Playing Without Parker No Problem

It was going to be tough for the Bulls to stick with the San Antonio Spurs despite the absence of Tony Parker.  Rip Hamilton, Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich were all out, which shouldn't have given them much of a chance.  A five-point halftime lead surprised the crowd at AT&T Center and a national TV audience, but then the Spurs showed why they're a real threat to dethrone the Thunder as Western Conference champions.  They consistently found open looks everywhere on the floor and frequently converted, adding up to a 101-83 victory.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili didn't play when I saw these teams meet in Chicago last month, so they let the Bulls know just what they missed that night.  They each scored 18 points to lead the Spurs.  Duncan finished the double-double with 10 boards while Ginobili was one assist short.  Tiago Splitter also had a double-double line, this one to the tune of 13 and 10.  As a team, San Antonio shot 54.1 percent from the floor.  They had no reservations passing the basketball and the game turned into a shooting contest down the stretch that the Bulls just didn't have the resources to compete with. 

Whereas the Bulls were strongest in the full-court, especially on fast breaks, the Spurs executed the half-court about as flawlessly as you can expect from a basketball team.  Everyone should take notes when they watch them.  Plus, they dunked on the Bulls with the biggest frequency I've since the Clippers game in December.  Whichever company donates money to the Spurs' charity for every dunk will be dishing out a sizable amount from this game alone.

Give credit to the Bulls.  They tried their hardest to keep up.  Marco Belinelli led all scorers with 21 points.  Luol Deng was just behind with 19 and the next highest scorer for the team was Marquis Teague.  Yes, that's right.  Teague had 11, nine of which came from first-half three-pointers.  Keep in mind he hadn't hit one from downtown all season, so to see him break out that way is rather amazing.  Carlos Boozer scored 10 while Joakim Noah grabbed 13 rebounds.  Noah especially did his best to keep the game from spiraling out of control, but it didn't matter in the end.

Yeah, times are tough for the Bulls.  Many key players are suffering injuries and that's not boding well against playoff-bound teams.  The more losses I see, the more I realize we're seeing the team many thought we'd see throughout the season.  It just so happened most of the wins came in the first half as opposed to now.  In the past, the opposite has usually happened, though none of those types of recent playoff teams were coached by Tom Thibodeau. 

The best explanation I can offer is that with the grind of the long season rearing its ugly head and the return of Derrick Rose still uncertain for the year, the exposing of the Bulls for who they really are has finally happened.  They have a couple of All-Stars and at least one very good player trying to help its supporting cast to no avail.  Until that second superstar elects to come to the Windy City, this is the team we're faced with watching even when Rose returns.  He'll be responsible for a few more victories each season, but someone needs to compliment him.  Not Deng, not Noah, but anybody who can generate an interest in the Bulls to an even higher level.  That someone has to be marketable, which usually describes the best players in the game.  They need help and it just has to come.

The Bulls will be back at it Friday against the Utah Jazz.  The United Center needs to host some hoops even while the Blackhawks continue their historic start to their season.  More importantly, it needs to be the home-court advantage the Bulls have enjoyed in the recent past.  Let Tyrone Corbin's club know it come tip-off.