Luol Deng led all scorers with 27 points, though scoring was his only notable accomplishment. Rip Hamilton broke out by scoring 20 and Kirk Hinrich had his best offensive game of the season so far by pouring in 12. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer each came within a point of a double-double thanks to respective rebounding totals of 13 and 11. Had Noah put on a more dominating performance, he might have finished with a triple-double as his six assists led the team.
I can point to three factors that cost the Bulls this game, starting with the least pressing:
3) As mentioned, the Bulls were in it the entire way. That said, there were some things at the end they could have done differently, mainly taking more time to find an easy shot. One play in particular comes to mind. With the game tied and less than four minutes to play, Taj Gibson rebounded a missed Kevin Durant layup. Hinrich ended up with the ball and eight seconds after the board, he launched a 23-foot jump shot that missed. Noah missed the tip, leading to a Thabo Sefolosha rebound. The subsequent Thunder timeout set up a Durant field goal. Against a top team like this, you need to find the best possible shot rather than try to be a hero yourself. If there's plenty of time on the clock late in a tie game, running the offense is the best option. Hinrich should know at this point in his career he's not Ray Allen. He never was and never will be. If possible, try to get the ball to more polished shooters like Deng or Hamilton. Just stick to setting up plays and passing.
2) This is how things will be until Derrick Rose returns and another reason why expectations have been drastically lowered. With the former MVP gone, the Bulls are lacking that go-to player who can take over by himself if need be. That requires the rest of the roster to step up their play at the end of these types of games. Those left are either uncomfortable with or incapable of acting as the guy the whole team rallies around. When there's an indisputable name at the top, everyone knows who to turn to. Now, they feel a bit lost. Everyone plays their hearts out, but in the NBA, if you don't have somebody who strikes fear at their mere mention, you are limited by what you can accomplish. Hopefully next year, the Bulls will fall back into the right category with a healthy Rose. For now though, if you're wondering why they won't be able to close out many games against superior clubs, you can look to last night as the most recent evidence.
1) The Thunder have exactly what the Bulls are lacking: a healthy superstar. The James Harden deal may not have seen its full consequences yet, but I do know that Oklahoma City will continue to win close games as long as Kevin Durant is around. We saw it with our own eyes last night. In the final minute, Durant nailed two 17-footers to stick a dagger. Two free throws with seconds left clinched it. Of the Thunder's final 12 points, last year's scoring champion was responsible for eight. That's an MVP performance right there. I envy that the city where this team is based hasn't had it for long, but has been put on the NBA map thanks to this player. Plus, Chesapeake Energy Arena is loud during every game. Regardless of whether Rose is back when these two teams meet there on February 24, the contest won't be as close as this one barring a strange turn of events. We saw how badly the Bulls got blown out there last season. I don't anticipate things going much better there in a few months.
After losing a close contest, the Bulls will welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to the United Center tomorrow night. The Timberwolves have started the season in first place in the Northwest. I doubt they'll stay there the whole year, but even so, you can't sleep on this club. My uncle in St. Paul often calls them the Timberpuppies. Let's make sure they feel like just those when they step onto our home court.
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