Well, that didn’t go well.
The problem for the Bulls wasn’t so much falling behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Detroit Pistons after Monday night’s 108-87 loss, or facing unlikely NBA history in trying to recover from such a deficit or even in trailing by double digits essentially the entire eight quarters.
The problem was that just about everything the Bulls tried — the changes they made, the adjustments, the substitutions — none of it worked. Nothing. Now, they work on geography with the next two games in Chicago on Thursday and Sunday.
Not that it was their only response to the Game 1 thumping they took here, but the Bulls came out looking for Ben Wallace on offense.
Right then, you knew there might be some issues.
The Pistons, having played with Ben Wallace, were able to figure out that he isn’t particularly adept at scoring. During their championship season they often talked, quietly, of persevering despite playing four on five on offense. Wallace, though, was a defensive intimidator then whose play produced offense with his blocks and steals.
But the Pistons know Big Ben doesn’t score, so Chris Webber cheated into the middle to cut off the Bulls’ drivers. Seeing that, the Bulls began the game trying to sneak Wallace behind the Pistons’ defense.
It worked some, though by the time Wallace had five first-quarter points and was the only Bulls player shooting above 50 percent, his team trailed 34-18.
There was urgency again on the Pistons’ part, and it was part of the game plan.
“You can’t wait,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. “You never know what will happen. Look at the Phoenix series. [Steve] Nash gets hurt and they have to play the last minute without him. You can’t wait and see what happens until the last three, four minutes of the game.
“In a playoff series, one play changes the game. You’ve got to be prepared and take care of things when you can.”
The Pistons’ sense of urgency was clear. The Bulls knew it was coming, but Detroit’s aggressiveness pushed the Bulls into tentative first-half play on offense as they groped for openings instead of running quickly into them.
“We all know what’s at stake,” Chauncey Billups said, recalling Detroit’s loss in last season’s conference finals after a 64-win regular season. “Last summer was a long summer. We felt like it could have ended differently. And knowing that makes you focus a little deeper.
“A team like the Bulls forces you to focus. You have no other option. But when we lock down like that on defense, there’s nothing you can do.”
It seemed like that for the Bulls, who did try, though perhaps out of desperation early.
The Bulls tried Michael Sweetney, who hadn’t played in the playoffs, and Webber went right at him en route to a 10-for-11 shooting night and 22 points.
The Bulls rely on several keys to drive their offense.
They look to force turnovers, which enables them to get in the open court. It doesn’t necessarily mean fast breaks, but good, open shots in transition.
That’s where the Bulls often look to get Ben Gordon going, but the Pistons don’t turn the ball over much with Billups handling. Also, the Bulls rely on rebounding the ball, especially for second chances.
The Bulls’ plan, especially after P.J. Brown went out early with fouls, was to go small and speed up the game. They’re most successful as a smaller team speeding up the pace of play. They attempted that after halftime with a relentless trap. But by going smaller, the Bulls left themselves vulnerable on the boards, and Detroit had a 13-6 edge in offensive rebounds after three quarters.
The Pistons also refused to fall into the trap, which wound up working against the Bulls as they went into the fourth quarter trailing 83-62.
Yes, there were signs that it was the old Bulls-Pistons rivalry, but pre-1990.
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With the Bulls unable to dislodge the ball with their trap, the Pistons were able to keep the game slower, working the shot clock almost down to the end, getting good shots and shooting above 50 percent for the game. And when they didn’t score they were able to get back in transition by having the floor balanced when they shot. So the Bulls often had to walk it up into a set Detroit defense, which is where the Pistons are at their best.
The Bulls rarely play a zone defense, but they went to one for several possessions in the third quarter in apparent desperation to get back in the game. While a zone can protect some weak individual defenders, it also leaves the rebounders out of position. Detroit had a 40-22 rebounding edge after three quarters.
Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 25 points and Rip Hamilton added 24.
And this time the Bulls’ youth was no advantage. Even as they desperately clawed back in the fourth quarter with their best play of the series, it was ol’ Chris Webber spinning inside for three short hook shots to keep the Bulls away.
“Chris has been getting loose balls, rebounding, playing offense,” Saunders said. “He’s playing, I think, the best since he’s been here.”
Just like, it seemed, the rest of the Pistons.
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