Chicago Bulls (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks looked like it was going to get out of hand early on, as the Chicago Bulls fell to a 16-point deficit. However, as the game rolled on, the Bulls were able to come back and make it close.
The reason? Defense — and that’s it.
The Bulls hounded the Bucks all night long after a lousy first quarter, and that’s why they were able to get back into the game. It was an Alex Caruso show, that’s for certain.
The Bulls were, frankly, atrocious on offense. As a team, Chicago shot 32.3 percent from the field. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic all shot under 50 percent.
While Vucevic is going to get a lot of heat for his taking 27 shots, let’s not forget about DeRozan going 6-for-25. Vucevic might have looked bad, but DeRozan looked just plain off.
If the Chicago Bulls are to have a chance in Game 2, DeMar DeRozan has to be the same guy from the regular season.
In Game 1, DeRozan found his spots like he always does. He was able to get many mid-range jumpers off with ease, but they didn’t fall.
After seeing him rarely miss these shots for most of the regular season, it was very unusual to see him miss so many from his comfort zone — and he’s the one with a chunk of playoff experience.
Unlike Vucevic, even though DeRozan was having an off night, he was the one you wanted to see keep shooting. Eventually, those shots will fall. DeRozan is too good of a player to not bounce back — and that’s exactly what he needs to do in Game 2.
If the Bulls were able to keep it close, losing by just seven points in a hard-fought game, all while DeRozan had one of his worst shooting nights of the year, then Game 2 has to be different.
The first key with this team, and against the Bucks, is always going to start with defense. If the Bulls come out with the same type of energy on defense, that is half the battle. But, it’s going to be on DeRozan’s shoulders to carry the offensive load.
LaVine was good in spurts, but overall he did not step into the lead role, nor was he aggressive enough for the entire game. It’s very clear that DeRozan has to be the one to take over, just as he did many times during the regular season.