Game Thread | 2021-2022 Season | Game #74 | Bulls @ Cavs | March 26, 2022 | 8:00 p.m.

[buzzdog]

I mean, I wanted this win badly tonight. Just how many bonehead mistakes, how many turnovers from lack of focus, how many makeable shots missed, does it take for anyone to ever put ANY blame on the guys actually playing the game?

 

[backstreet hooper]

The Cavs were out of sync in the first half, the Bulls were struggling in the second half where the Cavs played good defense. Basically, our poor shooting, especially in the first half, and mental mistakes throughout cost us the game. Another close game to conclude that we win it with Allen in the lineup IMO.

 

[daddywags]

Garland's 3-point shooting has been off since the first of the year. From October thru the end of December he shot 38% from 3. Since January 1, he's shot 34%. And, outside of three hot games he played in February (which was all he played that month) he's at 32% in 2022.

 

[buzzdog]

Teams have ratcheted up their defensive pressure because it's that time of year. We are young, inexperienced, and our guys don't know how to play under pressure. There's tons of things wrong with everything in our offense and it's well documented what I see as problems in coaching. But on some level basketball is basketball, players are players, and they have to just play better when the opportunity is there. We flat out didn't do that tonight, and the shots were there to be made, passes were there to be caught. The players have to execute at some point and nobody can do it for them.

 

[DingleDong]

JBB is running "his guys" to the ground, no doubt. The whole starting lineup (with the exception of the revolving-door 3 spot) has been logging crazy minutes for a while now. And it shows.

At the other end of the spetrum, people are in the doghouse or getting yanked and buried after 11 minutes. JBB only trusts like 6 dudes on the whole team.

Is it really showing? Team shot 11/19 in the 4th quarter. 3/6 from 3's. Only 2 turnovers. We outrebounded the Bulls.

 

[jjvors]

Standings. We're now in the play-in tournament.

Eastern Conference​

TEAM	W	L	WIN%	GB	CONF	DIV	HOME	ROAD	OT	LAST 10	STREAK
1 Philadelphia 76ers	46	27	.630	--	27-17	6-9	21-16	25-11	3-1	7-3	W 3
2 Miami Heat - se	47	28	.627	--	30-16	11-2	26-12	21-16	1-3	4-6	L 4
3 Boston Celtics	46	28	.622	0.5	30-16	9-6	25-12	21-16	4-2	9-1	W 5
4 Milwaukee Bucks	46	28	.622	0.5	28-18	10-3	26-12	20-16	0-2	7-3	L 1
5 Chicago Bulls	43	31	.581	3.5	28-18	10-5	26-10	17-21	0-1	4-6	W 1
6 Toronto Raptors	42	32	.568	4.5	26-20	8-5	19-16	23-16	2-2	8-2	W 2
7 Cleveland Cavaliers	41	33	.554	5.5	24-21	9-6	23-14	18-19	2-0	4-6	L 3
8 Brooklyn Nets	39	35	.527	7.5	27-18	9-6	16-19	23-16	2-0	7-3	W 1
9 Charlotte Hornets	38	36	.514	8.5	22-23	6-7	20-18	18-18	0-7	7-3	W 1
10 Atlanta Hawks	37	37	.500	9.5	22-24	8-6	24-14	13-23	0-1	6-4	W 1

 

[kookoo]

I mean, I wanted this win badly tonight. Just how many bonehead mistakes, how many turnovers from lack of focus, how many makeable shots missed, does it take for anyone to ever put ANY blame on the guys actually playing the game?

Of course it's not all on JBB. But there's some in-game management he needs to be doing better. And I think part of it is also coaching the players to improve or be smarter in situations they constantly get themselves into. I don't see many plan B's and C's after plan A doesn't work. And we've been getting into a lot of holes lately to start games.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

I mean, I wanted this win badly tonight. Just how many bonehead mistakes, how many turnovers from lack of focus, how many makeable shots missed, does it take for anyone to ever put ANY blame on the guys actually playing the game?

The Cavs took bad deep heaves or contested nonsense or 0-1 pass BS all night. They were taking wild layups at full speed that had no chance unless youre Kyrie with the backspin and then it was 5-4 instantly on the other end.

Then we actually had a shot to win late...we got trapped...and it wasnt shotmaking that was messed up...it was that we couldnt protect our PG from a BASIC ASS TRAP. Play 1 went bad...should have been a timeout. Play 2 went bad. Still no timeout. Play 3 goes bad....Chicago up 8...finally a timeout. Do we score on the ATO? No. Do we even have a guy OPEN? No. We have the wrong guy inbounding...and then we get a turnover..another one...double digit lead for the Bulls.

The wrong players are being put in the wrong position. Its been happening all season. Weve been losing close games to good teams constantly the SAME WAY...OVER AND OVER...At some point we need an ADJUSTMENT!!

 

[Heat Check]

The purposely stand like 4 feet beyond the line so they cant be closely contested.

You van see the uncomfortable heaving motion in their shot because theyre shooting them from 5 feet further than theyre used to. Markannen basically usually stands on his tip does and jumps 6 inches in the air and his 3s look solid. Then he takes those heaves and his arms look like catapults and hes jumping super high.

With Love the ball just catapults out of his arms with no touch whatsoever. Line drives at the rim from 34 feet.

Of course they wont shoot them well. I totally agree with you here.

Both those guys had been shooting well from the perimeter lately, despite the offense having zero structure. Around 40%.

This wasn't anything you could see coming.

 

[buzzdog]

Is it really showing? Team shot 11/19 in the 4th quarter. 3/6 from 3's. Only 2 turnovers. We outrebounded the Bulls.

Funny that our guys were "too tired" in the first half, but they came to play in the second half.

 

[buzzdog]

Of course it's not all on JBB. But there's some in-game management he needs to be doing better. And I think part of it is also coaching the players to improve or be smarter in situations they constantly get themselves into. I don't see many plan B's and C's after plan A doesn't work. And we've been getting into a lot of holes lately to start games.

I agree with all this. But we still had plenty of chances to win if guys just finished the way they usually do. And free throws, does anyone blame the coaching for that?

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Raps have Boston on Monday. We have Orlando. We could be back in 6th after Monday night with a little help.

 

[kookoo]

I agree with all this. But we still had plenty of chances to win if guys just finished the way they usually do. And free throws, does anyone blame the coaching for that?

Free throws have been a problem for this squad and it doesn't seem like the coaching staff has enforced anything to improve it. We've got good free throw shooters splitting at the line almost every single time. No direct blame towards coaching but they need to figure out and solve why they're missing so many.

 

[DingleDong]

Funny that our guys were "too tired" in the first half, but they came to play in the second half.

Commentators were pretty much spot on with this, Cavs just shot too many fast 3 pointers in the first half. No one was driving, they were settling for shots that were even remotely open.

 

[buzzdog]

Commentators were pretty much spot on with this, Cavs just shot too many fast 3 pointers in the first half. No one was driving, they were settling for shots that were even remotely open.

Yeah, we were attacking the paint with good results but then we went away from it and started chucking quick threes. No problem if those are going in, but as we know we were missing. We used to work inside-out to get those looks but we just took the lazy way out and the ball never left the perimeter. But they were wide open looks we were missing.

I hated pulling Garland early too just when we were starting to get a little flow. I agree that was a total WTF move.