One like and dislike from the Bulls loss vs. the Bucks

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 Friday in the United Center. Here’s my one like and dislike from the game.

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 Friday in the United Center. The Bulls and Bucks tied the season series 2-2. The Chicago Bulls won the two matchups in Milwaukee, while the Bucks won the two games in Chicago.

Tank-o-meter

The Chicago Bulls have a 24-48 record after their loss to the Bucks. They have the eighth worst record in the league and 5.5 games back of the worst record in the league.

Fun Fact #1

Center Christiano Felicio scored 11 points in the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Bucks. It marked the fourth consecutive game in which he scored 10 points or more, the longest streak of his career.

Fun Fact #2

In his last eight games since being moved back to the bench unit after a brief three game stint as a starter, forward Bobby Portis has averaged 15.1 and 8.3 rebounds per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from deep.

Dislike: Traps

I’ve had an issue with the Chicago Bulls’ schematic game-plan to high hedge or trap ball screens for a while.

Opposing teams break the Bulls’ on-ball pressure with solid passes frequently. This leaves the Chicago Bulls swarming in attempt to rotate effectively on the defensive end. Opposing teams still create uncontested shots at the rim or from beyond the arc despite the Bulls’ efforts. The sequence of broken traps and using the Bulls’ aggressive defensive scheme against them is exactly what Milwaukee did and ultimately helped the Bucks win the contest.

Portis and guard Jerian Grant execute a soft tarp against Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe in the play above. Bledsoe passes the ball to Bucks center Thon Maker, the man Portis was guarding, with ease right at the free-throw line. The play breaks down because guard David Nwaba and forward Noah Vonleh both help off their man to guard Maker. This allowed Maker to pass the ball to forward Shabazz Muhammad for an open corner 3-pointer that he knocked down with ease.

However, that play wasn’t an isolated event. On the previous Bucks’ possession, Bucks guard/forward Tony Snell made an open 3-pointer with ease after the Chicago Bulls trapping strategy was exposed. The Bucks made and attempted more “open” or “wide open” 3-pointers than they typically do.

(During the 2017-18 season, the Bucks have made 2.7 “open” 3-pointers on 7.9 attempts per game and 5.3 “wide open” 3-pointers on 14.3 attempts per game. The Chicago Bulls allowed the Bucks to go 5-of-9 on “open” 3-pointers and 9-of-18 on “wide open” 3-pointers.)

I don’t have a major problem with trapping. It can be effective in doses. But, offenses can adjust and exposes defenses with relative ease when teams trap throughout an entire game. Hopefully this game will show Head Coach Fred Hoiberg the flaws in the scheme and force him to adjust next season.

Like: Cam Payne

Don’t look now, but guard Cameron Payne, the player of the game, is turning into a respectable NBA player!

Payne gaining notoriety as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook’s dance partner during his tenure with the Thunder. But, now Payne is starting to show signs of the kind of player he can be going forward after struggling during his brief playing time with the Chicago Bulls last season.

Payne tallied 17 points, six assists and only one assist off 50 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from deep in 30 minutes of playing time. But, his improvements go beyond the box score. He moves the ball up the floor with pace, which is something Hoiberg likes to see.

“We’ve been really happy with Cam,” said Hoiberg, according to a March 20 Chicago Tribune article. “He’s doing a great job of spraying the ball ahead. His attack has been really solid. He’s getting into the paint, making good plays. And he’s shooting with a lot of confidence.”

Payne has exhibited improvements as a scorer and passer too. He’s gotten better with his timing and knowing when to accelerate/decelerate to create space for himself to get into the lane and he always keeps his head up to find the open man.

As the Chicago Bulls season comes to an end, it’ll be interesting to see how the young players perform and who earns a spot on the roster for next season. Payne is showing he deserves a second chance in the fans’ opinions.