Boylen explains the Bulls' unusual defensive plan
The Utah Jazz has been one of the NBA's better defensive teams for a few years. Last season, Utah was second in defensive rating behind Milwaukee.
This year, the Bulls have pulled in front. Heading into Thursday's game at the United Center, the Bulls were fifth in defensive rating, while Utah was tenth.
Before the game, Bulls coach Jim Boylen talked about the team's defensive philosophy, which is based more on ball pressure. Utah's defense is built around center Rudy Gobert's shot-blocking skills.
"We would like to impact the ball," Boylen said. "We would like to make the ballhandler feel us and not be in control of the situation. We have equal parts of our defense, meaning we have guys that protect the rim, also guys that close to the corner. Everybody does that in our system. That takes time to learn, teach."
The most noticeable aspect of the Bulls' defense is how they trap the ball on most every screen and roll. They've been burned by that strategy plenty of times, but have also gotten better at it as the season progressed.
"It is a unique defense. For us, it's something we've been trending to," Boylen said. "We used it in Boston three years ago in the playoffs and we've kind of refined it. We felt with this group, it would be the perfect defense for the guys we have."
Boylen acknowledged that while the defense has gotten better, he'd like to rank higher than 29th in offensive rating.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder also discussed the differing defensive philosophies.
"It doesn't matter what you do if you don't do it very well. And they do it well," he said. "You have to make quick decisions and, in a large degree, you've got to try to know what you're doing before you get the ball. You've got to be quick-minded."
Snyder tied to LaVine:
Utah coach Quin Snyder grew up in the Seattle area. That means he usually takes an interest in basketball stars from Seattle, such as the Bulls' Zach LaVine.
"Zach's someone I've watched for a long time, from Seattle to UCLA," Snyder said. "I followed a lot of those guys for a long time. Even Jamal Crawford, I followed him and Isaiah Thomas.
"No one was following me when I was in high school, but that city's had such a rich history with a lot of players coming out of there. I have a lot of friends and family up there, so I pay attention. Usually someone tells me, 'Hey, have you seen this guy or have you seen that guy.' He was one of those guys."
Bulls horns:
Chandler Hutchison, out since Nov. 27 with a shoulder injury, was declared healthy enough to play by coach Jim Boylen before Thursday's game. But the Bulls decided to hold him out, so he was inactive. ... A moment of silence was held before the game for longtime NBA Commissioner David Stern, who died Wednesday at age 77.