Bulls - Hawks Preview: DRose & Co. v. the Nobodys

I know Game 1 happened last night, and I now look like an idiot for writing this preview. However, if you want proof that I did write this prior to Game 1, click here. AND... since I don't really have time this week to get another preview up, I'm going to say Lakers in 7 (I know the Mavs won Game 1, but I just don't think they have enough of a supporting cast to get by the Lakers).

Well these two teams' respective first round series could not have gone much differently.

Bulls fans—as expected—watched Derrick Rose lead a very balanced attack (five scorers averaged double figures) in a ho-hum five game series against the Pacers. They probably would have swept had Rose not tweaked his ankle in Game 3, leading to a Game 4 loss in one of the worst games of his career (6-22 FG, 1-9 3FG).

Meanwhile, the Hawks shocked the world by destroying the Orlando Magic in six games. No one gave the Hawks a prayer in that series, including myself. But similar to the Bulls, they utilized a balanced attack with five players in double figures.

My problem with the Hawks is that they don't have THAT guy. The one that they can count on to cut the throat out of the other team (and I'm not accepting that Jamal Crawford's ugly as hell bank counts as a cutthroat player).

These are two very balanced teams, so this should be a fun series...right? Not really. Not when one balanced team is a WHOLE lot better than the other.

SERIES STUD: Derrick Rose. DRose had a spectacular Game 1 and 2, earning his (probable) MVP status, and he averaged 37.5 points, 7 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Rose's penetration skills were hindered in Games 3-5 against the Pacers after tweaking his ankle early in Game 3. In those games, Rose averaged 21 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Pedestrian numbers by his standards.

In Games 4 and 5 he had 11 FT attempts combined, less than any other game in the series by itself. He obviously was not taking the rock to the hole like his usual self, which is a bad thing considering he shot 21 percent from behind the arc in the first round. With six days off between the last game and Game 1 against the Hawks, I fully expect Rose to be healthy.

Combine that with the fact that there is no one—seriously, no one—to guard him on the Hawks, Rose will be running up and down the court like he's the lead bull at Pamplona this series.

DA BULLS: In a way, Rose's injury may have been the best thing to happen to a Bulls team that is inexperienced with winning in the playoffs. The Pacers didn't roll over in any game except for the finale; the first four games were decided by six points or less. The Bulls had to be focused, and were challenged by a tough Indianapolis ballclub.

Other players were forced to step up when it mattered, and this team showed what it really is—a team. That team is going to give the Hawks fits.

The mid 90's Bulls, while they had MJ, had a multitude of guys who could show up on any given night. Guys like John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, and Bill Wennington (kidding!) come to mind.

Against the Pacers, Kyle Korver knocked down threes, Taj Gibson provided a spark off the bench when Carlos Boozer proved ineffective (seriously Boozer, grow a pair), and Joakim Noah/Kurt Thomas provided an elbow throwing, trash talking presence down low that frustrated the Pacers. In particular, I was really impressed by the king of the mid-range jumper, Luol Deng. In the Bulls' Game 3 and 5 wins, he stepped up to contribute 21 points in both.

With the particular skill sets of each individual player meshing together, it's going to create matchup problems for the Hawks all over the place. Throw in Coach Tom Thibodeau's trademark lockdown defense, and this team is going to be hard to stop moving forward.
Expect more of this balanced attack in this series, but make no mistake—Derrick Rose is the star of the show. And with no one there to guard him, it should be a quick series for Da Bulls.

THE HAWKS: At 100 percent health, the Hawks' chances in this series were on thin ice to begin with. But the news of Kirk Hinrich being out for the entire series due to a hamstring injury suffered in Game 6 of the first round means the Hawks are now struggling to keep their heads above water.

Hinrich brought a stabilizing force and a feisty intensity to this team that desperately needed a leader (yes, I'm looking at you, "superstar" Joe Johnson) to spark it as it churned along toward the postseason.

Everything's going against the Hawks in this Series. In Round 1, they had to play a certain style of game—mainly a large lineup—in order to contain Dwight Howard. After Howard's 46 point, 19 rebound effort in Game 1, Al Horford and Jason Collins did what they could.

But now they're having to defend a completely different team, led by a point guard, which entails a completely different game plan and a completely different style of play. Transitioning like that is not an easy feat to accomplish, as players that you didn't rely on in Round 1 (Marvin Williams, Jeff Teague) are going to be asked to step right in.

