There’s a fine line between full-throttle “Billy Ball” and when it’s time to pump the brakes.
Much to Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s dismay, that line blurred into recklessness Tuesday.
“We’re going to have to be able to take care of it,” Donovan said of the Bulls’ 26 turnovers against the Cavaliers. “I think at the half, they had [19] points off our turnovers. That’s just not winning basketball for me.
‘‘That’s the frustrating part because this has been a problem in training camp every single day. Every day it’s been a problem, and we show up, we talk about it, but we’ve got to get it cleaned up because to me they’re putting forth a really good effort, but you can’t overcome that.”
They did in Cleveland, holding on for a 118-117 victory, but the Bulls needed a 35-27 fourth quarter sparked by end-of-the-bench players to pull it off.
In the regular season against even average NBA teams, that will be a difficult hill to climb.
The Bulls averaged 14.7 turnovers last season, the 10th-worst mark in the NBA. The Thunder, Celtics, Cavaliers, Pacers and Knicks were the least turnover-prone teams. That’s the NBA champs and four other elite squads.
So it wasn’t a coincidence that Donovan came into camp harping on limiting turnovers to gain more possessions than the opposition.
The win in Cleveland was fine, but the numbers behind it were off-putting.
“You have a turnover discrepancy like that, even if you’re even on the backboard, and [the free-throw line] . . . we just can’t beat ourselves like that,” Donovan said. “To me, it’s just shooting yourself in the foot.”
At practice Wednesday, the focus was obvious: limiting turnovers.
“I’d say that was probably the most negative thing we did,” newly acquired forward Isaac Okoro said. “If we just limit our turnovers, I felt like the score could have been much different than it was.”
Okoro would know. His five turnovers led the team and were out of character. He averaged only 0.4 turnovers last season with the Cavs, and in five NBA seasons, he never averaged more than a turnover per game since his rookie season (1.3).
Was it a case of the new guy trying to figure out Donovan’s high-octane offense or just the unfamiliarity with his new teammates?
“It’s a mixture of us just getting to know each other more and more, like in these preseason games just getting to know where we’re going to be on the court, cutting, and we’re playing fast, so making sure we get our reads right,” Okoro said. “Not jumping in the air and tossing passes, causing turnovers.”
Not everyone on the team was concerned, however.
Second-year forward Matas Buzelis had 19 points and two turnovers. His message was simple: Give it time.
“Once we play a couple more games in the preseason, we’ll get in better shape and make better decisions, but we’re just finding out when we’ve got to slow down,” Buzelis said. “When there are [defenders] back, just slowing it down a bit, but when there’s any sort of advantage, I’d try to risk whatever pass there is to just get it up there and try to score a basket.
“There’s, like, a line between when to go and when not to go.”
Donovan’s hope is that they start walking on the right side of it — and soon.
