Thibs, Timberwolves Beat Bulls

The above iconic image of Tom Thibodeau during his time with the Bulls has been used many times on social media since it came to be.  It showed up plenty of times last year when the Bulls were on their way to missing the playoffs.  On Tuesday, it made a triumphant return as Thibodeau's Minnesota Timberwolves came from behind to win, 99-94, at the United Center.

Things started well when the Bulls exploited a thin Timberwolves defense down low.  They led by as much as 21 in the second quarter before the visitors, who entered tied with Dallas for the worst record in the NBA, began to look like the team people expected at the start of the year.  Their youth and athleticism, the very thing Gar Forman and John Paxson backtracked on during the offseason, played a large part in making up the entire deficit and eventually, taking the lead.  The Bulls, who scored 38 points in the first quarter, became stagnant on offense and were badly beat frequently on defense to complete the NBA's biggest collapse so far this season.

For the second time in 10 days, the Bulls lost to a team entering with the league's worst record.  Take out the first quarter and it was ugly from start to finish.  They were outscored 77-56 in the final three quarters and shot 24 percent from the field.  And during one stretch, they made just one of 12 3-point attempts.

All five Timberwolves starters scored in double figures.  Zach LaVine led them with 24 points and Andrew Wiggins just trailed him with 23.  There were 16 points apiece from Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng, whom the Bulls passed on in the 2013 draft for Tony Snell.  In typical Thibodeau fashion, no Minnesota starter played less than 34 minutes and on this night, it didn't hurt the young team.

Jimmy Butler was the game's top scorer with 27 points and came within a rebound of a double-double.  Robin Lopez had 14, but just four in the second half, though he did get on highlight reels with some emphatic blocks (finishing with 4).  Dwyane Wade totaled 12 on a night he wasn't particularly sharp (4 of 13 from the field) and found himself ejected in the final seconds for clapping in referee Ben Taylor's face.  Taj Gibson added 10.

There's no way this should have turned out the way it did, but Thibodeau's crew had extra incentive to play extra hard when it fell in an early hole.  Meanwhile, the Bulls again played down to their competition and couldn't find another wind once they fell out of the first one.  The shooting was putrid and the defense either collapsed frequently or couldn't get back on fast breaks.  No team can play a game like this and expect to come out on top.

The Bulls will lick their wounds Wednesday before playing a nationally televised road game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the first of a home-and-home.  Rajon Rondo will hopefully be back from a sprained ankle.  But it won't matter if they don't play those 48 minutes of intensity.  I always to channel the late Norm Van Lier, but it becomes necessary when the worst of the NBA is besting what should be an above-average Bulls team and Thibs is laughing all the way home.