Time to Get Serious

If you remember my preview post about this series, I said the Bulls would win it in six.  The good news is I have a chance to be correct.  But what I didn't count on was those two Bulls losses coming consecutively after being up 3-0.  Sure enough, that's where we find ourselves after the Bucks won Game 5 94-88.

The Bucks simply refuse to go away.  Their starting backcourt of Michael Carter-Williams and Khris Middleton led the way with 22 and 21 points respectively in 38 minutes apiece.  They also forced the Bulls into many bad shots and just played tough defense throughout.  The Bulls are not a team that thrives on lights-out shooting, so the Bucks were only too glad to force the issue.


Far too many Bulls were unreliable.  Don't let Jimmy Butler's 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists fool you.  He shot 5-of-21 from the field.  Mike Dunleavy and Tony Snell each played over 20 minutes and had no points to show for it.

Derrick Rose gave the latest evidence that the Bulls live and die by him.  He missed all seven of his three-point attempts and 5-of-20 overall.  A game-high six turnovers only tightened the wrong type of spotlight around him.  These last two contests are doing quite a bit to shake the confidence in even his most ardent defenders.

We're seeing what happens when a team doesn't receive key contributions from everybody.  They're on the floor, but aren't helping out.  Maybe it's because the defense isn't letting them.  Or maybe they just don't have it in them for that day.

If they were distracted by the earlier news that Kevin Love will miss the next series and J.R. Smith is suspended for its first two games, that's their fault.  Nobody should have one foot in one door and the other foot in another.  They can tell us they're still focused on the current series, but they sure aren't showing it.  You better be able to back up your words with the right actions.

Once again, it also comes from not taking the level of opponent seriously.  By now, it feels I'm preaching to the choir, but I wouldn't keep bringing this up if the issue didn't keep arising.  It's fine to play your best against the better teams, but if you can't beat those with less talent, it does little to inspire confidence in your fans, the media and quite possibly, yourselves.  That's why it's fair to question where the Bulls are mentally at this and other times.

Right now, we've got a team with everything to gain in these playoffs and a team that's hungry to prove itself.  Guess which one has been playing better these last two games.  The Bulls were this type of playoff team before Tom Thibodeau took over.  Now, they're giving the vibe of a veteran playoff team with no sense of urgency.

You certainly have to give Jason Kidd credit for being more than the Bucks or any NBA fan could have hoped for.  He uses his old point-guard mindset to recognize weaknesses in his opponents and plan for his team accordingly.  He knew exactly how to draw up the game-winning layup in Game 4 and implored his team to continue applying defensive pressure in Game 5.  He has the stuff to be a longtime NBA coach.

Meanwhile, Thibodeau has his work cut out for him.  What can he say or do to convince his team that they're one loss from an unexpected Game 7?  The message is in that locker room and everywhere else, but how can that translate into better play?  Someone needs to figure that out and fast.

I shouldn't be talking about this series still.  I was getting ready to write my preview post for the next round.  Instead, the Bulls have been seemingly unaware of how critical it is to get that last win required to get there.  Before they can face a possibly weaker Cavaliers team, these Bucks need to be put in their place first.

Game 6 will be played in Milwaukee on Thursday, which creates a conflict in the Chicago sports landscape because that's the night the NFL Draft begins.  The Bulls might finally finish off the Bucks, but they'll have to do it on the road and at a time when much of the city's attention will be elsewhere.  Maybe winning while fewer people have their attention will be beneficial.  Fewer people will put pressure on them, so they just need to pressure themselves to win.

Turning the Sweep Over

We're approaching 20 years since Nick Anderson picked Michael Jordan clean and led a game-winning fast break in Game 1 of the 1995 conference semifinals.  Maybe what happened Saturday in Milwaukee came with less at stake, but that's of little consolation to Bulls fans.  Game 4 nearly brought on the team's first playoff sweep since 2007.  Instead, a season-high 28 turnovers and a disastrous sequence at the end led to a 92-90 Bucks victory and a Game 5 on Monday.

You probably know what happened by now, but let's just recount those final seconds.  The Bulls had just battled back from six down to tie the score at 90, setting up Derrick Rose to take the last shot.  Rose tried to drive the lane himself, but was met by a wall of Bucks and stripped by Khris Middleton.  After a timeout and with 1.3 seconds left, Jerryd Bayless successfully cut away from Rose, took the inbound pass from Jared Dudley and made an easy layup at the buzzer.

Rose was quick to take the blame for the loss after the game, which wasn't unwarranted.  After all, the last of his game-high eight turnovers cost the Bulls a chance to escape from a bad game.  Plus, his defense off the ball at the end was as bad as could be in that or any situation.  For one night, Rose chose to be crucified for all the right reasons.

