The Chicago Bulls come are in Portland Friday for a matchup with the Blazers. This will be the first of two matchups between the teams this season. Both teams came into the year with high expectations and neither has disappointed.
Chicago is a team that has been known to have a tenacious defense. Their coach, Tom Thibodeau, is known for his hard-nosed approach to the defensive side of the ball. Their center, Joakim Noah, is the defending defensive player of the year. Last year they led the league in total defense by allowing their opponents only 91.2 points per game.
All of this said, tomorrow night we should see a game that exhibits an offensive team (Portland) vs. a defensive team (Chicago). Right?
Not so fast. Portland has significantly closed the gap, and Chicago has slid a little bit early in this season.
Portland is 7th in the league in total defense, allowing 95.9 points per game. Chicago is 11th in the league, allowing 97.1 points per game.
Portland is ranked 8th in John Hollinger’s defensive efficiency at 100.6. Chicago is ranked 7th in defensive efficiency at 100.4.
Is Portland a better defensive team than Chicago? I don’t think so, but so far this season they have performed just as good, or better, than last year’s best defense.
Now, to be fair, the sample size is small for both teams, 11 games. The Bulls have also been dealing with the return and subsequent re-injuries of Derrick Rose. That has been an adjustment, and a situation they hope can be stabilized by midseason. But, at 11 games into the season you have a fairly good picture of the makeup of a team.
Although Portland has been seen as a one-sided, offensive team, they are breaking that mold this year. The statistics tell part of the story but the defensive improvements are truly evident in crunch time.
Monday’s home game against the Pelicans showed just how capable the Blazers’ defense is when needed. The Blazers outscored the Pelicans 34-13 in the fourth quarter to come back from a 16-point deficit.
Not only is this Blazer team more capable defensively, the depth of this team is starting to really improve and make differences. Guys like Steve Blake and Joel Freeland are making major contributions, especially defensively in the 4th quarter. This combination is scary for opposing teams.
At the surface, Friday night’s game looks like a classic case of offense vs. defense. Dig deeper and you will see that both of these teams excel at both facets of the game.
The statistics give the Blazers a slight edge. Nicolas Batum is set to return Friday night against the Bulls. On the other side, Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol will be game-time decisions. Playing at the Moda Center is always a benefit for the Blazers. And the Bulls are coming off of a road loss last night to the Sacramento Kings.
With all that said, it all stacks up to what should be a win for the Blazers. Those are the games that make you a little worried though. Chicago is a legitimate contender in the east but I just think Friday night the Blazers have the edge.
Blazers 102 – Bulls 95
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
