Will Perdue: If Gasol sits, movement will be key for Bulls

Former Bulls center Will Perdue answered three questions about Sunday's Game 4 against the Cavaliers.

Q: What are some keys for the Bulls if Pau Gasol can't play in Game 4 because of the hamstring injury?

A: If they don't have Pau, ball movement and player movement become imperative, because you've got to keep the defense of Cleveland occupied. You've got to keep your man occupied. That requires player movement away from the ball. That requires crisp cuts, reading the defense.

I thought both teams looked tired in the fourth quarter of Game 3, because there was a lot of standing around. I think pushing the pace is even more important if Pau doesn't play.

I keep going back to Game 1 when Kyrie Irving talked about how the Bulls started that game at much a quicker, faster pace than the Cavaliers. They couldn't match the Bulls' pace early on.

I think the Bulls need to go back to that. That's not taking it up the floor on a jog, but catching it and going. If the Cavs are back on defense, they're back, but at least that gives you more time to run your offense and make different cuts.

Q: Should the Bulls be able to overcome Gasol's absence since they still have three competent big men?

A: It won't be easy, because now, in my opinion, that puts a lot of pressure on Taj Gibson, who becomes their only real post threat.

With Cleveland playing a small lineup frequently, the Bulls have tried to post up mismatches, like Taj against James Jones. When you try to take advantage of a mismatch, that's fine.

But if you're trying to take advantage of a mismatch in a situation where it takes you out of your offense, that disrupts everything.

How often did we see Nikola Mirotic down in the post trying to make a move? I wouldn't necessarily say posting up is his strength.

He's been most effective shooting the outside jumpers or putting the ball on the deck and attacking off the dribble. But regardless of what the mismatch is, the Bulls need to take advantage of it within the framework of their offense.

Don't just throw the game plan out the window, because then you'll have guys just standing around because you're trying to take advantage of one mismatch and not getting good ball movement or player movement.

So I think you need to be careful with that.

Q: Seems like we've been asking this one throughout the playoffs: Can the Bulls put together another strong performance and go up 3-1 in this series?

A: We saw the team that was up 3-0 on Milwaukee, then couldn't close it out in Games 4 or 5.

What's the Bulls' mentality now? Do they have the mental conditioning to play their best game Sunday?

Everyone talks about physical fatigue, but there's some mental fatigue going on. If they really have to grind it out in Game 4, are they conditioned enough mentally to do whatever it takes to pull out the win?

All they have to do is look at the other series. John Wall is out for Washington. Atlanta hasn't looked good. The door could be open for the Bulls to play in the Finals, but they've got to bring it in Game 4 against the Cavs.

• Will Perdue is an analyst for Comcast SportsNet's Bulls pregame and postgame shows. A four-time champion (3 Bulls titles, 1 Spurs), he played 13 seasons in the NBA. Follow him on Twitter@Will_Perdue32.