But it wouldn't be fair to put the blame squarely on Rose.  Every Bull in the rotation except Kirk Hinrich, who played only 38 seconds, had at least one turnover.  The team gave up 12 offensive rebounds, leading to way too many second chances for Milwaukee.  The nightmare that was the final seconds could have been avoided if the Bulls could have rebounded and taken care of the ball when they had it.

Tom Thibodeau did nothing to deflect criticism of riding his main guys too much.  Only two of his five bench players went at least 20 minutes and the other three played less than nine each.  For comparison, the four Bucks who came off the bench saw the floor between 23 and 29 minutes apiece.  If Gar Forman and John Paxson choose to rid themselves of their head coach after this year, they'll use this game among others to support their reasoning.

Game 4 was the game every problem the Bulls have had this series came to the forefront.  Don't let those earlier three wins fool you.  Many times, they've had an inordinate number of turnovers, been beaten on the boards and simply let the Bucks hang around longer than they should.  It's the latest example of the Bulls not respecting the quality of their opponent and paying the price for it.

Don't worry too much about the Bulls closing out Milwaukee.  Ultimately, they're still the better team and two of the next possible three games are scheduled to be at the United Center.  It would take a total collapse for them to make the wrong kind of history.  It's the next round we should be worried about.

The inevitable second-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers is less than a week away.  Since LeBron James returned from an injury in January, no team in the NBA has been better.  If the Bulls want to live beyond the conference semifinals, they must quickly correct the aforementioned issues, even if it's coming so late in the campaign.  Otherwise, they might be swept right out of the playoffs.

Teams superior in both talent and chemistry will carve up turnover-prone opponents like a Thanksgiving turkey.  We saw it happen quite a few times during the regular season.  It gets worse in the playoffs, when everybody is playing at their very best.  Whether turnovers are a reflection of the players or something related to the coach, nobody cares when they want to win a championship as much as you do.

To be fair, the Bulls have taken the Cavaliers more seriously than they have against most other teams throughout this season.  Perhaps somehow, they'll play smarter on a mission that they can truly hang with the best player in the NBA.  James' teams are 3-0 against the Bulls in the playoffs, so that's quite a chip on the team's shoulders.  The goal of bringing James down has been there for a long time.

But even if the Bulls can somehow get out of that round, the path beyond is no better.  Atlanta and just about any remaining playoff team in the West play at a level just as high, if not higher than Cleveland.  It's a shame that we have to talk about this when this supposed to be the year the Bulls finally a realistic shot at a championship.  They've brought this on themselves with the mistakes they've made both against the Bucks and throughout the season.

It's all about consistency in the NBA.  That means taking care of the ball, taking opponents seriously and above all, closing out games.  The Bulls have done poorly on all of those fronts far too often this season.  If there's ever been a team that's won it all even with those issues, I'd like to know more about it.

At this point, the Bulls can only make steps toward improving themselves for the better teams.  That begins with Game 5 at the United Center.  Rose has already let what happened to end Game 4 leave his mind.  The question is whether every other Bulls player and fan will too.

No Cheer for the Deer

For Game 3, the Bucks placed rally towels with the phrase "Fear the Deer" in every seat at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.  Many of those went unused with the amount of Bulls fans present in the building.  Actually, they might have grabbed them anyway to deal with the stress that came with this contest.  By the end, they simply tossed them aside as the Bulls took a 112-105 win in double overtime for a 3-0 series edge.

The teams were tied after the first quarter, but Milwaukee jumped out to an 18-point lead in the second.  The Bulls crawled their way back to a four-point deficit by halftime.  They went in front early in the second half to lead by 11 in the fourth quarter.  The rest of the game appeared to be a formality, but the Bulls lost an eight-point lead in the final two minutes and without Derrick Rose's free throw in the final seconds, the collapse would have been complete.

In the first overtime, each club scored six points apiece, going scoreless over the last 2 1/2 minutes.  The second extra session proved to be a test of each team's depth.  That is, the Bulls had enough depth to last that long and opened the period on a 12-0 run.  The Bucks scored the final five points of the contest, but by then, the home fans were headed for the exits.

Almost from the moment the Bulls went down 18, Rose took command and let everyone know it was his game.  His 34 points, including five 3-pointers, and eight assists made for perhaps his biggest performance during his comeback.  That's been said a lot this year, but considering all that was on the line here, he set yet another new bar for him to reach as his career goes on.  He looked comfortable on offense and was stifling on defense, especially against Michael Carter-Williams, who just didn't look right in the matchup despite 19 points and nine assists.

