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Chicago Bulls Forward Pau Gasol Game-Time Decision for Game 5

By Paul Steeno

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According to Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson, Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol‘s status has been upgraded to a game-time decision for the Bulls Game 5 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. This is fantastic news for a Bulls team that needs to get a win in their pivotal Game 5 showdown against Cleveland.

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Coach Tom Thibodeau provided further detail on Gasol’s status for the game tonight.

"He’s feeling a little better, but he has to go through shoot around and feel good enough, warm up (Tuesday) night and see where he is. Pau knows his body well. He’s been around a long time. So just trust how he feels."

ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols captured video of Gasol warming up at Quicken Loans Arena this morning. For Bulls fans, this is a good sign.

ESPN Chicago writer Nick Friedell reported on Monday that the Bulls weren’t expecting to have Gasol back for Game 5. His analysis of Gasol’s warm up this morning was pessimistic at best.

Coach Tom Thibodeau was non-committal when asked about Gasol’s status moving forward.

"[He’s feeling] a little better today. Day-to-day. I don’t know [about his availability]."

Gasol didn’t practice on Monday and that doesn’t bode well for his chances of playing on Tuesday according to Friedell.

Gasol missed the entirety of Game 4 with his hamstring issue. An MRI that he underwent on Saturday confirmed that he had strained his hamstring. Gasol initially hurt his hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. He played through the injury in Game 3 although he only managed 22 minutes before coming out of the game. He didn’t play a single moment in the forth quarter.

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose explained the Bulls approach in Game 4 knowing that Pau Gasol would not play.

"When you miss a player like Pau, it’s devastating. But I think the guys that stepped in, they did their job."

If Gasol is unable to give it a go on Tuesday night, this will be a huge loss in a must-win game for this Chicago Bulls team. For full analysis of what the Bulls are losing without Gasol, please read Michael Whitlow’s article on the topic.

Whitlow noted it in his article, but it is worth expanding on the point for emphasis. Gasol’s value resides in his ability to stretch the floor both with his ability to knock down outside jumpers and his passing ability. His ability to space the floor opens up driving lanes for the Bulls guards, and the Bulls were feeling his absence in this respect, only managing 32 points in the paint for Game 4. According to NBA.com, Gasol is responsible for 17.6 percent of the total assists on the team, which further solidifies the argument that he is essential for spacing the floor.

May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) complains to the referees about a call during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 106-91. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

In the second quarter of Game 4, the Chicago Bulls went almost seven minutes without scoring from the field. The Bulls only scored 16 points in the 4th quarter of the contest, which allowed the Cavaliers to make a 14-point swing after being down seven at the beginning of the quarter. Undoubtedly, Gasol’s 15.1 points per game average in the playoffs could have helped settle down the offense and prevented the costly scoring droughts.

Gasol has been instrumental to the success of this Bulls offense. His usage percentage in the playoffs offensively is 22 percent which, simply put, means that he is an integral part of this offense. The Bulls lost a player that accounted for a large percentage of the offensive production, and filling that void was difficult for a group of players who are unfamiliar with shouldering a large role offensively. This translated to the long scoring droughts that eventually led to the downfall of the Chicago Bulls in Game 4.

May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA;Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers center

Kendrick Perkins

(3) during the second quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Advanced metrics show that the Bulls offense is at its most potent when Gasol is playing. In the 2014-2015 playoffs, Gasol’s offensive rating (the number of points per 100 possession that the team scores while the particular individual is on the court) is 104.3. To put this in perspective, this number is higher than both Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, the Bulls two leading scorers. 

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    • The offense doesn’t run as smoothly without Gasol in the lineup. That is where the Bulls miss him most. However, injuries are part of the game, and the Bulls will quickly have to figure out how to adapt without one of their best offensive players. Coach Tom Thibodeau repeated a familiar mantra when telling reporters how his team plans on doing this again if Gasol doesn’t play in Game 5.

    "We’ve dealt with injuries before, so the next guy gets in there and gets the job done,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. We have guys that are more than capable."

    If Gasol is able to play tonight, it would provide a much needed boost for this Chicago Bulls team. In a pivotal Game 5 in Cleveland, the Bulls are going to need every single player playing at their best in order to have a chance to win this game.

    Next: Tom Thibodeau Keeping an Eye on Orlando Magic Job?

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