[外電] Scouts Inc. scouting breakdown: Bulls vs. Pistons

[kolay (土耳其的天空)]

來源：http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2007/insider/columns/
story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=ScoutingBullsPistons

Scouts Inc. scouting breakdown: Bulls vs. Pistons
Insider
Thorpe
By David Thorpe
Scouts Inc.
Archive



The Bulls-Pistons matchup is another classic battle of contrasting styles,
which is typical of the 2007 playoffs thus far.  The Pistons play slower than
any team in the NBA, grinding out points with an exceptionally well-balanced
offense that features guards who are adept at posting up and bigs who can
shoot well from the perimeter.  They are very good defensively as well (No. 6
in the NBA in defensive efficiency) -- strong at the point of attack and big
and deep inside.

The Bulls play at a much faster pace than the Pistons, sixth fastest in the
NBA, with no big post players but plenty of drivers and shooters who utilize
screens if there aren't good looks in transition.  They were not a strong
offensive team for most of the season, but have found their rhythm of late
and are playing better now than they did at any time this year.

They are also the league's best defensive team, with excellent perimeter
fundamentals along with Ben Wallace and P.J. Brown covering the paint.
 Chicago took three out of four against the Pistons this season, but the
teams were not at full strength for the last few meetings. They are now.

Both teams rolled to a first-round sweep and look to be peaking.

CHICAGO BULLS
POSITION
        DETROIT PISTONS

Kirk Hinrich
16.6 ppg
3.4 rpg
6.3 apg


PG

Chauncey Billups
17.0 ppg
3.4 rpg
7.2 apg

Hinrich: He struggled to score and shoot consistently against the Heat, but
his defense and relentless energy spearheaded the Bulls' tough defense in the
first round and during the regular season.  He is capable of putting up some
big numbers on offense against the Pistons; he scored 29 points to go with 8
assists in Chicago's blowout win in Detroit on April 4.

He'll typically guard Rip Hamilton, and he'll make it tough on Hamilton's
post-ups while also being an excellent "chase" guy as Hamilton runs through
screens. But if Billups is enjoying a hot streak, look for Hinrich to start
guarding him more, since his main task will be to cool off any Pistons guard
having offensive success.

Billups: Detroit's floor leader was terrific against Orlando, averaging 22.3
points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds a game.  He was able to back in, post up,
drive and spot up, and he shot 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from
3. He was Detroit's best offensive player in the series.

But Billups has had his struggles against Chicago's strong defense.  The
Bulls' quickness on the perimeter can disrupt his rhythm on dribble drives,
and the presence of Wallace impacts him as well.  He only averaged 14.7 ppg
on 28.6-percent shooting (18 percent from 3) in his three regular-season
matchups with Chicago. (Toronto was the only team in the East who defended
him better this season.)

On defense, Billups will spend most of his time chasing Hinrich, who will
force Billups to be three-dimensional in his approach -- Hinrich can beat him
off the dribble, will run him through a multitude of screens and must be
closed out on in a hurry because he can shoot the 3.  That will surely affect
Billups' overall performance.

CHICAGO BULLS
POSITION
        DETROIT PISTONS

Ben Gordon
21.4 ppg
3.1 rpg
3.6 apg


SG

Richard Hamilton
19.8 ppg
3.8 rpg
3.8 apg

Gordon: His teammate Luol Deng may have been the hottest player in the East
in Round 1, but Gordon averaged just 0.8 ppg less in the series, scoring 25.5
ppg and hitting 40 percent from 3.  Gordon is the best Bull at creating his
own shot when needed, something the Bulls will no doubt turn to often against
an excellent defensive team like the Pistons.

Gordon's defense may be a bit underrated. His long arms help him contain the
opposing team's point guard.  He'll spend most of his time on defense
guarding Billups, who gives him trouble with hesitation and go-dribble
attacks.  Deng had a favorable matchup with Miami's small forwards, but it is
Gordon who may need to carry the load in this series, considering the
defensive impact Tayshaun Prince could have and the Pistons' likely focus on
slowing Deng.

