Golden State now turns its attention to tying the all-time record for consecutive victories to start a season on Sunday.
1) It started sometime last year. For about 5 to 6 minutes each game, the Warriors will flip a switch on defense (usually with Draymond Green at center), and decide that the other team’s not going to score for a while. Last night from 5:42 in the fourth, the Dubs ratcheted up the defense and held the Bulls to a single made field goal until Jimmy Butler hit a meaningless shot at the end. They outscored Chicago 17 to 5 during that stretch. The rest of the league may want to keep an eye on that switch.2) Jimmy Butler (28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) has gone up another level on the level he went up last year. He was everywhere on defense, getting steals (3) and thwarting shots. On the other end, he orchestrated the entire Bulls offense down the stretch like an East Coast James Harden. He’s clearly the best two-guard thus far in the season. With Harden and Klay not yet in tiptop form, who gets the number two spot?
3) That was a lot of Barbosa taking shots out of the half court set in the beginning of the second quarter. He went 1 of 5 in those five minutes (to be fair, he’s missed a few games with illness and personal issues). When LB isn’t scoring layups in transition or hitting open threes, I’d prefer to see what Ian Clark can do out there.
4) Kirk Hinrich defended Curry admirably (3-11 on threes and 2 free throws until the end). He was holding and tugging and grabbing and practically inside the MVP’s jersey. These Bulls are tough when they get that kind of effort from a 34-year-old backup.
5) Andrew Bogut (18 minutes, -17 for the game) struggled to defend Gasol when the Spaniard was facilitating at the top of the key. He got beat repeatedly on the pick and roll, but…
6) …that’s why having two quality centers with contrasting styles is such a luxury. The Bulls’ frontline had a hard time matching up with Ezeli’s athleticism, who finished with a +15 on the night, second only to Iguodala (+24).
7) Nikola Mirotic got Festus to bite on a head fake from beyond the arc for three free throws in the fourth. Mirotic is a habitual head faker despite a 37% field goal percentage. HB must’ve known the scouting report better as he stayed down on Mirotic, forcing two bad crunch time misses.
8) Coming into the game, there were 14 players with a better 3-point percentage than Curry (45%). Langston Galloway(!) leads the league at 56%. All 14 of those players had taken between 27 and 53 three-pointers. Curry has nearly 3 times the attempts at 150. That’s why people calling Kyle Korver the best shooter last season was so egregious. There are good percentage-shooters, and then there is Stephen Curry. 30-footers, no air space, off the dribble: the man redefines the meaning of a “good” shot.
9) There’s nothing worse as a sports fan than seeing a star player’s career derailed by injury. Grant Hill. Gilbert Arenas. Chris Webber. Yao Ming. The list is as long as it is depressing. Derrick Rose used to be one of my favorite players to watch. Who can forget that sky-walking two-handed jam he had on Goran Dragic. During his MVP season, D-Rose averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists. This season he’s at 13 points and 6 assists at 38% shooting. Those are Kobe Bryant numbers (17 points, 3.5 assists, 35%). The sports gods can be cruel — Rose is 10 years younger.
10) These same Bulls beat the Warriors at Oracle last January when Rose made a jumper over Klay from twenty feet. It’s easy to forget now, but it was Steph’s critical turnover that gave the Bulls the opportunity to win in OT. But like the American poet, Snoop Dogg once said, “Sometimes a loss is the best thing that can happen. It teaches you what you should have done the next time.” The Warriors went on to win a championship and haven’t lost at home in the regular season since.