Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
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To get there, of course, Chicago will have to figure a lot of things out. Let's take a closer look to see what's working for the Bulls, and what needs to work better.Read More: Kyrie Irving Isn't a Prototypical Point Guard, and That's What Makes Him Great
Offensive Rebounding and Transition
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The Bulls crash the glass like this for 48 minutes per game, and while they have been beaten badly in transition on certain nights, for the most part they've been able to make that trade-off work in their favor.
No Easy Buckets
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Hero(es) Ball
The numbers reflect what you're seeing above. Wade currently is ranked in the NBA's top ten in points per possession off of isolations; Butler sits in the top 20. Butler also scores eight points per game off drives, the fifth most in the NBA, while only tuning it over on three percent of his driving attempts—the eighth lowest turnover rate for players who average at least five drives per game. This is key. Butler attacks the basket on nearly every possession, scores efficiently off of those drives, and doesn't turn the ball over. All of that allows him to put pressure on defenders from tip-off to buzzer.
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Transition Offense
The Others
Shooters Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott make for an interesting combination alongside Wade, Butler, and Gibson, since they provide a lot of extra spacing. Butler and McDermott have been deadly—the Bulls have a scorching 124.6 ORTG in their 132 minutes together—and when you add Mirotic to the mix, that number becomes 130.8. It's enough to wonder what Butler would be doing on a better shooting team. His already absurdly efficient scoring numbers might be even more impressive on a roster like Portland's, where there are spot-up threats all around the arc. Expect the Bulls to give Mirotic and McDermott more minutes going forward, particularly as they try to mix and match Butler and Wade with their second units.The Bulls are far from perfect, and their offense is far from exciting most nights. Teams that slow them down and force a half-court game can make things ugly, but Chicago has a lot of above-average talent who can bear down on defense and win slugfests. That's what makes them an interesting postseason contender—they have players who can hit tough shots and make offenses work on the other end of the court, and enough confidence to honestly think they can beat anybody.The Bulls are probably a few pieces away from being a serious threat to make the NBA Finals, but they're already a major threat to conference rivals like Toronto and Boston. A little bit of luck might be all that Chicago needs to meet Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.Want to read more stories like this from VICE Sports? Subscribe to our daily newsletter.