- Record: 41-27 (4-6)
- Eastern (3)
- Atlantic (1)
Ranks
- 110.7 ORTG (4)
- 107.3 DRTG (25)
- 93.5 Pace (18)
- 73.6 DRB% (21)
- 0.551 TS% (5)
Latest Results
Leaders
- DeMar DeRozan 19 ppg
- Jonas Valanciunas 8.7 rpg
- Kyle Lowry 6.9 apg
- Jonas Valanciunas 1.2 bpg
- Kyle Lowry 1.6 spg
- Record: 41-28 (4-6)
- Eastern (4)
- Central (2)
Ranks
- 107.1 ORTG (10)
- 104.9 DRTG (13)
- 93 Pace (22)
- 74.3 DRB% (17)
- 0.534 TS% (16)
Latest Results
Leaders
- Jimmy Butler 20.2 ppg
- Pau Gasol 12 rpg
- Derrick Rose 5 apg
- Pau Gasol 2 bpg
- Jimmy Butler 1.7 spg
It’s a match-up of Eastern Conference powerhouses, but it’s unclear who will suit up for the two teams.
If you’re itching to put a lot of stock in this game, I can understand that but you’re heading in a dangerous direction. Chicago has been nursing a bundle of injuries and even though they may get some guys back, there’s still rust that needs to be played through.
Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson are all on the shelf, and even though Butler and Gibson practiced on Thursday, Gibson is the only Bull that might play. This is great news for Toronto because Butler has been a lockdown defender guarding DeMar DeRozan.
But is it any surprise that the Bulls are nursing injuries in March? This feels like it happens every year and I think we know who is to blame for that. Tom Thibodeau, as good as he schematically, loves to play his guys a ton of minutes. Thibs challenges the law of averages and usually comes out on the wrong side, which might be why there’s a oft-reported rift between Thibodeau and management.
Getting rid of Thibodeau would be a bad idea, in my opinion, for this reason: the Chicago Bulls basketball team is always competitive. It doesn’t really matter who is wearing the jersey, Thibs has that bunch ready and chomping at the bit. Their recent record doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, but you can’t look past Chicago. They prepare and play damn hard every second.
Toronto should win this game, even if Kyle Lowry doesn’t play. But we know that “should-win” games are nothing close to guaranteed with the Raptors’s recent run of form. Joakim Noah, Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol are really solid players and could cause problems.
Positional match-ups
Point Guard
Lowry (?), Vasquez vs. Brooks, Hinrich
Lowry is questionable to play after suffering a back injury during the Minnesota game. Even if Vasquez has to play starter minutes, we should win this match-up. Brooks is a scorer and me-first type of player who will likely feast at the sight of Vasquez guarding him. But Brooks getting his isn’t the best thing for the Chicago offence, so if he resorts to selfish play, that might benefit Toronto. Hinrich is a player whose best days are clearly behind him, but Thibodeau still loves the guy so he hangs around and collects cheques. He’s a decent defender but a huge liability offensively. Cool glasses, though.
Advantage: Raptors
Wings
DeRozan, Ross, J. Johnson, Williams vs. Snell, Dunleavy, Moore
Thibs is rolling with Dunleavy-Snell on the wings. That should fire up DeRozan and Ross (if Ross can even be fired up at this point) because Snell is a good defender but still green and Dunleavy tops out as an average defender. I assume Snell and his long arms will guard DeRozan. Toronto has been effectively neutered when playing the Bulls because of Butler’s fine work on DeMar, but with a younger, weaker defender, DeRozan should feast and attack early. It is concerning that Golden State’s gameplan for Toronto noted DeRozan just doesn’t pass, but tonight, it would be justified.
Past that, I would say we are still deeper on the wings. James Johnson, if he plays, is a crafty scorer than provides good defence and the 6 man Lou Will can get his even against great defences, so he should wreak havoc immediately.
I’m concerned with Ross and following Dunleavy through all the screens, though. Dunleavy doesn’t look the part, but he’s a nifty scorer with range and Ross has to navigate through lots of off-ball screens in order to cover him. I have little confidence in Ross’s effort at this point but if he follows his check defensively, maybe he can disrupt the ailing Bulls offence.
Advantage: Raptors
Frontcourt
A. Johnson, Valanciunas, Patterson, Hansbrough vs. Noah, Gasol, Mirotic
This is a really tough call. The Bulls frontcourt has been playing well, but Noah is still hurt and has to shoulder a bigger load. Gasol is enjoying his renaissance in Chicago though and he’s been honestly fun to watch. Mirotic is Chi-City’s version of Lou Williams; he even loves to pump fake just as much as Lou.
I’m concerned about Toronto’s defence. Pau killed us earlier in the year, exposing Valanciunas’s youth by putting in work in the post. Gasol can post-up, play in the pick and roll or pick and pop, and JV just hasn’t shown the ability to guard those. People rag on Dwane Casey for sitting him, but seriously watch his defence. I’m positive that the same people who clamour for JV to play more against Portland did not watch him defend that night. JV is a nightmare in that scenario, and Chicago will likely start their attack through simple PnR action.
Who knows what we will get with Amir, too. I like him just as much as the fanbase does, but I’m realistic about his inconsistency. A springy Amir can guard anyone on the Bulls, but a weak Amir is going to kill us.
Mirotic is the guy who concerns me the most. He’s an inside-outside threat and played well recently. I’m honestly not sure about his defence, but he comes in and fills it up, so Toronto must have an answer for him. While Noah has struggled this year, Mirotic has picked up the funky-frontcourt-guy slack. If Mirotic gets going, we’re going to have a bad time.
I’ve got to give the advantage to the Bulls because Noah, Gasol and Mirotic are all great players. I’m really not sure if any of our frontcourt guys are better than those three, either.
Advantage: Bulls
Last word
Toronto can win this game. Chicago is very, very average; just look at their O and D ratings. But we’re pretty damn average too and defence is a rare occurrence in Raptorland. I think the Raptors will win, but I expect an ugly game in front of a wild United Center crowd.
