The Chicago Bulls are now 3-0 in the regular season and they are winning games by doing it on both ends of the floor. They have now scored at least 105 points in their first three games and are allowing teams to average just 96 points per game.
When the Bulls acquired guards Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo and center Robin Lopez, it was expected that they will be a defensive-minded team. However, there were concerns on how their floor spacing will be like because of the lack of shooting.
The Bulls have a starting five of Rondo, Wade, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Lopez; all are not known for their outside shot but are excellent defenders. Wade only made seven three-pointers in his last season with the Miami Heat, so far he already has five. Butler's been making his three-point shots too while Rondo still hasn't found his groove offensively.
The Bulls scored 105 and 118 against the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers, respectively, who are defensive-minded teams. They scored 118 points again in their game against the Brooklyn Nets and played lockdown defense.
There were also some concerns in the offseason about how Wade, Rondo, and Butler were going to gel on the court because they all need the ball to be effective. In their three games, all three players have shown a willingness to pass the ball to the open guy and it has rubbed off on the rest of the team. The Bulls have used a balanced offensive attack against opposing teams by moving the ball and doing fewer isolation plays.
Not only are the Bulls playing defense, they're finishing it by getting rebounds. They have out-rebounded the Celtics, the Pacers, and the Nets by at least 13 rebounds each. They also exposed the lack of rebounding by the Celtics by destroying them on the glass 55-36.
The Bulls will hit the road again and head to Boston for a rematch against the Celtics on Wednesday. The Celtics will look to bounce back as they also try to establish a good start for the season.