You ready for this? I'm not. You know what happened after the last time the Jazz played the Bulls (besides the loss). Call it a hunch, but I don't think we'll see Corbin step down after this game. I don't think.
No Millsap for tonight and no Boozer. So we'll get to see Taj Gibson versus Jeremy Evans. The rest of the starters for the Jazz will be Harris, Bell, AK, and Jefferson.
Even without Boozer, the Bulls are one of, if not the best team(s) in the league. Thibs brought his defensive scheme to Chicago and it's led to the best defense in the league when looking at defensive efficiency. Since the first of the year, they've given up 100 or more points exactly 4 times. That's masked a bit because they play at a slower pace, but overall they're holding teams to 99.8 points per 100 possessions. That would be the lowest since 2008 when the Celtics had 98.9 and won the NBA championship.
This game could get ugly. Uglier than the Wolves? I don't know if a 30-point deficit against the Bulls would feel very good, but at least it would be against one of the best teams in the league and not a team with 16 wins.
I would tell you what Chicago's offensive efficiency is, but apparently it doesn't matter; the Jazz will give up 120 to anyone. It's pretty late in the season for a defensive turnaround. So despite being without Boozer, the Bulls should be able to score.
So why should we watch this game then? First, we're Jazz fans. Second, we want to watch the youngsters develop. Third, maybe each member of the team could bump into Thibs and some of his magical defensive powder would rub off on them.
- Blog a Bull
- Game thread at 5:45