I'm going to try and watch every Bulls playoff game from '90 to '98

[Carbine]

Game 1 vs Heat

I love this Jordan. I think he's stronger, skills are sharper and he can still do whatever he wants athletically. To me this is as good as he has looked since I've been watching these games.

He really carries this game throughout. I don't think the rest of the team was nearly as hungry as they were last year. It felt like the team treated this game as a regular season game, whereas MJ was taking this like he never won a championship last year.

Pippens individual defense was again suspect. He got cooked in the first half, although he did have a couple nice defensive moments.

One guy that looks like he has declined from last year is Cartwright.

Paxton is banging every open shot. He has to cool off eventually right?

[Roundball_Rock]

Pippens individual defense was again suspect. He got cooked in the first half, although he did have a couple nice defensive moments.

Tough grader, eh? Glen Rice, Miami's #1 option, was held to 7 for 20 (35%) for 17 points in that game. What more do you expect? For perspective, his season average was 22 PPG on 18 shots (47%).

[Carbine]

I've never been a numbers guy. If a dude shoots a lay up beating Pippen from the perimeter, but misses it.. its not because of Pippen.

Id have some words with someone telling me they shut me down while I blow by him but missed my lay up or pull up jumper. Nah bro, you didn't do shit, I just missed the shot.

Or like 3Ball was yapping about in 91 finals overtime when he said Jordan "shut down" Magic. If Magic shot a wide open uncontested 3 and missed.... How the F is MJ getting credit for that? Lol



That's just an example BTW, not saying this happened for all of his attempts. But Pippens defense was not "lock down" in any way shape or form this game.

[Roundball_Rock]

Got it--makes sense.

The Rice match up is interesting because they would face each other again in 98' so we can compare an early playoff run match up to a late playoff run match up with the same players, both still in their primes.

[Carbine]

This first Q and few minutes of the 2nd Q of game 2 is probably the best you could reasonably expect a perimeter player to play two way basketball. Scottie has been THAT good through the first 14 minutes of this one.

[Carbine]

Jordan gets some extremely questionable calls against him. I noticed this in last year's playoff run as well. It may change in the future but he hasn't been given a "superstar" type whistle. He actually got called for hand checking in game 1 lol

And just got called for an offensive foul on one of the worst calls you'll ever see off the ball.

[Roundball_Rock]

Jordan gets some extremely questionable calls against him. I noticed this in last year's playoff run as well. It may change in the future but he hasn't been given a "superstar" type whistle. He actually got called for hand checking in game 1 lol

And just got called for an offensive foul on one of the worst calls you'll ever see off the ball.

Is Hue Hollins reffing? He always was biased against the Bulls.

[Sarcastic]

Why don't you post the games you are watching, so people can know what you're talking about, and not just speaking in a vacuum.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Games I watch of MJ he plays a lot of off the ball for large portions of the game. Nothing wrong with that - but he isn't in the thick of things the way Lebron is to the same extent.

Jordan was a far more elegant and effective player than Lebron. No wasted motion. No need to pound the ball and run countless screen/rolls to generate stat-producing opportunities (scores or assists). Jordan was art.

[Carbine]

Why don't you post the games you are watching, so people can know what you're talking about, and not just speaking in a vacuum.

I have been.

[OldSchoolBBall]

i dont think anybody can stop magic johnson... you're right his numbers are identical pretty much vs MJ or any of the other 3 teams he saw beforehand.

Still... offense alone... MJ was getting basically the same amount of assists as magic, but 30+ ppg on better efficiency to magic's 18 ppg.

How can we consider that equal?

Magic was at 23/8/13/44% FG/22.7 GameScore up until the Finals. The he went 18.6/8/12+/43% FG/20 GameScore in the Finals. A 4 ppg drop and slight efficiency hit is about as good as you're gonna get against a player of Magic's caliber, because you can't hinder his passing game.

[Bawkish]

*spoiler alert*

Game 3

MJ in 1st Q = 2 pts

then some Heat player trash talked MJ because they thought he was having a "bad game"

MJ in 3 quarters = 54 pts

The idiot had just dug their own grave

[Carbine]

Game 3 vs Miami was the classic home team coming out fired up hitting everything back against the wall type game.