If Rose was the king of the night, Jimmy Butler was the prince.  Despite the Bucks guarding him better, he still torched them for 24 points.  There were a couple of occasions when he stole the ball and took an easy basket on the other end.  He continues to improve to the point where he'll be a problem for opponents throughout his career.

Pau Gasol did his usual thing:  a double-double of 17 and 14.  Tony Snell was unleashed late and hit four treys as part of 14 points and a potential showcase for how he could affect the next playoff series.  Mike Dunleavy, who's been making a living off only making threes lately, did so again and finished with 12.  Though he made just one field goal, Joakim Noah grabbed 12 rebounds to say he's still a threat despite the health problems he's dealt with.

The extra energy the key Bulls players had to burn because of that late collapse in regulation will be scrutinized.  If this team wants to make life tough for Cleveland and anyone they may face after, they can't give away leads like that.  The offense took too much time to find easy shots, the defense missed assignments and the team in general had a knack for losing the ball out of bounds.  Critics will be right to point to those as reasons they're not fit to win a championship.

But despite all problems, the better team always finds a way to win in the playoffs.  The Bulls are the better team in this series.  They have the offensive firepower to outlast a team like the Bucks.  The defense is extremely tough when it's not running around mindlessly as it was during the second quarter.

Just be happy with this win and look forward to a sweep in Game 4 on Saturday.  Chuck Swirsky said before Game 3 that a 3-0 lead would mean a Bradley Center crowd of 80 percent Bulls fans.  Hopefully, that will come to pass.  The Bucks are down and might be out if they see how little of the sold-out crowd will be made up of their fans.

Gasol Honored for Media Presence

Ahead of Game 3 against the Bucks, Pau Gasol was named the winner of this year's Magic Johnson Award.  The Professional Basketball Writers Association gives the award to the player who performs best on the court and also excels in cooperating with the media.  Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Manu Ginobili and Damian Lillard were the other finalists.

From the moment Gasol was introduced in Chicago, he has conducted himself with nothing but class.  Maybe it has something to do with being older or maybe it's because he's always felt the need to give the media what they want.  Whatever it is, Bulls fans shouldn't be prouder of him.  While others are skeptical with the media, even conducting freeze outs at times, Gasol refuses to shun anybody and always treats those around him with respect.

It's incredibly easy in this day and age for professional athletes to not trust reporters.  At a time when everything gets increasingly scrutinized, players might be afraid to say how they really feel about a certain issue.  One wrong statement means countless analysis by anyone with a keyboard who has an opinion.  Gasol is not the controversial type and will never give anybody reason to think badly of him.

If that's not enough, he takes the time to relay a message to fans on social media before every game and if the Bulls win, he'll write another message to keep everyone feeling positive.  Anyone who declares to be a fan of the guy should walk with pride.  This is the kind of player and person you should look up to.  Why more players don't conduct themselves with this type of class is baffling.

There's yet another reason I feel so strongly about this.  One of my classmates at DePaul is a Spanish reporter named Teresa Garcia Alonso.  She works for a publication called Marca and got a chance to interview Gasol shortly before the playoffs.  The whole thing is in Spanish, so I ran the transcript through Google Translate.

When talking with me about speaking to Gasol, she had great things to say about him.  If you watch the video, you'll notice he seems genuinely interested in what she's asking.  The enthusiasm the two of them share is sure to brighten your face, even if you don't speak the language.  That should say it all about the man he is.

Gasol is perhaps the greatest free-agent acquisition in Bulls history, and they were lucky to sign a first-class individual in the process.  When someone can provide excellence both on and off the court, you want that player on your roster.  Hopefully, that can rub off on his teammates and they can all conduct themselves with such class.  If anything, having Gasol is a real learning experience.

Congratulations, Pau.  Keep up the respect and don't ever stop.  You'll never lose fans if you do that.  You'll only gain them.

Butler Busts Bucks

Game 2 did not come as easy as Game 1, although that was to be expected.  The Bulls turned the ball over many times in the first half and couldn't hit a basket if their lives depend on it.  Once the second half began, the Bulls turned a corner on offense and let the Bucks know just how much they're outmatched.  The result was a 91-82 victory and a 2-0 lead in the series.

The game proved heated at times with a few skirmishes between players, but everything came together in the fourth quarter during a 13-0 run.  Jimmy Butler led the charge with 14 points during that time, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and making all three of his 3-point attempts.  He finished with 31 points, setting a playoff career high for the second time in as many games.  All the Bucks could do was try in vain to defend him or simply tip their hats to him.

Derrick Rose went scoreless in the first half, but had 12 in the third quarter and hit the dagger late in the fourth to finish with 15 and nine assists.  All four of Mike Dunleavy's field goals came from beyond the arc, so he scored 12.  Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah led the rebounding charge with 16 and 19 boards respectively (Gasol also had 11 points for the double-double).  The Bulls' presence on the glass has been felt all series and if that doesn't change, they might return from Milwaukee without the Bucks in tow.

