Pistons vs. Bulls: Good, Bad, and Ugly

The Pistons have been on the playoff fringe for some time now, and the 100-91 win over the Bulls in the Palace is the perfect way to return from the All-Star break. Having split their games so far (3-3) in February, the addition of Reggie Jackson and Tayshaun Prince should prove valuable for a serious push to the postseason.

After dressing only ten men for the game due to shipping four guys out, it would be imperative to get ahead early and make sure Van Gundy didn’t have to rotate through his bench nonstop.

It was the Bulls in fact that showed some rust as Derrick Rose, Mike Dunleavy, and Joakim Noah struggled throughout the night, tallying for 18 points, 6 for 22 from the field, and 0 for five from three-point range between the three of them.

Now without further ado…

Feb 20, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls center

(13) guards Detroit Pistons center

(0) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Good:

Detroit Big Men

Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe had solid performances. Both were active in the paint and quick to drive to the bucket. Drummond had yet another double-double with 18 points and an obnoxious 20 rebounds, Monroe had 20 points and 6 rebounds. But it was the timeliness of the rebounds and scores that either kept momentum on Detroit’s side or dug them out of a slump. Stan Van Gundy has found a way for both big fellas to make solid contributions night in and night out.

Transition Defense

The defensive side during transition by the Bulls was stout. Rose makes his living on transition points with his ability to cuts past defenders and score or draw contact. But against the Pistons it was a non factor for a majority of the game. Not being hurried in defense ensured that Detroit was able to preserve leads. That in turned made sure that they were able to set up their offense at their pace and took advantage. With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5-11) and Caron Butler ( 6 for 10) shooting well from the field, solid transition defense turned into offense.

Tip Drill

Andre’s five tip bucket after a failed Jodie Meeks drive made for an entertaining display of nimble feet and grit to get the two points.

Spencer Dinwiddie

How about this kid? First half was a little shaky for the youngster, forcing passes when he had looks for a shot. When there was a passing lane, hesitated and went to his second option which tended to fizzle. But in the second half the nerves were finally calm and he did a better Derrick Rose impersonation than the man himself. Smooth cuts to the basket and a very smart pick and easy two off the out-of-bounds save from Hinrich. The more minutes this kid gets, he could be (dare I say) the Rodney Stuckey that the Pistons wanted. But sadly he will probably get buried on the bench behind Jackson. But this was a game that guy will remember.

Bad:

Interior Defense

It was a struggle defending in the paint for most of the first half and portions of the second half. Pau Gasol was left wide open in a couple of possessions right under the basket for a few cheap bunny-hop layups. The interior defenders were slow to read to flow of the Bulls and lost sight of their marks giving Chicago’s point guards easy bounce passes between two defenders.

Feb 20, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard

(21) shoots over Detroit Pistons guard

(5) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler was the wildcard in this game and he was the reason that this game stayed as close as it did. With Rose a shell of himself, he was the offense plain and simple, 3 for 5 from three-point range and 9 for 18 from the field, but his 30 point effort wasn’t enough. Up until the last 5 minutes of the game, no matter who the Pistons put on him, he still managed to score of facilitate a possession that led to points. Detroit has to do a better job of adjusting to the hot hand and making sure they can preserve leads, which they gave up and 8-0 in the first half thanks to Butler.

Consistency

This was a very up and down offensive show from the Pistons. In the first half alone they had runs of 10-0 and 7-0 and still managed to be down at halftime. They need to start pounding the ball inside to open up KCP and Butler on the outside. There was too much hesitation at the beginning of the game to execute the game plan and once they got on a run they abandoned what worked for them a couple of times. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Ugly:

Joakim Noah’s Shot:

Hands down the oddest looking shot in the league by far. Half granny shot, half Harlem Globetrotters spinning ball. If his shot was normal, he would have at least went 4 for 4 at the line and made at least one more shot from the field, guaranteed. That’s not to discount him as a player, he would be a must-have for a lot of teams. But that shot is just goofy.

See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCBVN8xTCZ0

Andre Drummond denied by rim:

early in the first half Andre went for a dunk that clanged hard of the rack and landed in the hands of the Bulls who converted it into a wide open three pointer from Kirk Hinrich. Insult to injury, better luck next time.