The Bulls were 21-43 B.C. (Before Coby), but move to 1-0 in the new age with a 108-103 victory over the Cavaliers at the United Center. Here's some observations:
A different vibe
Tuesday night’s game was the Bulls’ first since the NBA instituted temporary media access guidelines in the wake of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Locker rooms league-wide are closed to the media until further notice, with pre- and post-game availabilities being conducted in press conference format (and reporters six-to-eight feet separated from players).
Here’s a glimpse of the new setup:
And here’s a couple things we learned before Bulls-Cavs tipped:
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Coby White is a germaphobe: “I'm the type to shake your hand, then go straight to the bathroom and wash 'em,” White chided before the game when asked about the precautionary measures taken by the league. He said he’ll continue to sign autographs for fans as usual, but will stay diligent sanitizing and washing his hands as recommended. “Probably a little more fist bumps than handshakes,” he added.
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(Near) empty arena games aren’t as uncommon as you think: Jim Boylen was asked about the possibility of playing games without fans (another measure the league is reportedly considering), and apparently he has experience with something close. “I was close one time. I coached in the consolation game of the Diamond(head) Classic in Hawaii at like 11 in the morning. I think it was my wife, my two daughters and one of my assistant coach’s wives behind our bench.” If my Googling led me correctly, that game was a 67-64 loss to San Diego on Christmas, 2010. “It wasn’t a fun ride home,” Boylen said.
Who said we couldn’t find interesting stories without locker room access?
NBA
Coby White made his first NBA start
The big basketball news of the night was rookie guard Coby White making his first career NBA start. With the promotion, he becomes the 14th and final 2019 lottery pick to make a start for their respective team.
White came out of the gates strong, logging five points and two assists on 2-for-5 shooting (1-for-4 from 3) in nine first quarter minutes. That 3 came by way of a crispy stepback to shake the mismatched Andre Drummond after drawing him on a switch:
It wasn’t a poster night defensively for White and he committed nine unsightly turnovers, but he made a habit of darting out on the fastbreak. He’s learned to reign in his straight-line speed when he needs to, but when he gets a full head of steam, it’s pretty surreal:
My word… The craft… (And his finishing is so much further along than it was at the start of the year):
We could do this all night, but onto the rest of the article. White finished the night with a team-high 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting (2-for-7 from deep), five assists, five rebounds and those nine turnovers. Not a perfect night, and most of the turnovers were head-shakers (especially in the closing moments), but he certainly did enough to keep the good vibes rolling.
White’s script-flip from once-in-a-blue-moon sparkplug to legitimately impactful, multi-faceted offensive player has been joyous to watch. Need him with the top line all 17 games down the stretch.
This was a bit of a chaotic game
Where was I? Oh, yeah. Bulls-Cavs. This game was a tad chaotic. The Cavaliers missed 15 of their first 17 3-pointers, the Bulls 10 of their first 13, and the two teams combined for 39 turnovers on the night (18 from the Cavs; 21 from the Bulls). Each shotunder 36% from 3, but at or above 50% from the field.
It was also another night that the Bulls got trounced on the charity stripe -- the Cavaliers attempted 23 free throws to the Bulls’ 15, as Wendell Carter Jr. and Shaq Harrison struggled with foul trouble all night. That disparity was even wider before the foul-game tightened it late (19-4 Cleveland entering the fourth quarter).
Ultimately, it looked the part of a clash between two well-under-.500 squads -- a back-and-forth affair with bodies splaying everywhere until that the Bulls eventually clawed away late. The Bulls led by as many as nine in the fourth, but the Cavs cut it back to 105-103 with under a minute to play. White committed a clumsy turnover and forced an off-balance, contested midrange jumper in that final minute, but a Harrison putback attempt (which drew a foul) saved the day. Bulls win 108-103.
A balanced attack for the Bulls
Silver linings galore in this one. The Bulls had five players in double-figures (four starters) -- White, Denzel Valentine (15 points, 6-12 FG), Lauri Markkanen (15 points, 6-13 FG), Wendell Carter Jr. (17 points, 7-9 FG) and Otto Porter Jr (15 points, 6-11 FG) -- a positive sign for a team missing its offensive boon in Zach LaVine.
Markkanen is still struggling to leverage mismatches and otherwise create his own shot, but that will get mostly swept under the rug tonight, as he was second on the team in field goal attempts in the win. Wendell Carter Jr. looked as close to his old self as he has in a while, swiping two steals, nabbing six rebounds and logging his best points and minutes totals since returning. Porter kept his solid stretch of play alive, as did Valentine.
And even those that didn’t run up the scorecard made their impact felt. Daniel Gafford swatted three shots and was a team-high +13. Shaq Harrison accumulated a truly Shaq-onian line of eight points, four assists, one steal, a career-high-tying three blocks and a team-high 10 rebounds. Tomas Satoransky had five points, eight assists and five rebounds in 29 minutes in his debut as a reserve, though his shooting slump continued.
Cleveland’s brightest star was Collin Sexton, who tallied 26 points on a robust 12-for-16 shooting along with five assists. He loves playing the Bulls -- averaging 22 points per contest in four games against them this season.
Yes, the Cavs are bad and NBA March means nothing. But it’s a feel-good win the Bulls can build off.
Next up: Off to Orlando on Thursday.