If Butler isn't somehow honored for his work this season, it's going to be something of a tragedy.  He should be among the candidates for the Most Improved Player Award or at least considered for the All-NBA Third Team.  His game has become so refined, he just might have taken Rose's spot on the team as the man whom you want with the ball first.  With each passing game, his agent contemplates throwing more money in the air in his office and the Bulls' front office feels lighter in the wallet.

Each year, Butler has improved to the point where he's become an All-Star.  And for the second time in three years, Butler is using the playoffs to show how far he's come and how he'll continue to improve in the future.  Maybe the Bulls won't win a championship this year, but they can say they have someone who will take charge when he feels necessary.  Whatever they pay to keep him from going elsewhere, every penny will be worth it.

The man has confidence in himself and everyone can see it.  If Rose or another teammate isn't setting him up on offense, he'll create an easy scoring opportunity for someone anyway.  His mere presence has proven to be a nightmare for teams, who knows the Bulls have other weapons who can become hot at any moment.  There has never been a more talented group offensively in the Tom Thibodeau era and Butler is at the epicenter.  It's why Bulls fans should be more confident in playing a LeBron James team (next round) than ever before.

When I think about Butler's season, I typically think back to the game I attended in Indiana back in late December.  The Bulls had blown a big lead, but Butler hit a big three with over a minute left and then, drew an offensive foul on the next possession.  That desire to play well and win has been with him all year.  As long as he has that, there's not much he can't do.

I mentioned rebounding as a reason this could be a short series, but another one is Butler being able to create his own shot.  The Bucks have nobody with as big a reputation for doing that.  Rose is shooting more clunkers than we'd like these days, but if he plays smart offensively, he's ranked 1a to Butler's 1.  Although they're not the Splash Brothers like the ones with Golden State, they just have to play well together to make life miserable for opponents.

Game 3 will be the first of this series at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.  Although Bucks owner Mark Lasry is telling Bulls fans not to waste their time coming to Wisconsin, that won't be nearly enough to stop them from coming.  People are loving this team right now and can't wait to see what Butler and Rose will do next.  If the series so far is any indication, there's plenty more to come from this duo.

Bright Rose

Saturday's Game 1 brought more than just a 103-91 win over the Bucks.  It represented a huge step forward for Derrick Rose in his road back to MVP form.  In his first playoff game since tearing his ACL in 2012, Rose scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, tallied a game-high seven assists, stole the ball twice and blocked one shot.

Sure, there were several other key contributors.  Jimmy Butler led everybody with 25 points, Aaron Brooks provided some energy off the bench to score 13, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson grabbed 11 rebounds each and Pau Gasol had yet another double-double (10 and 13).  It was the sign of a team well-balanced, at least for one night.  But Rose was the story of the game.

He left the first quarter after only five minutes without explanation.  That led some, including me, to wonder if something had gone awry.  He wasn't receiving medical treatment, so I was really hoping he wasn't taking himself out for precautionary reasons.  Doing this so early in the playoffs would have been one heck of an unneeded storyline.

But he soon returned and proved he was simply a tiger waiting to catch his prey.  He took smart shots, played well on defense and drove to the basket more than he did in most games during the regular season.  This was the Rose everyone wanted to see.  And he earned "M-V-P" chance as a result, even if the United Center crowd was stretching the truth for the purpose of the moment.

This is the time of year Rose has been training for since his initial major injury.  That long 82-game schedule was a long mountain to climb, but he finally made it.  Although he had that snag with his meniscus in late February that threatened yet another season, he was able to overcome it.  It helped that this injury wasn't as serious as the other two.

He recognizes history remembers the winners and there is no greater time for that to happen than in the playoffs.  Maybe this is the legacy he's choosing to write for himself.  We don't know how healthy he'll stay in the future.  Even if his injury struggles continue, it'll all be forgotten if he peaks in the spring every year.

We would love to see this Rose in action consistently from late October until the middle of April.  It would do a lot to dispel many of the negative notions about him.  But nothing really matters until the field is cut to 16.  If the dominant Rose only shows up in the playoffs for the rest of his career, he might not get into the Hall of Fame, but we'll at least be able to say he knew when it was time to shine.

Before you have any doubts on Rose's heart and desire, perhaps you should read the following message he left on his Facebook page early Sunday:

"Felt good last night, felt normal.  I’m grateful to be playing with the teammates I have right now; they allow me to play the way I normally play.  It’s an honor.  I’m really fortunate because I think anywhere else it wouldn’t be the same.  They’re giving me motivation, pushing me and it feels good."