Hamilton: He came into the Magic series shooting well, but going up against
taller defenders like Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu had its effect on his
shot.  He was productive, 18.3 ppg, but shot just 38 percent from the field
and went just 1-for-4 from 3.

Like Billups, he struggled to shoot well in three games against the Bulls.
 Hamilton averaged just 17 ppg on 38 percent shooting -- no Eastern
Conference team defended him better than Chicago.  Hinrich is tough to post
up or pin down, two things Hamilton loves to do, and the Bulls are excellent
at finding shooters in transition.

CHICAGO BULLS
POSITION
        DETROIT PISTONS

Luol Deng
18.8 ppg
7.1 rpg
2.5 apg


SF

Tayshaun Prince
14.3 ppg
5.2 rpg
2.8 apg

Deng: Quite simply the best player in the Eastern Conference playoffs after
Round 1 -- 26.3 ppg on 58-percent shooting, and nine rebounds a game, too.
 Deng played his role to perfection, and may just emerge as the "go-to"
player the Bulls have looked for all season in crunch time.

Deng has preformed well against Prince and the Pistons (scoring 21.5 ppg on
48-percent shooting), as he is one of the few guys who can shoot over Prince
and drive by him.  He can play some power forward as well when the Bulls go
small, making him a tough guard for Rasheed Wallace.

Deng is solid as a shot contester, using those long arms, but still has
trouble dealing with multiple screens, so Detroit may run Prince off some
sets normally reserved for Hamilton.

Prince: Billups was the leading scorer against the Magic, but Prince may have
been the MVP of the series.  His excellent shooting (53.5 percent, 7-for-10
from 3) and 16.5 ppg were great. His defense and leadership, however, were
even more important to the team.  He is capable of quieting the red-hot Luol
Deng, as well as his own quick and hot-tempered teammates.  Prince is the guy
who tries to keep his team composed.

He also is great at being a pressure-release guy, a valuable asset against
Chicago's excellent defense, and a big reason why the Pistons are the best
team in the league at taking care of the ball.

CHICAGO BULLS
POSITION
        DETROIT PISTONS

P.J. Brown
6.1 ppg
4.8 rpg
0.7 apg


PF

Rasheed Wallace
12.3 ppg
7.2 rpg
1.7 apg

Brown: He played a solid role in the series victory over Miami, playing
strong defense on Shaq in the second half of Game 4, and knocking in shots
when necessary.  His scoring role may increase some against Detroit's
defense, which will be aware of where Deng and Gordon are at all times and
may be willing to sacrifice some Brown jumpers as part of its overall
strategy.

Chris Webber's slow movements on hedging and recovering on pick-and-pops will
also give Brown some looks, and he must make them pay so driving lanes will
open up for the Bulls' perimeter players.  Brown's excellent post defense,
along with Ben Wallace's, will come into play on C-Webb's post ups. If he can
limit Webber's scoring he will have removed an important component to
Detroit's attack.

Wallace: 'Sheed upped his efforts and production against Orlando, netting a
solid 15 ppg, grabbing 7.8 boards, and making 9 of his last 14 3s in games 2,
3 and 4.  That 3-point shooting is so critical to Detroit's offense,
spreading the floor and making teams pay for aggressive hedges on pick and
pop situations.

Wallace has shot the ball extremely well from long range in four games
against the Bulls -- 52.9 percent from 3 to be exact.  There is little doubt
that this statistic may be the most telling one by series end. Both Brown and
Tyrus Thomas would rather stay in the paint than contest Wallace on the
perimeter.

CHICAGO BULLS
POSITION
        DETROIT PISTONS

Ben Wallace
6.4 ppg
10.7 rpg
2.4 apg


C

Chris Webber
11.3 ppg
6.7 rpg
3.0 apg

Wallace: One of the best stories of the second round: Big Ben's return to
Detroit.  Wallace was a monster on the glass in three games against the
Pistons this season, averaging 13.7 boards a game.  But his touch was
horrendous from the foul line, shooting a scary 28 percent.  Against Miami,
Wallace was a "scintillating" 61 percent, but it is hard to imagine he can
maintain that against Detroit.

