Inconsistent minutes don’t bother Brewer one bit
One of Tom Thibodeau’s most frequently repeated phrases of the season is how the Bulls have the right mix of high-character guys.
That’s been put to the test during this first-round playoff series against Philadelphia, with no better example than Ronnie Brewer.
He didn’t play at all in Game 3, which happened to be the night the Bulls squandered a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. He was back in the rotation for Game 4, then played a major role in Tuesday’s season-saving 77-69 victory. Brewer played 29 minutes and helped anchor the defensive effort.
“When (Thibodeau) put me out there, I knew I had to bring something that was lacking and that was energy on the defensive end,” Brewer said after the game. “In my opinion, that was one of the things that was lacking and their guards really have been hurting us this whole entire series.”
Luol Deng, the leading scorer in Game 5 with 24 points, appreciated Brewer’s contribution.
“Ronnie was great tonight,” Deng said. “Even last game in Philly, we were watching the tape and coach kept talking about how great Ronnie was defensively. (Tuesday), he did it again. He just has a knack for stealing the ball and getting into players, really affecting their shots.”
And if he ends up stuck on the bench for 48 minutes, Brewer says he’ll deal with it.
“If (Thibodeau) doesn’t call your name, you have the obligation to be the eyes and ears for the guys who are on the floor,” Brewer said. “At the end of the day, we have one common goal and that’s to win. If that means Kyle (Korver), Rip (Hamilton), Lu playing that many minutes and we’re winning, I’m all about it.”
Taj promises to play:
The Bulls didn’t practice Wednesday before flying to Philadelphia. After Game 5, Taj Gibson promised to play Thursday against the Sixers, despite suffering a sprained right ankle in the third quarter. He came back to play six minutes in the fourth quarter.
“It wasn’t bad. There wasn’t any swelling. I still had mobility,” Gibson said in the locker room. “I’m not going to go out there and hurt my team. If I’m hurt, I’m hurt. There’s a difference between being injured and being hurt. If you’re hurt, you can go out there and will it. If you’re injured, sit down.
“I know myself. If I’m going to hurt my team, I’ll sit on the bench.”
Ready for roughness:
After Game 5, the Sixers offered some different ideas on matching the Bulls’ physical play.
“You can’t play out of character,” coach Doug Collins said. “You can’t all of the sudden say we’re going to run out there and we’re going to play smash-mouth basketball, because that’s not what we do. We do that, we’ll fall into the trap they want to put us in.
“That’s why I told the guys when they had that little scrum there at the end of the bench (between Taj Gibson and Elton Brand in the second quarter), just stay with what we’re doing. We’re going to be OK.”
Countered center Spencer Hawes: “It’s a physical series. If that’s the way it’s going to go, we can play that brand of basketball.”
“Both teams have been under 40-percent shooting, so it’s been a brawl the whole time,” Evan Turner said. “You’ve just got to bring the same intensity.”