This is the Rose we've come to know, although it's been easy to forget he's existed.  Through all the turmoil, communication problems and people in his camp opening their mouths, he has never wavered in his persona as that humble kid from Englewood.  Hopefully, these past three years have taught him to be even more humble.  We can dispute that all we want, but let's save that discussion for another day.

Right now, let's feel good the Bulls have a 1-0 lead on the Bucks.  They'll try to double that in Game 2 on Monday.  Meanwhile, Rose will try to take command once more, which would continue to rebuild his reputation as a good player when the stakes are high.  When he plays well, the Bulls typically win, and we can't ask for much more as fans.

Meeting Milwaukee

The Bulls last met the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs during the 1990 first round.  That year, the trio of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson was in its first season together.  The Bucks, coached by future Bulls assistant Del Harris, were led by Jay Humphries, Alvin Robertson and Illinois Wesleyan product Jack Sikma.  Also, the Bradley Center was one of the newer arenas in the NBA.

25 years later, the Bulls are one of the better teams in the East.  Were it not for Derrick Rose's struggles to stay healthy, they'd be seen as a title contender.  The Bucks were already nothing more than an average team going into the season, but Jabari Parker's ACL tear in December ended hopes of taking too many people by surprise.  And the newly named BMO Harris Bradley Center is near the end of its tenure as the Bucks' home.

The 3-6 matchup in the East is unofficially a battle for the right to take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals.  It can also be seen as an example of the talent discrepancy throughout most of the conference.  At 41-41, the Bucks should be seeded seventh or eighth.  Instead, two teams with losing records in Boston and Brooklyn get those positions while the 45-37 Oklahoma City Thunder miss the Western Conference playoffs, resulting in calls to revamp the NBA playoff system.

All that aside, the 50-win Bulls should feel good about their chances in this series.  They won three of the four meetings during the regular season.  But neither team scored more than 95 points against each other.  In fact, the winning team had 95 three times, so the defense was not lacking.

If the NBA playoffs require a lot of offense though, the Bulls should feel better than they did last year.  Washington ousted them in five games as what little offensive firepower the Bulls had disappeared.  With Rose healthy (we hope) for this series, Pau Gasol in town and Jimmy Butler having a career season, points should be easier to come by.  Then again, how many times have we said that this year, only to see them suffer a letdown?

Rose says he'll be ready to go for the playoffs, so if that's true, he easily gets the advantage at point guard for most matchups in the NBA.  Maybe the Bulls don't rely on him to carry the load as much as they once did, but he can still change any game on both ends with his talent and sheer will to win.  He'll go up against Michael Carter-Williams, who was acquired from Philadelphia at the trade deadline and has done well to fill in for Parker.  He's a good scorer, but his big reputation for passing has never faded and his continued improvement should be on display throughout the series.

Butler's All-Star campaign was the story of the NBA for the first couple months of the season.  He successfully played for his next big contract by scoring at will and making big plays on defense, so he deserves to have the shooting guard advantage in this series.  Khris Middleton, in his third NBA season, has played very well on offense and fits the true definition of swingman.  Even if he's not guarding Butler, he might make life difficult for some of the taller Bulls players at times.

Mike Dunleavy has been a veteran leader, which is useful for the younger, better stars on the Bulls.  He can also shoot well and there are times when he'll suddenly catch fire, which takes some of the load off of those aforementioned stars.  Still, the better small forward will be Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the best young players in the game who has improved in virtually every area during his second season.  It will be fun to watch him impose his athleticism and scoring will, especially if he can show why he competed in the Slam Dunk Contest this year.

Gasol is older, but the change of scenery from Los Angeles this year proved to be just what he needed to lead the league in double-doubles at age 34.  Maybe his defense is a bit lacking, but all he has to do is create opportunities for himself down low to both score and rebound, which makes him the best power forward in the series.  Even so, Ersan Ilyasova has averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds since the All-Star break, so he's riding on a lot of momentum right now.  If he sees a defensive lapse in the post, you better believe he's going to successfully take advantage of it.

Joakim Noah remains the Bulls' emotional leader, but his struggles with injuries throughout the year have diminished his contributions.  Despite this, he only needs to make a couple of big plays each game for the rest of the Bulls to feed off and take their game to another level.  Center Zaza Pachulia, who faced the Bulls with Atlanta in the 2011 playoffs, is decent for what he's capable of at age 30, but not a whole lot stands out with him.  Although he fits in as a role player who has good stretches of games, that's where he maxes out, so I'm calling a draw between him and Noah.

