Playoff Positioning

[Marcus]

Not that I think the Bulls are a serious threat (I was actually shocked by how overrated they were even in the offseason) but the whole Thibs lost the team thing is being overstated by the media. I really can't recall any team tuning out their coach in the playoffs. Regular season, sure, some players will sabotage their coach and not try as hard. In the playoffs, though, all of that goes out the window. No player wants to lose a playoff series.

I've been calling the Bulls overrated since before the season began, but even I am surprised at just how far they have fallen. They've lost 10 of 15 games and they have looked terrible. Plenty of that is due to injury, but you have to wonder just how much Thibs is asking of his players to make their bodies break down like they have been. His starters are playing heavy minutes and we just started February.

A lot of the Bulls' success this season was going to be contingent on whether or not Derrick Rose returned to form. More than halfway through the season, he has not. He probably will never be quite that MVP-caliber player that he was again.

I've often picked the Bulls and Cavs to match up in the Eastern Conference Finals. I still believe those will be the two teams left standing. However, that is certainly subject to change if the Bulls continue to trend downwards like they have been, and even more so if they have dead legs by the time the postseason comes around.

 

[Redzone]

The important thing to realize is how long the season is. There is an abundance of time for teams like the Cavs to underachieve and then fix things and go on a run; and plenty of time for teams like Chicago and Toronto who had been playing well to falter.

This is the lesson. For too many times in the initial LeBron era, the Cavs won the most or close to the most games during they year and then lost in an early playoff round.

The playoffs is a whole added season.

I remember a ESPN article during LeBron's first stint that talked about how many minutes he was playing and how exhausted they would be come playoff time; how other champions paced themselves.

Let's hope the Cavs are pacing themselves. The real season has not even yet started.

 

[Marcus]

Looking at the standings (and where the Cavs are at in particular), it's actually a pretty tight grouping between the second and sixth seeds. Gonna be an interesting stretch run to close out the regular season.

 

[Simon]

In other news how about steph curry damn

Klay Thompson had a better 50-point performance lol.

 

[BimboColesHair]

Klay Thompson had a better 50-point performance lol.

Kyrie Irving had a better 50-point performance lol.

 

[mcfly]

I expect us to be the #2 seed going into the Playoffs. With how things look currently, we should have a quick 1st round, providing extra rest for everyone. HCA seems more important this season than in years past.

 

[gourimoko]

I expect us to be the #2 seed going into the Playoffs. With how things look currently, we should have a quick 1st round, providing extra rest for everyone. HCA seems more important this season than in years past.

AFAIK, from everything I've read it's actually become less important; at least, historically.

 

[cavsfever]

3 seed would be fine with me. As long as we avoid having to go through 3 of Chicago/Washington/Toronto/Atlanta then it is all good as far as I can see. 3 seed means we have an easy first round playoff series. Home court advantage is nice but not worth wearing your starters out for. We will not have HCA against Atlanta whatever we do anyway.

So lock that 3rd seed down and start resting people!

 

[mcfly]

AFAIK, from everything I've read it's actually become less important; at least, historically.

I think you are correct, but I was thinking more about the 1st round match up then the actual home court advantage.

 

[Pioneer10]

I've been calling the Bulls overrated since before the season began, but even I am surprised at just how far they have fallen. They've lost 10 of 15 games and they have looked terrible. Plenty of that is due to injury, but you have to wonder just how much Thibs is asking of his players to make their bodies break down like they have been. His starters are playing heavy minutes and we just started February.

A lot of the Bulls' success this season was going to be contingent on whether or not Derrick Rose returned to form. More than halfway through the season, he has not. He probably will never be quite that MVP-caliber player that he was again.

I've often picked the Bulls and Cavs to match up in the Eastern Conference Finals. I still believe those will be the two teams left standing. However, that is certainly subject to change if the Bulls continue to trend downwards like they have been, and even more so if they have dead legs by the time the postseason comes around.

Honestly you wonder if there is Ewing Theory going on with the Bulls. With Rose taking up so much air on the offense and the improvement of Butler: you wonder if that team would do better if Butler was the major cog in the offense with a good 3 pt shooter at the PG to open up things for him and their bigs. Bulls PG sans Rose the last 2 years have done real well in that system

 

[bleedwineandgold03]

He aint got nothin on that Kyrie 55.

It was still very impressive, cause of him they came back down 22 hahah but yea i totally agreed irving was just ridiculous.

 

[stick]

I'm going to repeat this Sunday, but I may as well say this now;

By the end of this month (February), the Cavs will be the 2nd or 3rd seed. The 2nd seed is looking very possible right now.

 

[Simon]

With a win tonight by the Cavs and a Wizards loss, both teams would be tied for the third seed.

 

[godfather]

Rose still used to average 7 APG. Kyrie's never done that. Now Rose is down to 4.9 (< Kyrie).

I think assists can be so misleading, when judging a point guard too. Is it important? Obviously it is, but Rose does a horrible job getting others involved, always has. Doesn't know how to utilize his teammates very well. He'd get a lot of assists, because he always had the damn ball in his hands, and was explosive getting to the hoop, and dragging defenders with him, so that would lead to open shots around the rim for others.

Not surprised his assists are down, because he probably doesn't get to the hoop the way he used to.

I never thought Rose was a good point guard at all. He's a shooting guard, whether he wants to admit it or not.

 

[Binkster]

I still think it's too early to obsess over playoff position... Yet.

The same reason it was too early to count out the Cavs before and the reason it's too early to count out the Bulls right now.

The cream always rises to the top. We will facing a 1-3 seeding of ATL, CLE, and CHI (no specific order).

With the better part of 3 months left to play, I wouldn't get too high or too low just yet.