As good as Jordan was in game 1, I'm not sure he wasn't better in game 3. He was so dominant, so unstoppable. When he felt the rest of the team wasn't there today, besides Pippen, and they were down a lot after 1Q.... it was his game.

I like Sielkey on Miami. He was a problem all series for the Bulls.

Cartwright has been absolutely awful so far. Armstrong is much more of a factor this post season than last one.

[BigShotBob]

Going to hijack this thread since I know basketball. I'll be taking notes as I go along.

Game 3 vs Miami

Miami started out with a lot of energy, and Chicago was fighting back. One thing the Bulls love to do is to let Pippen go to work one-on-one against a smaller player in the post, which is what they tried to do. Miami had stingy defense though starting out. MJ played a little passive in the opening minutes, setting up his teammates and playing the triangle in general.

Interesting to note is how the Bulls LOVE Full-court pressure. They love it to death. They started off the game with MJ guarding Steve Smith off-ball from end to end, Pippen guarded Brian Shaw from end to end or Glen Rice and then during half-court sets they might switch but if Jordan was on the strong side then Pippen would lurk on the weakside and vice versa. This full-court pressure rattled the Heat in Game 2 which was why the Bulls went with it in Game 3.

The Bulls were notorious for their fast break but they couldn't get it going because Miami's transition defense was on point. An example was Pippen getting hacked in the open floor and going 1/2 from the line (he was a notoriously poor free throw shooter) and Jordan getting a steal couldn't convert a jumpshot because Miami's effort didn't allow him to get the open look that he wanted and he missed it.

Again, Chicago tried to go with Pippen on Rice but Glen Rice wasn't having it and he stopped Pippen dead in his tracks on his attempted post turnaround. Usually the Bulls would have the advantage in that matchup but it seemed as if early it just wasn't working.

This is why Miami jumped out to an 13-5 start over the Bulls (along with Steve Smith hitting a 3 in Jordan's face and then a transition 2)

Pippen after the time-out hit a turn-around jump shot to silence the crowd and give the Bulls some momentum. Again, the Bulls LOVE going to him in the low post or the high post because he is a match-up problem for guards and small forwards alike.

Unfortunately the Heat were extremely motivated. They were not phased by the Bull's full-court pressure and their defense gave them easy transition opportunities.

Grant Long moved around Pippen like he was a traffic cone for an easy lay-up immediately after the Heat hustled for a loose ball. It was all energy and effort.

[BigShotBob]

Steve Smith is a big-time pressure player sometimes. And even as a rookie here you can see it as plain as day. 3 over Jordan, 2 in transition, and an and-one post-up turn-around over John Paxon to balloon the lead to 14 in the first quarter.

Interesting to note, Jordan is scoreless up to this point but he's barely even touched the ball. Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright have been taking all the shots like they have tunnel vision, mostly because that's what worked in previous games but to start it's just not getting it done. By now you would expect a couple of Jordan isos but there wasn't a single one yet.

Start of the 2nd and Miami went to full-court press. Hilariously cheeky move but it can work to help maintain the lead. Unfortunately it can also tire out your players severely.

Pippen checkout out of the game after making a couple of free throws and this freed Jordan up to be well.....Jordan. Iso two times, two quick jumpshots and you could tell that he was feeling it.

Note: I love BJ Armstrong over Paxon. He is an excellent example of a tempo manager. He pushes the ball up the floor every chance he gets and the Bulls look a lot more fierce when he is the point guard. After a Jordan block he raced down the floor and hit an and-one lay-up over Grant Long. John Paxon could never.

I must say Jordan in the open court is an absolute pleasure to watch. He starts with making a straight shot for the basket, then he goes behind his back, then he crosses over, hops and dunks with two hands all in traffic and all after a steal that he made. There just isn't anyone quite like him. I'm glad that I'm able to appreciate him now instead of mindlessly hate him since I was a Pistons fan.

At this point it's just a five point game and it's because the Bulls are all-time at turning defense into offense at the flick of a wrist. They are never out of a game because of it no matter the line-up (as long as Pippen, or Jordan, or both are in).

Near the end of the first half. I'll finish up my analysis later.

To Be Continued.....