Tom Thibodeau, even with his troubles with the Bulls' brass, has done a fine job once again this year.  You may not agree with the minutes he gives his stars while other coaches rest theirs at times during the season, but the man gets results and if he didn't do that, I wouldn't be giving him the advantage at coach.  Jason Kidd, not far removed from playing the game, is still working to establish himself as someone who can coach in this league for a long time to come.  Until he's ready to guide true championship contenders, he'll do all right in guiding more average teams like this year's Bucks.

The Bulls may not be the first team to come to mind when thinking about teams that could win it all, but the talent is certainly there to challenge for it.  Plus, they're one of the few legitimate teams in a conference filled with teams that were mere afterthoughts throughout the NBA landscape.  The Bucks don't have the personnel needed to pull off an upset and with Chicago being so close, it might be tough for them to feed off their home crowd with all the red that is bound to be in the stands.  But there are worse teams than them in the playoffs, so I think they'll win a couple of games before the Bulls oust them in six.

You all have two days to process this before the series begins at the United Center Saturday evening.  Remember to wear red if you're going to be in the building.  Frankly, I've been a little disappointed that quite a few fans don't get the message during the playoffs, so one must spread the word by any means necessary.  Have fun watching and hope the Bulls make some noise this year.

Nifty 50

The regular season has finally ended, Bulls fans.  And it ended as well as it could have given all your team has had to deal with this year.  A 91-85 win Wednesday over the Atlanta Hawks means the 2014-15 Bulls will go down as a 50-win club.  It also means they get the third playoff seed in the East and will play the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

This game was not sharply played on either side by way of wildly missed shots and plentiful turnovers (12 for the Bulls in the first half).  Somehow, the Bulls trailed by only seven halftime.  Then, Atlanta quickly expanded its lead to 18.  The fourth seed and a first-round meeting with Washington seemed inevitable.

Suddenly, the Bulls went on a 19-2 run to come within two, a deficit they maintained by the finish of the third quarter.  For the fourth, Mike Budenholzer decided to pull his starters and play the back end of his bench.  The Bulls, even without Derrick Rose for the second half due to left knee soreness, were happy to take advantage.  It took a while for them to show urgency in putting the Hawks' reserves away, but they finally cracked down defensively and scored at just the right times.

Aaron Brooks, stepping in after Rose took himself out, led all scorers with 23 points.  He's going to be a menace in the playoffs, just like Nate Robinson two years ago.  Jimmy Butler scored 21 to cap his best season ever:  20 points per game.  You better believe the Bucks and all playoff opponents after will be putting him first in their playoff game plans.

Pau Gasol had 18 and 13 to bring his league-leading grand total to 54 double-doubles.  It'll be refreshing for him to return to the playoffs and shine as he did when the Lakers were title winners, given he's not gassed, of course.  Nikola Mirotic totaled 11 to finish a rookie campaign that has been nothing short of impressive.  Hopefully, he can continue playing well for a little bit longer.

While the Bulls obviously still have a few kinks to work out, it's refreshing to know their hard work during the regular season wasn't in vain.  Atlanta has been mostly unbeatable and Cleveland has been hot since LeBron James returned from an absence in January.  The third seed was as good as they could have hoped for.  Given all the injuries and turmoil that have followed them throughout the year, it says a lot.

Never mind that the Bulls didn't close the seed out against the best players on the best team in the East.   Don't mind that Rose and Taj Gibson (with a shoulder injury) weren't in the game at the time either.  They still needed to prove they could close out games, especially with an average group facing them.  This they did and everyone at the United Center left feeling confident about their team just before the real season began.

Game 1 between the Bulls and Bucks will be Saturday in Chicago.  I'll have a series preview tomorrow and, just as in years past, a recap of every playoff game.  For now, just let everything that's happened so far this season soak in.  Hopefully, the best is still to come.

Sacking the Sixers

I really wish the Bulls didn't have to make things so difficult sometimes.  With the lowly Philadelphia 76ers coming to the United Center Saturday with no true point guard, this should have been easier.  But with players fighting for jobs next year, the contest proved to be quite a challenge.  The important thing is the Bulls won 114-107.

The 76ers relied heavily on the 3-pointer all night and for awhile, it worked.  They had a one-point halftime lead, thanks in part to taking advantage of some holes in the Bulls' defense, especially on the perimeter.  Their rebounding was also aggressive, which made the home crowd a bit nervous.  Point guard or no, they were looking for any possible way to win.

Finally, the Bulls decided enough was enough.  Led by Derrick Rose, especially down the stretch, they played smarter and found open shots without shooting further than they had to.  They fought for the ball and helped each other out when somebody was being played tightly.  Basically, it was the sign of a true playoff team.

