Chicago Bulls: 3 adjustments to make for Game 2 vs Bucks
The Chicago Bulls were inches away from the shocking the world on Sunday. Despite poor performances from their star players, the Bulls had chances to take control of Game 1 in their first-round Eastern Conference series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
With less than four minutes in the game, the teams were tied with Chicago retaining possession. Every one of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic had solid looks and missed, while the Bucks were able to score in crunch time. The Bulls lost 93-86 but showed that they can hang with Milwaukee, even without their stars playing to their true capabilities.
Coby White’s offensive output was efficient, despite his minutes being spotty. The team’s overall defense was the best it had been since early February. The rotations were generally on point and aggressive. They did a good job of walling up on Antetokounmpo on his drives by drawing charges that put him in foul trouble.
In the end, the offense was the primary issue, as evidenced in the final score. In today’s NBA scoring fewer than 90 points isn’t a good indicator of the offensive flow. The Bulls average 111 points per game. They were 25 points under their average and failed to manufacture easy looks in the final four minutes of play.
Going into Game 2, it will be imperative for head coach Billy Donovan to make these three adjustments.
3. Get Zach LaVine Involved Early
The momentum in Game 1 changed once Zach LaVine got going. In the first half, he only had six shot attempts, three coming at the end of the shot clocks on kick-outs from DeMar DeRozan. LaVine has clearly been the team’s second-best player, even while battling knee pain.
His ability to get to the rim and hit open jump shots has freed up DeRozan all year. During the team’s late-season slip, DeRozan began to take more shots and play a higher volume of isolation basketball. The decision is understandable considering his start to the season, but the team became predictable because of it.
By getting LaVine touches early, whether it’s through designed plays or even putting him on DeRozan’s right side, he has the opportunity to get hot quick. When he’s hot, teams can’t help off of him, giving DeRozan more room to operate in iso.
Even when he’s not scoring, LaVine has shown that he’s the better passer of the two star guards. He has the best chemistry with Nikola Vucevic. He finds Vucevic down low better than DeRozan and Caruso do. When Vucevic is eating in the post, he’s able to work his way to the perimeter and get into a rhythm with his jump shots.
LaVine also does a good job of hitting shooters earlier in the shot clock, giving them the opportunity to drive off of the kicks instead having to launch a rushed three to avoid a turnover.