His presence inside is obviously a huge factor. He had nine blocks in the
Detroit matchups this season and altered even more.  He and Brown are capable
of controlling the paint against Detroit, giving a huge advantage to
Chicago's perimeter-based attack and transition game.

Webber: C-Webb rebounded from a difficult April to post solid numbers in the
Orlando series.  But he looked very immobile for long stretches, which does
not bode well for his matchup with the active Ben Wallace or Thomas off the
bench.  If he can occupy Wallace with solid outside shooting and some kind of
inside presence, then combined with 'Sheed's perimeter talents and their
guard play, the Pistons may have enough juice to give the Bulls' defense
major problems.  But that inside component is huge.

CHICAGO BULLS
POSITION
        DETROIT PISTONS

Andres Nocioni
14.1 ppg
5.7 rpg
1.1 apg


BENCH

Antonio McDyess
8.1 ppg
6.0 rpg
0.9 apg

BULLS

Nocioni had a big Game 1, but played just average overall against the Heat.
He shot the ball well from the 3-point line, 9-for-19, but connected on just
37.8 percent of his field goal attempts overall. He is still fighting a
painful foot injury that is slowing him down, but the Bulls hope their long
rest was just what he needed.

Chris Duhon was ineffective offensively as a scorer, but very effective as a
lead guard and as a defensive presence. He will be a key factor in making
things difficult for Billups.

Tyrus Thomas was a non-factor against Miami, but played very well against
Detroit this season. Thomas should see an increased role this series,
utilizing his athletic skills against the older and slower Pistons bigs.

PISTONS

McDyess roared into the postseason, but never even notched a double-digit
scoring game in the first round. His defense was solid on Dwight Howard, but
with no Bulls players being low-post threats, his minutes may drop. Ditto for
Dale Davis.

Carlos Delfino and Flip Murray will be counted on to help defend the Bulls'
myriad of screens on offense, with Murray playing a key role in helping to
stay in front of Hinrich and Gordon.

Jason Maxiell, who barely played in the Orlando series, is a small but mobile
defender who may also be asked to help defend the quicker Bulls, especially
when Nocioni or Deng is playing the 4.

BOTTOM LINE

In a style matchup, the slower team can normally control the tempo,
especially at playoff time.  But a look at this year's playoffs suggests this
is not happening as readily as it has in the past:

‧ Phoenix ran by the Lakers in 5

‧ Golden State upset Dallas in 6

‧ Chicago swept Miami

Detroit will attempt to grind these games out, feature Rasheed Wallace and
Webber in pick-and-pop, and get Billups, Prince and Hamilton in post-up
situations.  The Pistons' ball-screen actions will be somewhat neutralized by
the Bulls' excellent perimeter defenders and Ben Wallace inside.

Chicago will push on offense, taking quick 3s or setting up multiple screens
(on and off the ball) to free up its shooters and drivers.  The matchup of
Prince vs. Deng may be the most telling one, but Deng is one of the few guys
who can score efficiently against Prince.  If Prince has to give up his
normal help responsibilities to stay focused on slowing down the red-hot
Deng, then Chicago may cut up Detroit with Hinrich and Gordon.

Ben Wallace is far more active than Webber or Rasheed, and will keep many
play-sets alive with tip-outs to teammates.  Detroit's potential for an
emotional meltdown in a particular game is real.  And Chicago seems to be
clicking on all cylinders.  I like the Bulls in this tight matchup, but you
can't expect them to win a Game 7 in Detroit.  So, with Deng and Gordon doing
the most damage, I'm going with ...

PREDICTION: CHICAGO 4, DETROIT 2

--
"I play in 82 Allstar games, because I play with 5 allstars every game"

-Chauncey Billups

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