The Chicago Bulls were inches away from pulling off the upset in Milwaukee Sunday evening. They rallied back from a 16-point deficit and took the lead multiple times in the second half.
Despite their effort, they loss by seven points, falling behind 0-1 in their first-round series against the Bucks. The team’s stars failed to make a significant difference in the matchup, shooting a combined 29% from the field. The Bulls’ role players and overall team defense is what kept them in the game.
The final four minutes proved to be the difference. Milwaukee’s stars were able to make plays, while the Bulls came up short. It didn’t help that there were some questionable calls that went against Chicago, too.
The most egregious came at the 2:05 mark of the fourth quarter, which really changed the trajectory of the contest.
Bulls fans will be enraged at the alternate angle of Patrick Williams’ “foul”
Patrick Williams perfectly boxed Giannis Antetokounmpo out. The Greek Freak, instead of moving his feet and going around Williams, went over Williams’ back, pretty much using his shoulders as a launch pad. The call should’ve been an over-the-back foul on Antetokounmpo, one that would’ve sent him to the bench with five fouls.
Instead the officials called the foul on Williams.
After that, the Bulls were able to get possession and score. The next three defensive possessions saw the Bulls take three charges. One was called a block on a Brook Lopez and-one and the other two were no calls. Just terrible.
To make matters worse, we have an alternate angle of the Williams “foul” on Giannis and it’s even worse than Bulls fans initially thought when it happened in the moment.
still trying to understand how this is a foul on williams
— Cody Delmendo (@Cody_CHGO) April 18, 2022
pic.twitter.com/G8NxSpxO2B
Williams’ fundamentals on the play were phenomenal. He located a man, put a body him, and moved him out with his back side while avoiding hooking or holding. Antetokounmpo lost his discipline and made a play that could have led to him or Williams getting hurt, which is exactly why it’s an illegal play.
The officials likely knew Antetokounmpo’s foul situation and wanted to avoid eliminating one of the league’s biggest stars from play. But Antetokounmpo also knew his foul situation and chose to make a boneheaded decision. He should not have been bailed out in that moment, especially with how obvious it was.
In the end, the Bucks were able to keep their star on the floor and took Game 1. The game plan should remain the same for the Bulls as far as attacking Antetokounmpo on offense and creating a wall on his drives when on defense. In Game 1, much like his entire playoff history, he showed that he’s prone to committing dumb fouls, whether it be charges or silly reach-ins.
The referees calling it is a different story. But for the most part, the game plan worked on Sunday and shouldn’t be abandoned. Maybe the Bulls have a break coming their way after this.