Bulls Notebook: Noah, Boozer Playing Much Better
By Adam Hoge-
UNITED CENTER (CBS) The Bulls played their fifth game in six days Saturday night and it showed.
After a fast start that led to a 13-point first quarter lead, the Bulls held on for a 77-64 win over the 4-9 Raptors.
"I don't think we played with the kind of pace we would have liked to tonight from start to finish," head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The pace was OK in the first quarter and then we slowed down."
The slower pace can almost assuredly be linked to the fact that the Bulls have had almost no rest, having won 8-of-9 games in a stretch of just 12 days.
The Bulls saw their 13-point lead disappear quickly in the second quarter and the game was tied at 37 by halftime. Thibodeau was concerned about Toronto's speed – specifically Leandro Barbosa – and at times played Derrick Rose and James Lucas III together to counter that speed.
Still, despite saying his toe felt great after playing Friday night in Boston, Rose appeared passive at times and waited until the fourth quarter to drive hard to the basket. Once he did so, however, he looked like the normal Rose and finished with 18 points in a game-high 42 minutes.
Spark From Gibson
Forward Taj Gibson also contributed to the Bulls pulling away in the fourth quarter as he scored nine of his 11 points while playing the entire frame.
"He didn't have a great first half, but he stayed with it and in the second half he was great," Thibodeau said. "I liked how he persevered through things not going his way early on."
Gibson said Thibodeau got on him a little bit early in the fourth quarter, telling him, "You're better than that."
From there, Gibson played well and the Bulls were hardly threatened.
Boozer and Noah better
After some harsh criticism earlier in the week, specifically after combining for eight points against Washington on Wednesday, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have been much more effective the last two nights.
Before Saturday's game, Thibodeau raved about Noah's energy against the Celtics and continued that praise after the game.
"I thought Joakim was great," he said. "His reaction to the ball was tremendous, his defense was excellent, his energy was high."
Thibs also said Boozer was "terrific."
Boozer finished with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 13 rebounds, while Noah posted just four points and 12 rebounds.
Fighting Fatigue
Besides the Celtics, the Bulls didn't exactly play the best of the best this week, but winning five games in six days is a pretty impressive accomplishment in the NBA.
But that doesn't mean it was pretty. No one should be surprised that Saturday night's game was slow paced and not all that exciting.
"We're not concerned with the aesthetics," Thibodeau said bluntly. "Just want the wins."
According to Thibs, the Bulls have had just one practice since the season started on Christmas, which makes the challenge even greater.
"I think our guys are doing a good job with it," he said. They're working at it, but we're still not where we want to be. There's a lot of room for improvement."
That said, the Bulls have the best record in the NBA at 12-2.
Zone defense coming?
The Bulls don't play a lot of zone defense, but you might see it soon. It could be one way to save energy.
"We have zone principles. We really do," Thibodeau said. "We're not a passing lane steal team. We're a hard ball pressure-type team, but then we protect the paint behind the ball and basically that's a zone principle.
"We may play zone. I like it. I like the concept of it."
One thing is for sure. Thibodeau's eyes light up when opposing defenses play zone.
"I love it. Because I think we have all the things you need to attack against a zone. We can change. We can put more shooting on the floor. We have guys who can penetrate and we have great offensive rebounding so whenever we see it, we like it.
"And then we have some great cutters. We have (Luol Deng) who can cut from behind the zone. We have some guys who are really good attacking the zone from behind. That's all part of it."
And One
Former Bull James Johnson scored 10 points in 14 minutes in the first half and played a large part in erasing the Raptors' early deficit. Toronto outscored the Bulls by 15 points while he was on the court.
Adam is the Sports Content Producer for CBSChicago.com and specializes in coverage of the White Sox, Blackhawks and college sports. He was born and raised in Lincoln Park and attended St. Ignatius College Prep before going off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a Journalism degree. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHogeCBS and read more of his columns here.