Pau Gasol achieved his latest double-double of 24 and 13 to wrap up the double-doubles title in the NBA (he has 52).  After this game, he'll be the oldest player to ever achieve that at age 34.  It seemed he felt he had to do a lot of the work down low just to keep his team in the game.

Rose showed flashes of his MVP form late and finished with 22 points to go with a game-high eight assists.  What more could he do to show his value to this team as they prepare for the playoffs?  He's back to driving and making good passes.  The chronic 3-point shooting remains an issue, but he still knows how to do just about everything else well.

Jimmy Butler hit the deck quite a few times, but he survived and scored 15.  Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson each had 13, Gibson getting his last four in the final 30 seconds to put the game away.  Although Tony Snell didn't get to play until late in the third quarter, he led the Bulls with three 3-pointers, totaling 11 in the points column.  Remind me how he's had trouble finding minutes again?

If the Bulls had lost this game, it would have been another example of letting a bad team walk all over them in their building.  It nearly came down to that, which isn't encouraging for a playoff contender.  The poor effort we saw for the majority of the game is why many people are quick to predict this team will have a first-round exit.  It's far from the first time we've seen it too.

But the win happened and we got a reminder of how dangerous this group can be.  The talent has been there, just not completely healthy most of the time.  The effort is always possible, even if we haven't seen it as often as we'd like.  If both of those elements can come together, the Bulls might surprise some folks.

For all we know, the Bulls are truly saving most of their energy for when the playoffs arrive.  It's hard to fathom a Tom Thibodeau team entertaining such a notion, but the NBA can be unpredictable.  Regardless, we need more signs that these Bulls can match up with Cleveland and maybe make Atlanta sweat.

Toronto's win over Miami Saturday keeps them in the third seed over the Bulls, who have two games left to change that.  The first of those comes Monday against the Brooklyn Nets.  While they're at it, why not cripple their playoff chances just as they did to the Heat Thursday?  Every win should have some sort of bonus attached to it after all.

Lead Goes Poof

The Bulls have had trouble with the Orlando Magic all year.  There was a bad loss at the United Center in January and they barely escaped with a win on the road in February.  Another critical defeat came Wednesday 105-103.  It dropped the Bulls into a tie for third with Toronto, who holds the tiebreaker by virtue of being a division winner.

Derrick Rose's return, albeit with a 20-minute limit (he played 19), dominated the pregame discussion.  But eventually, the nine points he scored took a backseat to the Bulls coughing up a 15-point lead in the second quarter.  Although the Bulls held a more modest, yet decent lead for much of the rest of the game, they were outscored in the fourth 26-16.  It culminated with a Victor Oladipo layup that was met with little resistance from the Bulls and a bad inbound pass from Mike Dunleavy.

Oladipo led all scorers with 23 points and Stacey King's label as the Magic's best player rang true as he described his game-winning basket.  Nikola Vucevic finished just behind Oladipo with 22 thanks to his dominating play in the paint.  Elfrid Payton controlled much of Orlando's offense with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.  Evan Fournier was inspirational off the bench with 11.

Jimmy Butler led the completely healthy Bulls with 19 points and six assists.  15 points apiece came from Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic.  Aaron Brooks scored 13 and Joakim Noah grabbed 11 rebounds.  That would be a recipe for success on most nights, but instead, they let the pesky Magic split the season series at two apiece.

During the radio broadcast, Chuck Swirsky wasn't shy about pointing out a lack of urgency for the Bulls.  It's a recurring theme he's had to repeat both on the air and in his mind throughout the season.  The Magic just happen to be the bad team that has made the Bulls pay more.  And boy, that feeling is not good when it comes.

Having no urgency is an issue that has been recounted on this blog more than it should be.  For a team that's supposed to do well in the playoffs when completely healthy, that's pretty disturbing.  How many times this season have we seen double-digit leads in losses, especially to teams the Bulls should run over?  Still other games have had these collapses, but the Bulls somehow won anyway.

If the Bulls aren't going for the kill when they have the chance now, how can we expect them to hold leads in the playoffs?  It's going to be a short stay when a quality opponent makes them pay for settling on a certain margin.  Then again, we've seen them play with the heart of a champion most of the time when playing with a playoff team.  It's against the bad teams when they seem to struggle more, but that can still say a lot about them.

Maybe this is just reading too much into the regular season and everything will be fine come playoff time.  Still, losses like this aren't going to make many teams respect them.  They've shown a equal amount of disrespect to teams below their talent level.  They might have even forgotten that every NBA player has made it to the league for a reason.  The collective talent assembled anywhere makes any team dangerous, including against other NBA teams.

