Apr 23, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) talks with Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bulls dropped Games 3 and 4 in disappointing fashion. Here is a look at five keys to victory for the pivotal Game 5.
The one lesson the Chicago Bulls have learned during these playoffs is that momentum is a very fragile thing. After the first two games of the series, the Bulls had a 2-0 lead, with a chance to close out the top-seeded Boston Celtics at the United Center.
While no one expected a sweep, would it have been asking too much for the Bulls to win at least one of their home games?
As has been the case all season, the Bulls didn't make life easy for themselves, dropping a pair of games in front of their home crowd, sending the series back to Boston tied at two games apiece.
Although their recent defeats were disappointing, all hope is not lost as of yet. And if the recent trend of the road team winning on their opponent's home floor continues, the Bulls should be in pretty decent shape, right?
But rather than relying on that logic, here is a look at what the Bulls need to do in order to regain control of this back-and-forth series.
Apr 23, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) shoots the ball as Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis (5) and guard Dwyane Wade (3) defend during the first half in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Avoid Sluggish Start
One of the reasons why the Bulls have struggled in the last two games has to do with poor starts. For example, in Game 3, the Celtics outscored the Bulls by a 33-15 margin.
While they managed to close within 44-41 at the break, the Celtics quickly pushed the lead back to 13 in the third period, en route to an easy 104-87 victory.
That same trend continued in Game 4 as the Bulls fell behind by 12 points (30-18) after the first 12 minutes. Although they managed to take a brief 65-63 lead in the third period, once again, the Celtics went on another impressive run (16-5) that all but put the game out of reach.
Simply put, the Bulls don't have the kind of talent it takes to overcome a large deficit and still win the game. If they don't find a way to turn things around in Game 5, they could be facing elimination when they return home for Game 6.
Apr 12, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) reacts after making a three point basket against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Bulls Must Close Gap From Three-Point Range
I realize this statement may come as a bit of a surprise to some of you due to the fact that the Bulls were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in various stretches during the 2016-17 campaign.
However, they finished the regular season as the 11th-best team three-point shooting team, converting 34 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc.
In the last two games, though, the Bulls have been anything but proficient from distance. In their 104-87 loss in Game 3, the Bulls shot just 6-21 from distance, while the Celtics made 17 of their 37 attempts.
That's a difference of 33 points folks.
The Bulls followed that up with another dismal showing from beyond the arc in Game 4, as they converted just five of their 24 attempts (21 percent). While the Celtics didn't exactly set the nets on fire either (shooting 10-for-37), they still outscored the Bulls 30-15 from distance.
So after the Bulls managed to keep the margin respectable through the first two games (72-54), the Celtics have dominated in this area with an 81-33 advantage in Games 3 and 4.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the Bulls must do a better job of limiting the Celtics' opportunities from long range.
Apr 23, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez (8) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Abandon Small-Ball Approach
Following Games 1 and 2, one of the things I gave Fred Hoiberg credit for was knowing what moves to make in terms of matchups. He brought Bobby Portis off the bench in the series opener and the second-year forward finished the game with 19 points and nine rebounds.
When the Bulls were in need of another spark plug off the bench in Game 2, Hoiberg rolled the dice with rookie forward Paul Zipser, whose final stat line included 16 points on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting from the field.
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What hasn't worked well for Hoiberg over the last two games is trying to match the Celtics small-ball lineup.
The main reason is because this strategy results in Robin Lopez playing limited minutes despite the fact he is one of the few outright mismatches the Bulls have against the Celtics.
This strategy defies logic because Lopez can score at will against any of the Celtics' front-line players. But for some reason, when Boston changed their lineup, Hoiberg opted to do the same, thus limiting Lopez's impact on the game.
In other words, Hoiberg needs to make a concerted effort to keep Lopez involved in the offense. This is supported by the fact that he registered 14 and 18 points, respectively in the first two games before producing just 20 points in the last two games due to reduced playing time.
If you're listening Mr. Hoiberg, continue to pound the ball inside to RoLo and force the opponent to beat you at your game instead of vice versa.
Apr 18, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo (9) is defended by Boston Celtics center Amir Johnson (90) during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Better Production From Backup Point Guard Position
Rajon Rondo has been out of the lineup thanks to a broken thumb injury he sustained during the Bulls' Game 2 win at TD Garden, and without its leading point guard on the court, the Bulls have struggled to say the least.
For instance, the Bulls topped the century mark in the first two games of the series. With Rondo on the bench, though, they have averaged just 91 points in their two losses.
On top of that, the players that Hoiberg has used to try and replicate what Rondo brings to the court have failed miserably.
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Jerian Grant — who played well during Rondo's three-game absence towards the end of the season — scored just six points while committing four turnovers in Game 3 and played only five minutes in Game 4.
Meanwhile, the story with Michael Carter-Williams has been a bit worse. In Chicago's two losses, the former Rookie of the Year produced just two points on 1-for-5 shooting to go along with five turnovers in 31 minutes of action.
The lone bright spot at the backup point guard spot has been Isaiah Canaan, who registered 13 points in 34 minutes of action.
But while his performance moved him into the starting lineup for Game 5, the Bulls should not totally rely on a player that hasn't played significant minutes on a consistent basis since December.
That being said, this trio has to find a way to make their mark in this pivotal game to help the Bulls win their third road game of the series.
Jan 24, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) and Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) looks on against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Bulls' Leading Men Must Rise To The Occasion
Although the Bulls finished the regular season with a mediocre 41-41 record, they have a formidable one-two punch in Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler. In this series, however, both have had their fair share of difficulties against the Celtics defense.
Butler is averaging a respectable 25 points per contest, but he is shooting just 41 percent from the field, with most of those attempts coming from the perimeter.
With the Celtics focused on limiting his effectiveness, the three-time All-Star will have to find a way to get to the basket more because the Bulls are a better team when he isn't settling for contested jump shots.
As far as Wade is concerned, one of the reasons why the Bulls signed him was because of the fact that he turns it up a notch during the postseason. In this series, Wade is averaging 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 41 percent shooting from the field.
These numbers aren't bad, but they are not phenomenal either.
And with the exception of his 22-point outing in Game 2, Wade has been passive for most of this series — a fact that he is well aware of.
"I was just talking to coach [Fred Hoiberg] about that," Wade told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Obviously with [Rajon] Rondo going down [with a fractured right thumb], the ball's going to be a lot more in my hands. But I talked to Coach about it, and there were a couple opportunities where I could have been more aggressive. Some of it is on me. Sometimes when I'm running the offense, I'm doing it. I'm passive. I come off, and the first screen is a pick-and-roll, I get off of it, and it doesn't come back. So I have to figure out a way to, certain times, be more aggressive than I was last game. And I'll figure it out. I've been playing a long time, so I'll leave it up to myself to figure it out."
During this time last year, Wade produced two of his best games of the postseason against the Toronto Raptors in the conference semifinals. He scored 38 and 30 points, respectively in Games 3 and 4.
If the Bulls hope to take back control of the series, their dynamic duo will have to turn in solid performances.
