Answering some key concerns for Bulls
The Dallas Mavericks arrive in town early Saturday morning after playing a home game against Golden State.
Even with the tight schedule, maybe the Bulls should try to procure a private, celebrities-only coffee house and invite the Mavs to sit down for a long chat.
They could ask how Dallas was able to beat the Heat in last year's NBA Finals and share their feelings about falling victim to flagrant fouls. The Bulls were on the receiving end of two flagrants during Thursday's 83-72 loss at Miami, while the Mavs shook off the brutal playoff takedown of guard J.J. Barea by Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who was suspended three games for the incident.
Well, the Dallas sit-down isn't going to happen. So let's try to answer some questions that might be bugging the Bulls as the lockout season winds down:
Does a team need to play well heading into the playoffs?
The Bulls still have the NBA's best record, but they are a mediocre 5-5 in their last 10 games. Before April arrived, there was only one 10-game stretch when the Bulls were as bad as 6-4 (Jan. 16-Feb. 1).
This is an easy question to answer, though: No, playing well down the stretch has nothing to do with winning an NBA title.
During the past 10 years or so, there has been no prevailing trend. Before winning last season's title, the Mavs went 6-4 over their last 10 games.
The 2010 Lakers and 2006 Heat were even worse, going 4-7 during their final 11 contests. In consecutive years (2006-07), Miami and San Antonio finished the regular season on three-game losing streaks before winning the title.
If anything, the message seems to be this — take it easy late in the regular season and make sure everyone is healthy.
The Bulls can do that without players skipping games, because they'll get three days off after facing the Mavs tonight. At the same time, it makes sense to keep Derrick Rose out at least one more day to make sure his sore right ankle is well.
There was a report during Thursday's TNT broadcast that Rose's latest injury was a result of his ankles being taped too tightly during last Sunday's game at Detroit.
“I haven't heard that,” coach Tom Thibodeau said in Miami. “I don't know where this stuff comes from. We've got a great medical staff, I can tell you that.”
Taping issues can happen, but it doesn't seem likely that tight tape would cause an injury severe enough to miss four games. A report by CSN Chicago suggested Rose tried to resist the team's orders to tape his ankle, instead favoring ankle braces.
Did Miami send a message with its rough play?
With the two flagrant fouls Thursday, no. James Jones' double-forearm shove of Joakim Noah during a rebound battle didn't make much sense. It was more stupid than vicious and Jones was ejected.
Later on, Dwyane Wade basically took an intentional flagrant after feeling the need to shove Richard Hamilton to the ground. Wade claimed it was a reaction to unseen hits delivered by Hamilton.
“We never go out with a goal and say we want to be more physical,” Wade said after the game. “We have to be a physical team to win a championship because teams are going to try to say, ‘Listen, we can be tougher than them.' So we have to get into the fight.”
The Bulls could be considered a physical team because defense and rebounding are strengths. But they've committed just one flagrant foul this season — by Joakim Noah against Iman Shumpert in the April 8 game against New York — while Miami now has four.
The night's roughest play was the blind backcourt screen used by LeBron James to level John Lucas III. No foul was called on the play, even though James clearly leaned into Lucas with his shoulder. Maybe that memory can be extra motivation for the future, but the Bulls really shouldn't need any.
James announced before the season he no longer wanted to play the villain role. Picking on smaller guys is no way to change a reputation.
Is the No. 1 seed in the East a lost cause?
Of course not. The Bulls still control their destiny for the best record in the league. All they have to do is win out against the Mavs, Pacers and Cavaliers.
The Heat could help out the Bulls by losing another game. It plays Houston, a team battling for the playoffs; visits Boston, which is fighting for homecourt advantage in the first round; and play two against Washington, which just knocked off the Bulls and Milwaukee this week.
As mentioned here many times, the No. 1 seed is vastly overrated. In the past nine years, just one team has gone from the top seed in the East to the NBA Finals, Boston in 2008.
Playoff path might be more significant for the Bulls than home court against Miami. In the first round, the Bulls would surely prefer the slumping 76ers, currently No. 8, to the seemingly more dangerous Knicks. In the second round, they figure to match up against Boston or Atlanta much better than they would Indiana.
In an odd twist, the Pacers can help decide their potential second-round opponent. They finish their season against the Bulls on Wednesday and should have the No. 3 seed locked up.
If Indiana rests players and loses, it could help clinch the top seed for the Bulls. If the Pacers play their best and beat the Bulls, it might open the door for Miami to finish No. 1.
Or this whole argument could be summarized like this: If Rose is healthy, the Bulls have a great chance to reach the Finals. If he's not, they have no chance.
So get well soon.
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com