Basically, the Bulls present a ton of matchup problems for the Hawks, and I see this team sinking fast in Round 2.

PREDICTION: I'm a little weary of saying that the Hawks don't have a prayer here, as I made the same prediction about their series against the Magic. But my friends, these Chicago Bulls are not the Orlando Magic. Comparing those two teams is like comparing a Toyota Corolla to a Mercedes Benz.

And if the Bulls are a Benz, in this series the Hawks are the pavement. Bulls roll in 5.

4/25 Quick Hits and Weekend Happenings

A big weekend in the sports world. In case you ate a few too many jelly beans over Easter Sunday, had a few too many brewskis celebrating anything, or spent too much time checking out this awesome baby penguin (I may have done all three), here's all you need to know. I think. Maybe.

NBA

Heat and Bulls Can’t Sweep, But Do the Bulls Have Trouble? The Heat and Bulls both lost on Sunday in Game 4 of their Series against the 76ers and Pacers, respectively.While I think both teams are going to cruise past this series (NOTE: I picked both the Heat and Bulls in 5), are the Bulls in a little bit of trouble going forward? The Bulls’ matador, Derrick Rose, sprained his ankle early in the first quarter of Game 4 going up for a layup. He only had 8 points the rest of the way, and shot an atrocious 3 for 16 from the field. Only time will tell how bad this affects the Bulls in their next series against the winner of Hawks/Magic, but something tells me this team REALLY wants to win Game 5 to give DRose some time to rest up.

Come Out Strong. One team’s making my predictions look stupid, the other’s making me look like Nostradamus. The Boston Celtics finished off a sweep of the New York Knickerbockers (I picked the Knicks in 6), behind Rajon Rondo’s triple-double on Friday and recently-called out Kevin Garnett’s 26 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday. Seriously, anybody remember about three years when the question mark about the Celtics was Rondo and his incompetent play? Unbelievable. While many of you will call me out for picking the Knicks, I’m going to say that my pick lost its contractual validity when the unforeseeable circumstances of injuries to Chauncey Billups and Amar’e Stoudemire resulted in impossible circumstances for a Knicks victory. You know what just happened there? You got lawyered.

On the other side of the coin, the OKC Thunder, my Western Conference pick for the Finals, vaulted to a 3-0 lead this weekend over the Denver Nuggets. Guess the questions about the Thunder’s ability to win on the road are answered, especially since they did it in the way high altitude of the Colorado Rockies. This team is going to give anyone fits in the Playoffs, and I’m certainly rooting for them to make me look gooooooooooood.

Surprise! While some people suspected the Grizz would give the Spurs some “fits” in this Series (cough, me, cough), I expected the return of Manu Ginobili to push the Spurs over the edge. I’m not sure people expected the Grizz to overwhelm the Spurs with tenacious D and fiery intensity in the post. The Spurs need to get some post help from big-man DeJuan Blair to counter the twin towers combo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who have combined for 91 points in the Grizzlies’ two wins this series. Turning to the Hawks/Magic, what the hell is going on here? The Hawks have taken control with a 3-1 lead behind the ugliest clutch moment ever by best sixth-man ever Jamal Crawford. KD told me the other day that if the Magic don’t make a comeback, Dwight Howard’s already got one foot out the door, ala LBJ and the Cavs last year. The question has to be asked: wher will he go?

The Dog Days Are(n’t) Over. The Mavs and Lakers are mired in the midst of what could be some all-time great first round Series. The Blazers pulled even with a pair of wins at the Rose Garden, and Brandon Roy is finally showing burst in his game that he lacked after surgery on both his knees. Meanwhile, the Lakers need to figure out how to stop Chris Paul.Seriously, CAN ANYONE STOP THIS GUY? He’s unbelievable, posting 27 points, 15 assists, and 13 rebounds in the game on Sunday. He’s keeping this team in the series by himself.

