Guess I'm Bad Luck

That's the view from my seat at tonight's game against the Washington Wizards. In what will probably be the only time I get to see our beloved in person this year, things didn't quite go as planned. It was Benny's Birthday Bash and some furry friends from Minnesota, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Denver were on hand to help celebrate (you should have seen their antics on the concourse before the game; whether they were entertaining or scary is purely one's opinion). You'd think having the backing of mascots of two NBA Finals contenders would rub off on the Bulls, but it looks like that of the last-place Timberwolves did so instead. Final: Wizards 87, Bulls 84.

The fact that the Wizards had already beaten the Thunder and Lakers this year should have been reason enough not to overlook this team. It was in the back of my mind. Then, while shopping in the Bull Market beforehand, a graphic appeared on TV saying Derrick Rose and Luol Deng would be out. Rose wasn't even on the bench tonight. The Bulls really could have used both. Maybe they would have made better decisions and kept pace on defense. More on that in a few seconds.

Rip Hamilton had a game-high 22 points, definitely an encouraging sign that he'll be ready for the playoffs. Wizards center Kevin Seraphin (I know, who?) was just below him with 21. C.J. Watson and Carlos Boozer had good nights as well, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. Watson especially stood out as he made all but one of the Bulls' four three-pointers. Have to love the way he's been playing lately. Boozer grabbed 13 boards for a double-double, something Joakim Noah failed to record, but he had 11 rebounds and five blocks anyway.

So why did the Bulls lose tonight? Well, there are a few things you could look at. How about the 17 turnovers leading to 27 Washington points? Maybe being outscored 20-2 on the fast break? Or being dominated in points in the paint? For a team that prides itself on defense, and I know I've used that term on here before, these aren't stats and facts that mark the sign of a contender. As you can see by all that, the transition D was terrible. There's no way they should be giving up two-handed jams on the break with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, but that's exactly what happened.

The shot selection also seemed questionable tonight. It didn't help that they were cold all night, but these guys have played together long enough, even Hamilton to some extent, to know who can score from any given distance. That shouldn't happen against an inferior club like the Wizards. Saying the absences of Rose and Deng were key is true, but also an excuse. They've beaten better teams without those two in the lineup. The opportunities were there, but they didn't convert. They should have. It's not only luck that's involved. Simply put, they need to play up to their potential every night when trying to lock up the top seed in the East. In that department, it didn't help that Miami beat New Jersey tonight, so the lead shrinks to 2 1/2 games.

Just put tonight behind and get back at it Wednesday at Charlotte. I'll close by saying that the White Sox were 2-3 in games I went to in 2005 and the Blackhawks lost the one game I was at in 2010. My point? Maybe it's a good omen I was at a loss tonight and this was most likely the only game I'll get to at the United Center this season. You know what those two teams went on to do. We'll see how this year turns out.