By George, That Stunk

One quick glance at tonight's 80-76 final in a losing effort could tell you that this was a defensive struggle with the Indiana Pacers.  It could also say that both teams are struggling for offensive firepower (keep in mind the Pacers don't have Danny Granger right now).  Both are legitimate arguments, but upon looking deeper, you'll know this ultimately came down to who had the right players to push their club over the top.  The Bulls were not the beneficiary tonight.

Paul George was the man of the evening.  His 34 points were just a few more than his total over the previous four games.  Who does he think he is?  Ersan Ilyasova?  It's probably just bad luck that opposing players are breaking out of recent slumps against the Bulls, but that doesn't make it easier to take.  If he came of age tonight, I hate that it had to be in Chicago.  David West scored 10 as did Roy Hibbert, whose double-double came by virtue of 11 boards.  But it was the George Show tonight.  He's shaping to be someone who could do some real damage in this league as his career progresses.

For awhile, it appeared Nate Robinson would break the Bulls enough out of their offensive doldrums.  Some big plays in the fourth quarter gave everyone at the United Center a lot of energy.  Sadly, his best Joakim Noah impression and 19 points were overshadowed by some questionable decisions down the stretch.  He attempted a failed alley-oop pass in the closing moments that would have been better seen at almost any other point.  People wondering why Robinson isn't always highly thought of got a good lesson tonight.  He may be able to excite you for a few moments, but he's not the one to lead you to a championship.  You might see him towards the end of games like tonight, but not with bigger stakes.  If he wants to change those types of views, his basketball IQ in the clutch needs to be higher.  However, I'm wondering if that ship has sailed at this point in his career.

Luol Deng chipped in 17 points and Carlos Boozer had another double-double, this one to the tune of 14 and 10.  The Bulls really could have used Rip Hamilton tonight.  Perhaps he could turned this into a victory.  Even past his prime, he provides just enough to win you close games.  Maybe with him in the game, he could have also prevented more turnovers.  The Pacers had 23 points off 19 times the Bulls lost the ball.  That's the kind of stuff that translates into losses along with a shaky offense.  These scoring woes are not pleasant to have, but were expected at the start of the year.  We'll probably see a few more of these games before the season ends.  Brace yourselves.

A quick turnaround means the Bulls have to get right back at it tomorrow night.  The Cleveland Cavaliers await at the Q, where the Bulls already have a victory this season.  They'll do everything to make sure we don't sweep them for the year.  Put tonight's game behind you.  And for the love of God, score some points and control the ball more.