Chicago Bulls Winning With Team Basketball

Watson and Deng celebrate after Watson's three in the 4th

At 46-15 the Chicago Bulls own the best record in the NBA for the second consecutive year and have run away with the Central Division yet again. The Bulls have their star in Derrick Rose, but what has made them so special this year and what has separated them from other top competition such as Miami is the fact that they play some of the best team basketball in the league. Coach Tom Thibodeau is more than willing to use his bench, which has taken on the nickname "The Benchmob" and a different guy steps up big for Chicago every single game. While Rose is the centerpiece to the team, they do not rely on him too heavily like other teams do with their stars. Chicago is 17-7 without Rose in the lineup and have beaten the Miami Heat twice without him. In March Rose sat out with an injury and last Thursday Rose played, but had the worst game of his career. He was non-factor, scoring only two points in a Bulls victory at the United Center.
In the game versus the Heat in March the Bulls played one of their better games of the season, winning 106-102 in a high-intensity game with a playoff feel. Third string point guard John Lucas III stepped up that night, scoring 24 points and continually bringing the United Center crowd to its feet. In the first half Lucas drained three threes in a row and in the second half found himself being guarded by LeBron James. Lucas calmly dribbled out toward halfcourt and took James one-on-one, burying a fadeaway jumper in his face and sending Bulls fans everywhere into pandemonium. Not only were the Bulls without Rose, but Carlos Boozer only scored two points. However, six different Bulls scored in double figures and the entire Chicago bench finished the game +6 or higher. No Rose, no problem.

Fast forward to last Thursday night when the Bulls defeated the Heat yet again 96-86 in an overtime thriller. Rose played 25 minutes, shot 1-13 from the field and scored just two points. This time it was C.J. Watson's turn to be big. Down three with seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Watson drilled a step back three in Dwyane Wade's face to send the game to overtime. Watson finished with 16 points and nine assists for the game while four other Bulls finished with double figures. The two games against the Heat have come to define this Bulls team. Is Rose the best player on the floor for Chicago when he plays? Certainly, but the Bulls have a team and there is a confidence that no matter what five are on the floor they will get the job done.

And despite Rose's performance, this post is not meant to criticize the superstar or question his worth to the team. He is still having an incredible year stat wise with 22.5 points, 7.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, but what is perhaps the most impressive thing about Rose is the way he handled himself last Thursday. In a time he would usually find himself taking the big shot, Rose sat on the bench and watched as his teammates battled the Heat in the fourth quarter and, when it came time for the last second shot, he watched as Watson sank the three.

"I'm fine, man," Rose said of coach Tom Thibodeau's decision to sit him down the stretch. "Anything to win. Where he felt that lineup was going to win the game, it won the game, and I can't complain about anything."

The fact that a superstar, much less an MVP, would say that after being benched against the second best team in the conference is remarkable. It speaks to Rose's character that he sees the bigger picture and didn't whine or complain when things didn't go his way. It's no wonder why the Bulls operate the way they do when their superstar carries himself that way. As the locker room leader that attitude will only influence his teammates in a positive manner.

Chicago's suffocating D is second best in the NBA

Much of the credit must also go to Thibodeau. He has the best bench in the NBA and he is willing to go to those players in any situation. Many times Omer Asik and Taj Gibson will be on the floor in the fourth quarter instead of starters Boozer and Joakim Noah. Other coaches do not use their bench to their full advantage and pay the price. For example, the Heat have used James Jones in just 45 games this season, but he is a more than capable player. Granted, some of those DNP's have been due to injury but Jones is one of the best three point shooters in the league and he is the perfect complement to Wade and James because he stretches the floor. Yet he sees only 11.4 minutes a game in the 45 games he has played in.

Thibodeau also has found a way to make his team play hard every night and be committed to team defense. The Bulls rank first in rebounding and second in points allowed at just 88.9. It's a common sight to see Chicago players diving on the floor for loose balls and sliding over in help side defense, a lost art in the NBA. The Bulls commitment to defense has covered up for their lack of another go-to perimeter scorer and could carry them deep into the playoffs again.

Winning the East will be tough because the Bulls will have to get through the Heat and teams like the Celtics and Pacers are formidable threats. However, a healthy Rose, Rip Hamilton and Luol Deng will work wonders for Chicago as the three have rarely been on the floor at the same time due to injuries. The passion and energy that the Bulls play with is an intangible quality that cannot be measured, yet means so much to their success. With one of the best frontlines in the game, a stingy defense and the best bench in the league the Chicago Bulls are poised to make run for title number seven.