Perdue: Cavs will test Gasol
Former Bulls center Will Perdue took on three questions as the Bulls face a must-win Game 6 against Cleveland on Thursday at the United Center:
Q: If Pau Gasol is able to give 50 or 60 percent in Game 6, will that be enough to push the Bulls to the winning side?
A: Here's the thing: Maybe 50 or 60 percent is enough offensively, but it might not be defensively. It's almost like a give and take. Are you getting enough from him offensively to make up for what he can't do defensively? I would imagine the minute he steps on the floor, they're going to be running the screen-and-roll with his man out the wazoo.
So how will Pau's hamstring injury affect his lateral movement? How does it effect his ability to really get down and do the grunt work as far as blocking a guy out, exploding up to get a rebound, things of that nature?
Eventually, Tom Thibodeau has a tough decision to make: Is what Pau gives us on the offensive end more than what we're giving up on the defensive end? It might be a tough call.
Q: In the two games they've played without Gasol, why do you think the Bulls went from giving up 86 points on Sunday to 106 on Tuesday?
A: Do they miss Pau? Absolutely, but 101 points should be enough to win. The two games they won in this series, they scored 99 and were able to do enough defensively to get the win. So the problem in Game 5 wasn't offense.
You'd love to be able to score more points, but 101 should be enough to win. Would Pau have made a difference in those two games? If he plays, he's going to help offensively because he can hit that midrange jump shot.
The Cavs won't be able to wander off so far on the screen-and-roll like they do with Joakim Noah. They just leave Jo. On the other end of the floor, I would imagine they'll go right at Pau, run the screen and roll, check his lateral movement and see if he's able to keep Tristan Thompson or Timofey Mozgov away from the offensive boards.
Q: What do the Bulls need to do to keep their season alive in Game 6?
A: Here's a quick checklist:
• Attack the basket. This was their points in the paint by quarter in Game 5: 14 in the first quarter, 4 in the second, 8 in the third and 12 in the fourth. They need double-digit points in the paint for every quarter.
• Push the pace. That's not necessarily to get fastbreak points, but they also can get secondary break points early in the clock. It collapses the defense and creates mismatches.
• Finish quarters better. In Game 5, they were outscored 8-2 at the end of the first quarter with LeBron James on the bench. Then Cleveland closed the third quarter on a 12-7 run to take a 9-point lead. If Nikola Mirotic didn't throw in that half-court shot at the buzzer, it would have been a 12-4 run.
•Eliminate stupid fouls. Hopefully someday Niko will recognize the difference between a good foul and a bad foul. The bad foul early in a quarter doesn't seem like much, but it eventually puts the Cavs in the bonus earlier than necessary.
The Bulls also gave Cleveland free points when Taj Gibson was called for a flagrant foul. Noah got a technical foul in Game 5, and the Bulls were lucky Kyrie Irving missed the free throw. It's easy to say, "Ah, a technical free throw is only 1 point," but that 1 point could be the difference between winning and losing.
Even Jo had some dumb fouls Tuesday, and that's not like him. I think it's because of his injury; sometimes he just gets in a position where he can't get out of the way because of his knee.
It's not like the Bulls have to make significant changes. They don't have to totally revamp their defense. Mostly, they need to do the little things better.
It might come down to this question: Are the Bulls willing and able to do whatever it takes? Both teams are fatigued. Winning in the playoffs requires a mental toughness that few teams to possess. The Bulls just have to refuse to lose.
• 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.