Westerlund: 5 Thoughts After Bulls-76ers
By Cody Westerlund--
(CBS) The Bulls improved to 48-32 with a 114-107 win against the 76ers at the United Center on Saturday night, remaining in a tie with the Raptors for third place in the East.
Toronto has the tiebreaker as two games remain for each team. Chicago's magic number for clinching home-court advantage in the first round is down to one as well. A Chicago win or a Washington loss would clinch the fourth seed, at worst, for the Bulls.
Here are the observations and notes of the night from Saturday.
1. The headlines will likely read that Derrick Rose was flashy and showed glimpses of his old self in his third game back from a right knee injury, as he recorded 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds in extending his minutes – 28:29 on this night, including fourth-quarter action again.
While that's true, it should come with the disclaimer that a depleted Philadelphia team had no one who could guard Rose (really, the 76ers tried using Jason Richardson on him late – it went how you'd expect), so it's worth a grain of salt in assessing Rose. There should be hopefulness, not an expectation of dominance, surrounding Rose after this one.
"I'm getting there," Rose said of finding his rhythm. "It's still going to take some time."
What was most important for Rose on Saturday was his decision-making. He didn't have a turnover, and he displayed balance in his shot selection. Rose was 8-of-19 from the field, 1-of-5 from 3-point range.
As you'd imagine, though, Rose was more successful when getting to the rim. Here's a rundown of the distance, in feet, of Rose's makes and misses.
Makes: 4, 16, 3, 25, 3, 2, 1 and 6 feet
Misses: 21, 25, 2, 18, 2, 22, 7, 25, 24, 25 and 12 feet
On shots inside 10 feet, Rose was 6-of-9. On shots outside 10 feet, he was 2-of-10.
For his part, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau wants balance for Rose.
"We try to back it up more toward when he was playing well right before the All-Star break," Thibodeau said at Saturday's shootaround. "And I thought that was the whole key to him getting into a good rhythm again, was he went back to some of the mid-range shots. To me, that was his strength coming into the league. So I think what that does is it gives him good rhythm. I don't want a steady diet, but I think a good mix of the attacks to the rim, the mid-range shot and then the three, if he's got the rhythm going and it's coming out of the post or it's dribble penetration or it's weak side, those are good threes for him."
2. The Bulls isolated Rose on a number of occasions in the fourth quarter. The reasoning was simple. As was pointed out, the 76ers had no one who could guard Rose. On top of that, Philadelphia was often switching screens, so Chicago could get even more favorable matchups for Rose, Thibodeau said.
It was successful Saturday, with Rose recording six points and two assists in the final frame, but he'll face far superior on-ball defenders in the postseason. When that time comes, it will be a balancing act for the Bulls in how to isolate/play through Rose and when to look elsewhere.
"That's part of what I was talking about by having guys play together," Thibodeau said. "So when a team does that, they're switching all five, this is what we're going to do. If a team traps us on a small-small pick-and-roll, this is what we're going to do.
"That's why you want the guys to be out there together and practice together."
3. On Saturday morning, Bulls center Joakim Noah confirmed that his restriction of about 32 minutes would be lifted for the postseason. Noah had a discussion with Thibodeau and management, he said, and it sounds like everyone is on the same page.
"Coach will be able to do whatever he wants," said Noah, who was on the restriction as he's dealt with a lingering right knee issue all season.
That doesn't mean much will change. Thibodeau wants to keep Noah in the 32/34-minute range because that's how he's most effective. What the end of the restriction means is you won't see Noah sitting on the bench in crunch time because he reached some arbitrary number. If Noah sits, that'll be a simple coach's decision.
Noah has struggled offensively of late, averaging just 4.6 points in April entering Saturday and not reaching double figures since March 15.
"He has to play well," Thibodeau said. "That's the important thing. And I didn't think, like his minutes restrictions, it's not a big deal – 32, 34 is a good number for him, and I've told him that. But he has to play well too. We're not just going to put guys out there to put guys out there. You got to play well. I think it's all good, and if he's playing well, he's in a good rhythm, if he goes 33, 34, it's good, it's great. The reason why the restrictions are off is because he feels a lot better. So that's a positive thing."
4. With four seconds left in the first half, the 76ers' Robert Covington converted a bucket while being fouled. After he hit his free throw, the Bulls pulled a sneaky page out of their playbook. As quickly as he could grab the ball out of the net, step out of bounds, turn and fire a home run pass, Pau Gasol did so to a streaking Jimmy Butler, who got a great look at a transition layup but missed it.
It was the first time this season that I recall the Bulls using the play. They did so more frequently last season, when I remember it being successful several times. It's a good play to have in waiting, but I was left somewhat puzzled.
Why put that play on film just one week before the playoffs begin? It works because of the surprise factor, and now Chicago just reminded the studious opponents about it a week out away from the postseason.
5. With 24 points and 13 rebounds, Gasol recorded his NBA-leading 52nd double-double of the season. He's assured of finishing the year as the league leader in that category, a feat not lost on Gasol, who freely admits he pays attention to stats.
"The season's been extremely positive," Gasol said. "Individually, I'm just happy that I'm playing at this level and accomplishing things I hadn't done in the past, which is pretty remarkable. I just want to continue to work and stay focused and extend my level of play as long as I can."
After two injury-plagued seasons with the Lakers, the 34-year-old Gasol is averaging 18.5 points (20th in NBA) and 11.8 rebounds (fourth). He's played in 76 of Chicago's 80 games this season.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
