Pamela Smith/AP
NEW YORK – The numbers are the numbers.
That is until they’re not.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan and his players know that all too well.
Even with a shaky showing in Brooklyn Friday night, the Bulls entered Saturday ranked ninth in the NBA in defensive efficiency. A ranking that wasn’t necessarily lying, but at least telling a small fib.
Donovan knows this because he has film and eyes. So while stats nerds may want to tell him one thing, he knows what he’s seen: Too many breakdowns on that end of the floor, too many easy baskets allowed.