MLB

Cards Take Control – KD, you were right. IN CASE NO ONE NOTICED, THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS TOOK TWO OUT OF THREE GAMES FROM THE CINCINNATI REDS THIS WEEKEND TO MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE IN THE NL CENTRAL. Too bad the Reds couldn’t start Mike Leake on Sunday night to steal the rubber match and hold on to the division. Bazinga! And no, I’m not mentioning anything about Pujols’ minor injury. But yes, I will say that the emergence of Jaime Garcia, Kyle McClellan, and Jake Westbrook once again proves that Dave Duncan is the best pitching coach in baseball. Now if only he would just fix Ryan Franklin…

All’s Right in the AL East – Anyone remember this article? That’s right everybody, all is right with the world. The Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox are now 1-2-3 in the AL East after the Yanks swept the O’s and the Sox swept the Angels. Toronto and Baltimore, it was fun while it lasted. Now… if just the Cleveland Indians would listen up and start tanking...

Roy Roy – In case anyone didn’t notice, Roy Halladay’s the best pitcher in baseball. In his last start he got creamed by the Brewers, giving up six earned runs in six innings, but yesterday Roy made us all remember who he is. Sure it was the lowly Padres, but Roy Roy went 8 2/3 innings with a career-high 14 strikeouts. If you’ve never seen this guy pitch, put it on your bucket list. Reds fans know why. You’re not a Reds fan? You don’t know why? By all means, you’re welcome, I’m happy to help.

NHL

Here We Go Again… - Uh oh. The Vancouver Canucks are in trouble. 2009: In the Conference Semis, the Canucks win Game 1, but the Blackhawks win 4 of the next 5 to take the Series. 2010: After winning Game 1 of the Conference Semis, the 2^nd seeded Blackhawks win 4 of the next 5. Fast forward to this year. The Canucks, the best team in the NHL, vow to avenge their playoff woes. They draw the Hawks, but immediately go up three games to none and look to put the Series away. After losing 7-2 in Game 4, the Hawks get starting goalie Roberto Luongo pulled and cruise to a 5-0 Game 5 victory. Last night, where the Canucks panic by benching Luongo and starting Cory Schneider in net. The Hawks took a rousing Game 6 to overtime after Schneider was injured trying to save Michael Frolik’s penalty shot. Then in OT, the defending Stanley Cup champs forced Game 7 when Ben Smith had a beautiful putback past Luongo. I have no idea what’s going to happen in Game 7, but the Hawks have put themselves in a fantastic position.

Can I Start in Goal? – The Flyers, using their THIRD starting goalie of the series, forced Game 7 against the Sabres after falling behind 3-1 in the first period. Leighton Meester, starting in goal, was pulled after giving up three goals in his first seven shots faced. Goalie Brian Boucher was stout the rest of the way, offensive playoff maestro Danny Briere scored two goals, and Ville Leino put an OT shot past Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller to seal the victory. If the Flyers need a fourth starting goalie, they need to know that I'm eligible for $1,000,000 per game.

Done son. The Predators finished off a surprising upset of the Anaheim Ducks Sunday behind two goals from Nick Spaling, leading Nashville to their first ever playoff series win. Congrats Nashville - Columbus Blue Jackets, take notice - that’s how you actually make an impact in the league. The Washington Capitals and Alex Ovi took care of business this year in the first round, and took out the New York Rangers in five games.

Golf

Turmoil at #1 after wild weekend. What an exciting weekend for the game of golf that absolutely no one paid attention to. Heading into the weekend, Martin Kaymer was the world’s #1 player. No more. World #2 Lee Westwood, perhaps the least accomplished player of all-time to hit No. 1, took charge of the Indonesian Masters and won by 3 shots to wrestle the title from Kaymer. But like Bugs Bunny says, that wasn’t all folks. Luke Donald - an even more unheralded player, with 3 worldwide wins – had a chance to take over the No. 1 position with a win at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, a course I’m proud to say I played I broke 80 on from the pro tees. Vanderbilt alumni Brandt Snedeker fired a Sunday 64 to surge ahead and take the lead, but Donald tied him to force a playoff with two working man’s pars. But then he lost on the famed Lighthouse hole when his ball buried in the bunker. The volatility at the top of the golf world proves that it truly is anyone’s game right now, and it’s going to be an exciting season on the PGA Tour.

NFL

The Happy Couple– As KD wrote about this weekend, Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall was stabbed by his wife (ALLEGEDLY!). His wife is being held on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, but she is asserting self-defense, which would relieve her of criminal charges so long as the force she used – with a kitchen knife - is NOT deemed to be excessive. Marshall is still in intensive care, and no indication of his ability to play into the future has been given.

