2012 NBA Playoffs: Why the 76ers Will Take Down the Rose-Less Bulls
With a 1-0 series lead against the eighth seed in the East, most people thought Chicago would win the first round, even without their star.
And in the first half of Game 2, there wasn’t much concern from Bulls fan, with their team up 8.
Then, the third and fourth quarters happened.
Philadelphia ran away with Game 2 in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 36-14 and scoring 14 fastbreak points. Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, and he and Evan Turner powered the 76ers' third quarter stampede.
Three 76ers finished with 19+ points, as Turner scored 19 and Lou Williams added 20. Philadelphia racked up 25 fastbreak points during the game, and they scored 52 points in the paint. Chicago got 8 fastbreak points and 32 points in the paint.
The simple cause of Chicago being outscored 62-37 in the second half was their lack of effort and hustle. We all know Chicago as one of the best hustle teams in the NBA, but in the second half, when the Sixers started clicking, Chicago stopped fighting for loose balls and rebounds, and as a result, Philly dominated them on fastbreaks.
And when Andre Igoudala threw down that thunderous dunk over Luol Deng, the Bulls' fate was sealed. Their home-court advantage was (and still is) gone.
Early in the third quarter, Holiday got going. He drained a 19-footer, a three and a 14-footer to cut Chicago's lead from 8 to 3, then Turner and Elton Brand combined to score 10 points and put Philly up by 5. Brand hit a fadeaway that put Philadelphia up 62-61, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The rest was history. Fastbreaks, slam dunks, alley-oops, jumpers, defense, and hustle was what built Philly's lead. You could almost feel Chicago feeling sorry for themselves that Derrick Rose is gone.
They can't have that. If they do, the 76ers will win the series in 5 games.
Without a dynamic point guard to stop on the defensive end of the floor, Jrue Holiday and the Sixers had fresh legs, which were ready to stop the Bulls and score quick transition points. That strategy worked to perfection.
Someone on the Bulls needs to wear out the Sixer defense, or else Philadelphia will run away in the second half again.
In Philadelphia, it'll be much tougher to win. If Chicago uses up all their energy in the first half, and they can only build an eight-point halftime lead, they'll be in deep trouble. WIth the crowd on their side, the 76ers would have it easy. Chicago wouldn't be able to drive on Philadelphia, because they'd still have lots of energy. And Philadelphia would take every missed Chicago shot and start a fastbreak.
Man, would that be tough for Chicago.
There really isn't much to do for Chicago except hustling and not feeling sorry for themselves. If they do that, Philadelphia might be taken off their game a little, and Chicago could steal a road win.
But for now, all they can do is hope. Philadelphia is an energetic team, and with great shooters like Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, great crowd-energizing guys like Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala, and great bench players like Lavoy Allen, Thaddeus Young (who's also a great shooter), and Jodie Meeks, there's no reason to believe Philly can't do this.
Because while they may have seemed like an easy opponent for Chicago, now that D-Rose is gone, there's not much the Bulls can do to stop the Sixers.
And in the first half of Game 2, there wasn’t much concern from Bulls fan, with their team up 8.
Then, the third and fourth quarters happened.
Philadelphia ran away with Game 2 in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 36-14 and scoring 14 fastbreak points. Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, and he and Evan Turner powered the 76ers' third quarter stampede.
Three 76ers finished with 19+ points, as Turner scored 19 and Lou Williams added 20. Philadelphia racked up 25 fastbreak points during the game, and they scored 52 points in the paint. Chicago got 8 fastbreak points and 32 points in the paint.
The simple cause of Chicago being outscored 62-37 in the second half was their lack of effort and hustle. We all know Chicago as one of the best hustle teams in the NBA, but in the second half, when the Sixers started clicking, Chicago stopped fighting for loose balls and rebounds, and as a result, Philly dominated them on fastbreaks.
And when Andre Igoudala threw down that thunderous dunk over Luol Deng, the Bulls' fate was sealed. Their home-court advantage was (and still is) gone.
Early in the third quarter, Holiday got going. He drained a 19-footer, a three and a 14-footer to cut Chicago's lead from 8 to 3, then Turner and Elton Brand combined to score 10 points and put Philly up by 5. Brand hit a fadeaway that put Philadelphia up 62-61, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The rest was history. Fastbreaks, slam dunks, alley-oops, jumpers, defense, and hustle was what built Philly's lead. You could almost feel Chicago feeling sorry for themselves that Derrick Rose is gone.
They can't have that. If they do, the 76ers will win the series in 5 games.
Without a dynamic point guard to stop on the defensive end of the floor, Jrue Holiday and the Sixers had fresh legs, which were ready to stop the Bulls and score quick transition points. That strategy worked to perfection.
Someone on the Bulls needs to wear out the Sixer defense, or else Philadelphia will run away in the second half again.
In Philadelphia, it'll be much tougher to win. If Chicago uses up all their energy in the first half, and they can only build an eight-point halftime lead, they'll be in deep trouble. WIth the crowd on their side, the 76ers would have it easy. Chicago wouldn't be able to drive on Philadelphia, because they'd still have lots of energy. And Philadelphia would take every missed Chicago shot and start a fastbreak.
Man, would that be tough for Chicago.
There really isn't much to do for Chicago except hustling and not feeling sorry for themselves. If they do that, Philadelphia might be taken off their game a little, and Chicago could steal a road win.
But for now, all they can do is hope. Philadelphia is an energetic team, and with great shooters like Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, great crowd-energizing guys like Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala, and great bench players like Lavoy Allen, Thaddeus Young (who's also a great shooter), and Jodie Meeks, there's no reason to believe Philly can't do this.
Because while they may have seemed like an easy opponent for Chicago, now that D-Rose is gone, there's not much the Bulls can do to stop the Sixers.
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