NBA Playoffs 2013: 5 Things We’ve Learned From Nets vs. Bulls Series

Joakim Noah has provided the emotional spark for the Bulls by playing through an injured foot. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

Owning a 3-1 lead over the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013 NBA playoffs, the Chicago Bulls are showing the NBA landscape that they don’t need Derrick Rose to win a playoff series.

NBA fans have seen an entertaining series from these two teams thus far. From a blowout win by the Nets in Game 1 to a triple-overtime thriller won by the Bulls in Game 4, the Brooklyn-Chicago series has seen plenty of action through its first four games.

So what have we taken away from the Bulls’ 3-1 lead over the new-look Nets?

Here are my five biggest takeaways from the first-round series.

Even without Derrick Rose, Chicago is playing to win its series against Brooklyn.

(Photo credit: soaringbird on Flickr)

The Bulls Are Still Legit Without Derrick Rose

Obviously, Chicago had to have something going for it to go through an entire regular season without Derrick Rose and still earn a top-five seed, but the Bulls are showing they don’t need Rose to win a playoff series.

Kirk Hinrich is giving the Bulls quality production at point guard and Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have proven to be a force in the paint, as I very much expected.

While Chicago hasn’t necessarily looked dominant in any of its wins, the fact that it’s pulling out close games without its star point guard proves that the Bulls have what it takes to succeed without Rose.

Joakim Noah is an Absolute Warrior

Dealing with plantar fasciitis throughout the series, Joakim Noah has consistently sucked it up and went about his business, putting the Bulls on the brink of advancing to the next round of the 2013 NBA playoffs. CNN’s Rachel Nichols tweets that its the adrenaline that has gotten Noah through the pain.

Here’s a look at Noah’s production per game during this series.

It may not look like much, but try posting two double-doubles with that type of foot pain in an NBA playoff series.

The Nets need more than just Reggie Evans attacking the glass to win this series. (Photo by Braxton/Flickr.com)

Brooklyn Needs Help on the Glass

We all know what Reggie Evans is capable of on the glass, but he can’t be the only rebounder if Brooklyn is going to turn the series around.

Evans has recorded three double-digit rebounding games during the series, but has seen the Nets get out-rebounded by Chicago in two of their three losses.

For a 7-footer, Brook Lopez is averaging only 7.8 rebounds per game in this first-round playoff series—including two games with just five rebounds—and needs to pitch in on the glass if Brooklyn is going to make this a series.

Joe Johnson is Still Clutch

Joe Johnson went from averaging 14.1 points during March and April to upping the ante in the playoffs, scoring 17.5 points per game. Johnson’s shooting percentages are down, but the Bulls do own one of the NBA’s best defenses, ranking third in points allowed during the regular season.

If you saw the Game 4 thriller, then you saw Johnson score the last two clutch buckets to send Saturday’s game to a second overtime.

Johnson hit a few clutch shots for Brooklyn during the regular season and has certainly carried that effort into the playoffs.

Gerald Wallace’s whopping deal with the Nets has proven to be a bust. (Photo Credit: Mark Runyan, Basketball Schedule)

The Nets Made a Mistake with the Gerald Wallace Deal

The Nets’ signing of Gerald Wallace for four years and $40 million is already coming back to haunt them. Wallace is averaging a mere 9.5 points per game while shooting 31 percent from 3 and 42 percent from the field.

Even during the regular season, Wallace proved he wasn’t worth the big money deal, scoring just 7.7 points per game and shooting a dismal .397 from the field, and an even-worse 28 percent from 3-point territory.

This series has shown that Wallace and Evans can’t share the floor together, as Brooklyn’s offense is completely lackluster with both players on the floor.

My Take

For the Nets to win this series, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez will have to carry the scoring load, averaging at least 55 points combined. Joe Johnson has to keep contributing at least 17 points and Lopez and Reggie Evans need to be more aggressive on the glass.

For Chicago, it just needs to keep doing what it’s doing: Taking the advantage on the glass and overpowering the Nets on the interior with Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and Noah.

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