1PM to 6PM on The Score, 670AM. Read more of Bernstein's blogs here.
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