You Mean I Like A Raven and An Irishman? – Proving Rick Reilly’s point that it is in fact possible for NFL players to make a living after the lockout, the ONLY Notre Dame or Ravens player I’ve ever like has found a second calling in the ring. Ravens Safety Tom Zbikowski moves to 4-0 in his profession boxing career with a first round knockout. Anyone have any ideas on who they’d like to see him fight next? My votes: T.O., Troy Polumalu, and Rosie O’Donnell.

NCAA BB

Pulled Out, He Wants to Get Back In: Brandon Davies, famously suspended from BYU during its dream season for having pre-marital sex, wants to make a rousing return to the school next season. Davies, a 6’9” power forward who was essential to the team’s success, wants to re-enroll. In order to do so, he is required to be deemed “rehabilitated.” But the question is, once you’ve tasted warm apple pie, how can you come back from that? Secondly, didn’t he get kicked off the team just because he happened to get caught with his pants down? Something’s telling me that wasn’t the first time he broke the school’s honor code.

Bye Bye Cinderella: A few weeks ago, I wrote that there was no way Jim Larranaga was leaving George Mason. I followed that up by saying there was no way he was leaving for a school like Dayton. At least I was only half wrong. Larranaga took the University of Miami (FL) job.

NCAA FB

Thanks Again Rich Rod. Seriously: Ruh-Roh. Rich Rodriguez, famously 15-22 at Michigan, came out this weekend saying that leaving West Virginia in the first place was a “mistake.” Rich, on behalf of all Ohio State fans everywhere, I’d just like to say that leaving for Michigan was not a mistake. In fact, it was the best move of your career. Whenever you want to go back, you’re more than welcome.

Fiesta, Fiesta: College Football’s CEO – excuse me, director – Bill Hancock came out this weekend and said that within a month we will know the fate of the Fiesta Bowl and its relationship with the BCS. The investigation into the Fiesta’s status comes after reports that the bowl’s directors reimbursed employees for almost $50,000 in political donations – a clear violation of federal election and non-profit organization laws. Reports are that the Cotton Bowl is ready to step in and take the Fiesta’s spot in the BCS rotation.

NBA First Round Preview - Part 1A

Chizzy’s First Round NBA Preview

This has been a pretty exciting season. For the first time in a long time, the regular season actually had some relevance. Derrick Rose’s emergence as a superstar. Kevin Love piling on double-double after double-double. Kobe’s discriminatory remarks. The Big 3, and their tears in the clubhouse. Cleveland’s record breaking losing streak, and questioning whether they would ever win again. This means it should make for an even better playoff season. I can’t wait. Let’s dive in. The series that start this afternoon are included here, and I'll post the rest of the series that start today this afternoon. I’ll include the rest tomorrow with my playoff picks.

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls v. (8) Indiana Pacers: On I-65 between these two cities, there’s about a billion wind turbines, and every time I drive that strip of land I find myself not paying attention to the road. I’m mesmerized by the turbines, and I know the road’s going to keep going straight. I think that’s going to happen in this series. I’m going to be paying attention to other series, because I know what’s going to happen. The Pacers give up more points than they score. If they couldn’t score against the rest of the league, how are they going to score against the NBA’s second ranked defense? That’s all I need to see. This is a lopsided matchup that I probably won’t pay attention to. I’ll watch more of the Bulls in the next round.

Series Stud: Derrick Rose. The best player in the NBA this year, Derrick Rose has come into his own. The 23 year old is making Chicago his team, but he has to win a title to step out of MJ’s shadow. I’ve talked with a few of my Chicago friends, and they all feel like he’s the “savior” to bring the franchise back to where it was in the 90’s. His 25 PPG and 7.7 APG tend to make me agree with this statement. His 3-point shooting has drastically improved this year, and since players have to respect his shot, it’s opened up his ability to drive to the hoop and create. But folks, MJ didn’t win his first title until he was 30. While I truly believe DRose may be the game’s next great, he needs a little more time. I’m excited for what’s to come.

