Origins of Bulls' scoring spree open to debate
The Bulls' offense has taken a sudden turn for the better, but there are a variety of opinions on how it got there.
They barely crossed the century mark in Thursday's 101-92 win over Boston, but the Bulls have now scored over 100 in nine straight games, something they haven't done - believe it or not - since December 1995.
TNT analyst Chris Webber had an interesting assessment of the Bulls' offense during Thursday's broadcast.
"What coach (Fred) Hoiberg has done is instilled the correct offensive philosophy with this team," Webber said. "There's no more one-on-one ball, guys standing at the top of the key dribbling 15 times. They're really moving the ball and that keeps everybody in the game engaged."
Does Webber mean ex-coach Tom Thibodeau was running an incorrect offensive philosophy? Sounds like it, but that's probably not fair. The Bulls did average 100.8 points last season, 15th-best in the league, and had a similar rank in assists.
When Pau Gasol was asked Thursday about the team's improving grasp of Hoiberg's offensive system, Gasol gave a quizzical look.
"It's the actions, not the offense," Gasol said in the locker room. "It's the actions that we run. It's the high pick-and-roll for the most part and me being at the top of the floor making space and our guards finding me. We have tough guards to cover. They attract attention, so if (the opponent) takes their penetration away, you have me popping and punishing you from outside.
"It's just actions. We got to a point where we're recognizing actions that work for us. Not a specific offense, just actions that fit the talents of our personnel."
Hoiberg has used his own buzzwords to describe what works on offense. He wants the players to push the tempo, the bigs to run the floor, the shooters to hit the corners quickly and then move the ball side-to-side, get the defense moving and attack the basket.
Whatever the strategy, the Bulls have clearly taken steps to improve their offensive efficiency. Since the 100-point streak began on Dec. 21, the Bulls have averaged 107.2 points.
The rest of the league is also scoring at a rapid pace. Five teams - Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio, the L.A. Clippers and Atlanta - rank higher than the Bulls since Dec. 21.
At the same time, the Bulls should feel good about how the numbers lined up during these last nine games. There's a nice progression from dominant scorers to role players and everyone is shooting the ball well.
Jimmy Butler has been the top scorer over the last nine games with 23.7 points, followed by Gasol at 19.2 and Rose with 17.7. Aaron Brooks, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Tony Snell are all above 8 points per game and the lowest field-goal percentage among those eight players is Mirotic at 42 percent.
The best example of the Bulls' improved play was a clip from Thursday's game where they went from a Mirotic defensive rebound to Gibson fast-break dunk in three passes without the ball touching the ground.
"It's a team. Nobody can do it by themselves.," Butler said. "We're all having fun, cheering each other on, and when you're having fun good things happen. (Hoiberg) puts us in great positions on offense, and with the defensive schemes. But the players are going to make the plays and we've got really great players on this roster."
The Bulls seem to have figured out what works best for them offensively. Butler should be the primary scorer, Rose should look to push the ball and attack whenever possible, while Gasol can make a good living as a spot-up shooter who plays off the other two. For everyone else, it's a matter of moving the ball and finding the hot hand.
Hoiberg has started to get results from the Bulls' deep roster, but there will be more rotation challenges ahead when Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy return from injuries.
The are other potential pitfalls. The Bulls are currently plus-8 in home games, which means they'll have to win on the road to keep up the current pace. They haven't seen Cleveland since opening night and haven't played East contenders Atlanta or Miami at all yet. Then the seven-game ice show road trip begins in three weeks.
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena, 4 today
TV: WGN
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: This is the first meeting of the season with the Hawks (22-15), currently tied for fourth place in the East with Toronto. Atlanta has lost three of its last five games, but rolled past Philadelphia by 28 points on Thursday. The usual suspects lead the way for the Hawks - PF Paul Millsap leads at 18.3 ppg, followed by C Al Horford (15.4) and PG Jeff Teague (15.3). Kent Bazemore has taken over the small forward spot for DeMarre Carroll and SG Kyle Korver is shooting an uncharacteristic 35.6 percent from 3-point range.
Next: Washington Wizards at the United Center on Monday, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw