The scenario was simple tonight: if the Bulls won or the Atlanta Hawks lost, the Bulls would have the fifth playoff seed in the East. Both scenarios played out. The Hawks were done getting pounded by New York before the Bulls finished off the Washington Wizards 95-92, but that didn't mean Tom Thibodeau wasn't trying to win this game anyway. It just wouldn't be like the most fiery coach in the league if he had stepped off the gas pedal.
The first quarter had all the signs of a Bulls blowout as they jumped out to a 21-point lead. The following quarter however saw the Wizards rattle off 16 unanswered points to cut the lead to two. That was followed by another Bulls run, which kept the Wizards at a safe distance for most of the rest of the way. The Wizards tied it at 85 with 3:19 to play on a three by AJ Price, followed by Jimmy Butler's alley oop dunk from Rip Hamilton. The lead was never relinquished as John Wall missed a game-tying three at the buzzer to send the Wizards to the draft lottery yet again.
Carlos Boozer has had plenty of double-doubles during the regular season, so he figured he'd collect one more before the playoff intensity arrived. His 19 points and 15 rebounds wrapped another year in which he was healthier than most of his team, appearing in 78 games. Kirk Hinrich's season ended with a performance worthy of his filling in for Derrick Rose all season, scoring 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The biggest surprise was Nazr Mohammed, starting for Joakim Noah once again and scoring a season-high 17 points. This would be a nice postseason source of offense even though the question of whether he'll be able to keep this up remains to be answered. Jimmy Butler proved once again he has rightfully usurped the starting two guard spot from Rip Hamilton by knocking in 13. I'll be surprised if the Bulls pick up his option for next season. Butler's emergence has made the veteran expendable. We'll see if he can sway me over the next week and beyond.
Now that the Bulls have finished a Rose-less season at 45-37, we look at the questions facing them as "Win or Go Home" takes full effect. Two in particular stand out to me. Derrick Rose has yet to rule out a return, but is there anyone in their right mind who would let the franchise player take the floor in the most intense atmosphere possible in his first game action after the ACL injury? Avoiding the drama that has only increased recently, all I ask is that a responsible adult within the organization make some sort of decision regarding the former MVP so all of this uncertainty can end.
Although every other injured Bull has returned to the court, not all of them made an impact tonight. Joakim Noah was in noticeable pain, recording just one rebound in 14 minutes. That will have to change if the team wants an extended postseason stay. Hopefully, Thibodeau is just trying to ease back his All-Star center. Taj Gibson showed his abilities better, finishing with a line of eight points and four rebounds. Any contributions from him, big or small, will be important going forward. The expendable Hamilton only managed a field goal. He'll play in the postseason, but one has to wonder how much he'll be relied upon from here on out. This team will go as far as its health.
Just as we wanted, the Bulls will be facing the Brooklyn Nets, whom they beat three of four times this year, in the first round. It will be the first postseason meeting between the teams since the same round in 1998. It's just too bad this team has more talent than the group led by John Calipari 15 years ago. It would have been an easier series starting Saturday, but this was still the best match-up they could have hoped for. They'll have a good chance at an upset and I'll talk more about this series within the next two days in a post that will size the two teams up. Until then, prepare yourself to show the best spirit you've shown all season.
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