Pacers provide clues for how to solve Bulls

Derrick Rose has had to work hard for his points against Pacers rookie Paul George. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

If you’re like me, you’re a bit surprised about how much trouble the Pacers have given Chicago so far in their first-round series — especially in the way Indiana hung tough in Game 2 on Monday even though one of its top weapons, point guard Darren Collison, missed the entire second half with a sprained ankle.

One emerging narrative after two narrow Chicago victories suggests that the Pacers may have found something of a blueprint to thwart the Bulls. There might be something to at least pick at here. In Game 1, Indiana scored efficiently against the Bulls’ league-best defense but couldn’t stop Chicago’s middling offense. In Game 2, Indiana reversed things; the Pacers held Chicago to 98 points per 100 possessions, a rate that would have led the league this season, but they could not solve the Bulls’ defense.

The Pacers are clearly doing some things right. That shouldn’t be a total surprise, given the way their personnel matches up against the Bulls. A better team with similar personnel might be able to put together a couple of complete performances and really threaten the Bulls, right?

First, let’s take a look at what Indiana brings to this matchup:

• A long shooting guard who can check Derrick Rose. 

That would be the 6-foot-8 Paul George, who did good work hounding Rose into 11-of-25 shooting and six turnovers Monday. It seems strange to congratulate George when Rose went off for 36 points, but Chicago had to work hard to get Rose those points. George’s length took away much of Rose’s bread-and-butter action, including traditional pick-and-rolls with big screeners and those sets that see the Chicago point guard curl up from the baseline, take a screen or two and get the ball on the move at the top of the key. George went under all of those screens, forced Rose to take jumpers and used his long arms to disrupt passing lanes while they were available.

Rose had to score in other ways — by cutting backdoor after an offensive rebound, curling harder than usual on those baseline plays (so that he got the ball inside the foul line in one case), pushing the tempo and running slow late-game pick-and-rolls with Luol Deng to force a Pacers switch.

This is the Bulls’ punishment for starting Keith Bogans (and strangely playing him nearly the entire third quarter in Game 2). Bogans is not an offensive threat, a textbook “hider” on whom the Pacers can stash their point guards. This is why Kyle Korver can be a key factor for the Bulls; other teams can hide their point guards on Korver, but they run the risk of his getting clean looks over shorter defenders.

• Another defender who can check Luol Deng. 

If you’re going to use one long wing defender on Rose, you must have another one for Deng, who is an important cog in Chicago’s offense. (Watch how many of Chicago’s offensive rebounds come when Deng curls around a Joakim Noah screen and gets the ball inside, forcing Noah’s guy to abandon Chicago’s glass-eating center.) The Pacers have Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy to fill this role. Neither is a great defender, but they are quick and long and can at least mirror Deng’s typical cuts and curls.

• A pick-and-pop threat at power forward.

That’s Tyler Hansbrough, who reminded everyone Monday that a mid-range jumper is a fickle thing (he shot 0-for-5 from 10 feet and out in Game 2 after hitting 8-of-11 from that distance in Game 1). But anyone who has watched Chicago at all knows Carlos Boozer is vulnerable to this kind of player.

• A center who demands Noah’s attention. 

This is perhaps the least essential element because Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau might want Noah to stay near the rim regardless of matchups. Noah is an elite rebounder, a solid shot-blocker and a skilled helper in small spaces. But he could probably do a better job than Boozer shutting down that pick-and-pop action … if only he didn’t have Roy Hibbert to defend. Hibbert isn’t a great scorer, but Noah’s height (he’s listed as two inches taller than Boozer) makes him a better matchup for the big fella.

So: Assuming Chicago advances past Indiana, do any of its future opponents have this combination of players?

Orlando: The Magic, a possible second-round opponent for the Bulls, have the must-defend center in Dwight Howard, but they come up short on the other elements. None of their core wing players are equipped to guard Rose, and their pick-and-roll game centers on Howard as the screener. Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson are capable pick-and-pop threats, but they typically get their looks in other ways.

Atlanta: This is mildly intriguing, but perhaps less so now that the Hawks, another potential second-round opponent for Chicago, have a capable defender (the 6-4 Kirk Hinrich) at point guard. Joe Johnson and perhaps even Marvin Williams (in very short stretches) could at least imitate George’s strategy on Rose while the other could stick with Deng. I’m skeptical that either could be a George-style solution for heavy minutes, though.

The Hawks have one the league’s best pick-and-pop threats in Al Horford. But if Atlanta goes with its small starting lineup (as it did in every game against Chicago this season), Noah could guard Horford, leaving Boozer with the less threatening (but still threatening!) Josh Smith.

There is potential here to follow the Indiana strategy, but not enough to be a major concern.

Miami: Uh, oh. Dwyane Wade, who has defended everyone from Jrue Holiday to Andre Iguodala in the Heat’s series against Philadelphia, can certainly take a crack at Rose. That would leave Mike Bibby to hide on Bogans and LeBron James to handle Deng. A Wade/Deng matchup (with LeBron guarding Rose) presents a problematic height disadvantage, but Wade’s athleticism can make up for some of that. And Miami can stick LeBron on Rose without worry when James Jones or Mike Miller is on the floor as a potential Deng defender.

Chris Bosh represents the pick-and-pop threat. But Noah could take a chunk of that assignment because Boozer could guard Miami’s harmless big men (other than perhaps the too-tall Zydrunas Ilgauskas). That would still take Noah away from the rim, which isn’t ideal for Chicago.

One side note here: The Bulls mostly refused to go small when Miami did so during regular-season matchups. Chicago prefers to keep two big men on the floor, which means that if LeBron defends Rose when Miami goes small, a smaller Heat player (likely Jones) is going to have to guard Noah. Still: If these two teams meet in the conference finals, you will see LeBron defend Rose at key points.

Boston: Not much to worry about here. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are not up to defending Rose, and even if Pierce were, that would leave no one to guard Deng. Rajon Rondo is an all-world defender, and this assignment will be his if Boston gets this far.

Kevin Garnett is a pick-and-pop threat, but Noah can guard him for stretches as long as Boston has no viable offensive center who could do damage against Boozer. Anyone seen Shaq lately?

It’s far too early to look ahead to the Finals, but the Lakers would seem pretty well-equipped to deal with Chicago in this way.

But let’s enjoy this first-round series before we go there. The Pacers are going home now, and both teams have a few days to adjust. Game 3 should be fun.