Here are some meaningful (or perhaps not) stats regarding the Bulls and Wizards' performance in the regular season and in combined games 1&2:
Notes: - these are not adjusted for pace.
Free Throw Attempts Bulls FTA - Season 25.0 Wiz FTA - Season 30.2 Wiz oFTA - Season 24.8 Bulls oFTA - Season 28.1 Bulls FTA - Playoffs 27.5 Wiz FTA - Playoffs 34.5 Offensive Rebounds Bulls OREB - Season 12.2 Wiz OREB- Season 13.8 Wiz oOREB - Season 12.4 Bulls oOREB - Season 11.9 Bulls OREB - Playoffs 12.0 Wiz OREB - Playoffs 10.5 Turnovers Bulls TO - Season 16.1 Wiz TO - Season 13.8 Wiz oTO - Season 15.1 Bulls oTO - Season 14.9 Bulls TO - Playoffs 12.0 Wiz TO - Playoffs 15.0 Effective FG% Bulls eFG% - Season 47.10% Wiz eFG% - Season 47.40% Wiz oeFG% - Season 49.80% Bulls oeFG% - Season 45.40% Bulls eFG% - Playoffs 49.70% Wiz eFG% - Playoffs 44.30%
-'o' stands for opponent.
-eFG%, in short factors in 3 pointers. More here.
Not much I can add that the numbers don't say: More fouls all-around. Both teams are below their expected offensive rebounds per game, the Wizards moreso. And the Wizards are not shooting well, yet not as drastic a decrease as I would've expected before I looked it up and saw that they haven't shot particularly well all season.
One does stand out though: The Bulls have drastically reduced their turnovers thus far in the playoffs, which is probably the key to the series. Early in game 2 the Wizards pressed the Bulls into mistakes and that allowed them to run out to an early lead. A comeback after a start like that cannot be expected every night, and will be even harder on the road. If the Bulls keep taking care of the ball like they have at the United Center, similar results will be their reward.
- Carnival of the NBA #8 is up at Forum Blue and Gold.
- Knickerblogger is holding his 2nd annual Playoff Bracket contest, so you can read my (and other NBA writers and bloggers) playoff predictions over there.
- In case you missed it, here is audio from this weeks' SportsBloggersLive, specifically the segment on the NBA playoffs, with guests including myself, Dave, and Matthew.