Round 1, Game 3: Butting Heads

To quote Ron Burgundy: "Boy, that escalated quickly! I mean that really got out of hand fast!"

Going into the game, I had predicted that if the Bulls couldn't win the first quarter, they wouldn't win the game. I felt that if they couldn't change the momentum of the series early on, and if they fell into Washington's pace it would be more of the same in this game.

Turns out that I am as terrible at predictions as Bradley Beal, and I couldn't be happier to be wrong!

In the end, it took quite a magical night from Mike Dunleavy, Jr. to keep the Bulls in the game long enough for them to outlast the Wizards.

MDJ 1st quarter: 4-5 FG (2-2 3FG): 10 pts

MDJ 2nd quarter: 2-3 FG (1-2 3FG): 6 pts

MDJ 3rd quarter: 4-7 FG (3-3 3FG): 13 pts

MDJ 4th quarter: 2-4 FG (2-3 3FG): 6 pts

35 huge points, and a new Chicago Bulls playoffs franchise record 8 three point field goals, breaking Pippen's old record of 7! (He also made a particularly unrealistic Bradley Beal prediction look foolish when Beal claimed that Dunleavy wouldn't score in the second half.)

It was a struggle early, the Bulls looked to try to get Boozer and Dunleavy early, but once again, the Wizards were a step ahead, and switched Nene on the Boozer:

And I didn't like what I was seeing early:

However, there were signs:

And then, it happened on a fairly benign sequence:

As we would learn after in the game, Nene was apparently frustrated over the physicality and the lack of foul calls, and in a display that few would call "maintaining your composure", elbowed Jimmy Butler, head butted him, and was in the process of grabbing him around the head before it was broken up.

Could not have predicted that at all. Nene was correctly ejected from the game, and the Bulls were given new life. The Wizards look a lot different when Gortat has Booker and Gooden patrolling the paint next to him. It made all the difference down the stretch, and though the Bulls aren't out of the woods yet, they're one step closer in getting the series back to a 2-1 deficit.

So what's it going to take to win Game 4?

The NBA suspended Nene, so that will help the Bulls on both ends of the floor. The Wizards will likely open with Booker, and we'll see a little bit more of Gooden and possibly Harrington. 

Three keys:

- Same formula as before, get Dunleavy and Boozer going early. It was oddly reminiscent of Kyle Korver seeing the Bulls run multiple down screens to pop him open. Oddly, the Wizards didn't seem to attempt a major adjustment on him until the second half.

- As much as possible, prioritize running the ball on possession changes. Washington has been very effective at controlling the Bulls in their half court sets, and having the offense start in transition helps their ball movement.

- Continue to limit Washington's corner 3s. With Nene out, the vitality of Wall, Beal, Ariza and Webster to score will play a much bigger role in this game. 

No predictions this game, just a hope that we'll see 48 minutes of #ChicagoBasketball tonight. We'll be waiting for you here on Tuesday!

#GoBulls!

Popcorn Machine box score

Popcorn Machine game flow

-- wake.eat.sleep