Nick Friedell tweeted about "a very sad and dejected Bulls locker room" afterward.  If that's the case, why don't they do something about it so there's more happiness around?  The good news is there's still time to let everyone know they can play well no matter who steps on the floor with them.  While they certainly have proven they can play good teams well, doing that against inferior clubs too can show how tough you are competitively, not just from a talent level.

The Bulls remain in Florida as they right back at it Thursday against the Miami Heat.  A national TV audience can watch the Bulls deal a serious blow to the playoff hopes of Dwyane Wade's club.  Maybe Wade's mere presence will give them that extra inspiration needed to put that South Beach bunch away.  One can never tell when a team goes up and down so frequently.

Putting Pistons in Place

 

The Bulls have had struggles with the Detroit Pistons this season.  After beating them at the United Center in November, they lost both games in Auburn Hills.  A win was needed at home Friday to salvage a split in the season series.  They earned just that to the tune of 88-82.

The first quarter started well before the Pistons came back to take a one-point lead at the end.  Then, the Bulls woke up and outscored their guests 22-9 for a 12-point halftime advantage.  Detroit then tied it to finish the third and kept it close throughout the fourth before Aaron Brooks made some big shots.  Pau Gasol (26 points, 10 rebounds) snuffed out their remaining hopes with an offensive rebound, putback dunk and subsequent free throw.

Jimmy Butler looked confident all evening and it showed with 18 points.  Nikola Mirotic added 11 off the bench while Taj Gibson finished one board shy of joining Gasol in the double-double club (10 and nine).  Joakim Noah also came close to that club, but had 10 assists and nine rebounds instead.  It was yet another reminder that Noah has once again taken on the offensive facilitator role in Derrick Rose's absence.

The win, coupled with Toronto's loss to Brooklyn, returned the Bulls to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.  With six games left in the regular season, there's not much time left to make a case as to where they should be come playoff time.  Those who don't know who they'll be playing in the first round can't afford to take any games off.  It's like choosing what kind of path you think you can take towards advancing during the postseason.

Four of the Bulls' remaining six games come on the road.  The final three of those come in Orlando, Miami and Brooklyn.  Each of those contests should be winnable, but we know how the Bulls have struggled in games like that.  Even with Philadelphia coming to the United Center and Atlanta closing the season there (likely with most, if not all starters sitting), those have a chance to be disappointments too.

The first of this six-game stretch comes Easter Sunday in Cleveland.  Although the Central is still winnable, the Cavaliers can likely put the final stamp on that race if they beat the Bulls on national TV.  Of course, a return by Rose would be a far more intriguing storyline.  Division title or no division title, stars rule all in the NBA, especially when they've been out for an extended period.

Really "More Than Enough"?

E'Twaun Moore has every right to hold his hands on the top of his head.  It's been a pretty frustrating season for the Bulls no matter what that fourth seed in the East tells you.  A season of injuries and bad losses makes everyone wish the playoffs would get here already.

The latest frustration came Wednesday with a 95-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.  Kirk Hinrich suffered a left knee injury and underwent an MRI Thursday.  It puts his status for Friday's game with the Detroit Pistons in question.  Even with that and Derrick Rose likely out as well, Tom Thibodeau repeated what's become a trademark phrase for him:  "We have more than enough."

While it's true a coach is technically supposed to say that, any Bulls fan should be able to see through those words.  One thing after another has made everyone wonder how strong this team is.  With very few games at full strength in the bag, more questions than answers are surrounding them.  Eventually, "more than enough" won't be.

With NBA teams wrapping up playoff seeds, where the Bulls will end up remains unclear.  They could regain the third seed and face Milwaukee or they could remain in fourth and regrettably draw that Washington team which gives them fits.  Where they get seeded could determine the length of their playoff lives once and for all.  Cleveland may be a better matchup since that machine in Atlanta looks pretty tough (when they're not sitting their starters, of course).

Regardless, every team is stacked with talent.  Others happen to have healthy talent which will allow them to make a championship run.  Right now, it's difficult to put the Bulls in that category.  When one player comes back from a serious injury, another one typically goes down.

When will Rose make his return?  Does Hinrich need to sit until the playoffs?  Should Thibodeau sit some key players at the end so nobody further gets hurt?  All these and more are surrounding the franchise.

We can talk all we want about how well the Bulls have played lately, but losses to inferior teams and the aforementioned injuries make it difficult to get excited.  Sadly, this isn't the first time we've heard this story surrounding them either.  As long as the current regime is in charge, this theme is bound to become recurring.  Even if Anthony Davis decides to take his talents home to Chicago in a few years, the story is bound to remain the same.

Following a championship-caliber team should be easier than this, but that's not what we signed up for as fans.  The aches and pains always come with the territory, even when times are good.  Still, things could always be worse.  We could all be Knicks fans.