Da Bulls: It’s good to see the Bulls on top again. I grew up an MJ fan, and loved those 90’s Bulls teams. This team has been almost as fun to watch, and they’re finally healthy. At the beginning of the season, they were without banger Carlos Boozer for 20 games. In the middle of the season, they lost banger Joakim Noah for a month. DRose distributes the ball like a champion. Boozer gets his points, Luol Deng gets his 15-18 foot jumpers, and Kyle Korver gets his 3’s. But Rose knows when to take over. And his supporting cast knows that it’s his team, so when he takes charge, there’s no questions asked. This is a hard nosed team that prides itself on defense. Noah and Boozer crash the boards, Luol Deng, Rose and Ronnie Brewer hawk the perimeter, and they grit out wins when their offense lets them down. This team is built for playoff basketball, and they will have no problems with the Pacers.

The Pacers: Nice. It’s the word I use describe the entire state of Indiana, and the word that can be used to describe this team. And I’ve always said that if all you have to say about a person, place of thing is that they’re “nice,” then there’s not really anything special at all about it. Unlike Reggie Miller’s chirpy mid-90’s Pacers, there’s no one thing that’s this team can call a defining characteristic. Chicago is DRose’s team. Whose team is this? Danny Granger? Darren Collison? Roy Hibbert? Mike Dunleavy? Tyler Hansbrough? I don’t know. Every team needs a star to have playoff success, and the Pacers don’t have it. All they have are a bunch of college stars. That doesn’t work in the playoffs. Not against the Bulls.

Prediction: Bulls in 5. Only because I hate picking sweeps. I think maybe Indiana steals Game 3 at home. But Chicago steamrolls through the overmatched in every way Pacers.

(2) Miami Heat v. (7) Philadelphia 76ers: A matchup of two very similar teams. The superstars versus the up and comers. Much fanfare has been made of Miami all season, ever since LeBron's decision to take his talents to South Beach. Little fanfare has been made of the Sixers all season. In fact, I'm betting many people can't name more than three people on their team. So what do we take away from all this? That El Heat is going to destroy the 76ers, and Elton Brand and Co. can take solace in some delicious Pat's cheesesteaks (That's right, I said Pat's. Not Geno's).

Series Stud: Dwayne Wade. I’m going to get a lot of crap for this, but the stud of this series is going to be DWade. LBJ is fantastic, and will probably have a few triple-doubles, but this is Wade’s team. It’s his city. LeBron came to Wade's team, not vice versa. I understand Cleveland is not Miami, but it tells me something that LeBron felt he needed to go somewhere to pair up with Wade to win. Plus, LeBron is notorious for his atrocious clutch play (see the playoffs the last few years), but DWade gets better as the pressure starts mounting is a killer in the final moments of a game. Anyone remember his play in the 2006 Playoffs? Let me remind you. 28.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.7 APG. 2.2 SPG. What was the end result? Championship. Until LeBron proves otherwise, this is Wade's team.

The Heat: We all know what the Heat can do. LeBron, DWade, and Bosh are going to carry this team. They’re going to run you all over the floor, push the pace, and shut down the other team with their perimeter defense. Without an inside presence for much of the season, the addition of Erick Dampier has shored up the post defense. They’ve fought through the early season struggles, the tears in the clubhouse, and the horrible coaching of Erik Spoelstra. But the question is this: When it comes to crunch time, can the Heat play nice with each other? I think so. When Mike Bibby came to the team in early March, the Heat lost their first four games with him in the lineup. But since that time, the Heat have won 15 of their last 18 games. Bibby has had experience handling stars on early 2000’s Kings (Chris Webber) and the late 2000’s Hawks (Josh Smith and Joe Johnson). He knows how to keep everyone happy, and the Big 3 need that.

The 76ers: Another nice team. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala are going to have to make their presence known on the inside in order to make this team go anywhere. Brand is going to get his points, and he’s going to get his rebounds against the Heat’s biggest weakness, the inside post. But they’re going to need perfect performances from Jrue Holiday and sixth man Thaddeus Young, and if you’re relying on perfect performances from Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young you know you’re in trouble. But if the Sixers take this series deep, you have to give props to coach Doug Collins. In my mind, he’s the Coach of the Year. When you take a roster of rag tag players picked to finish at the bottom of the conference and get them into the playoffs, you deserve some credit.

Prediction: Heat in 5. The Heat shut down the 76ers in this series as Philly just doesn’t have the talent to contend. They had a great season, but the Heat is going overwhelm Philly by running on offense, shutting them down on defense, and coasting on to the next round.