Contenders, conshmenders. Bring ‘em on!
Bucks? Shot down. Heat? Felt the chill. 76ers? Removed the spirit. LeBron James and the Lakers Wednesday in the United Center? Going under in the Bulls 124-108 win.
Shouldn’t you get a banner for using the in-season tournament champions as kindling?
Talk about a team on fire.
Are the Bulls the greatest 12-17 team in NBA history?
"We’re coming together, figuring out a lot of things we were struggling with early on,” said DeMar DeRozan, who led eight Bulls scoring in double figure with 27 points and a perfect 8-for-8 second half. “Figuring out how to create shots, play-make. We had all the right intentions the beginning of the season; things just were’t going our way. I think now having the comfort, sharing the ball, not caring who does what, making it easy for one another, scrambling defensively, trying to make something happen. We’re accepting the challenge every single night.
“We’re trying to get out of this hole we dug ourselves (5-14), and the only way is one game at a time,” said DeRozan. “As long as you stick with it and stay consistent and persistent (we believed) it would turn.”
It seems to have like no one expected, and more than winning seven of the last 10. They’ve been whatever you want to call them, statement, signature, significant victories over some of the best and hottest teams in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and now the recently celebrated Lakers of December fame.
James got his with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, though also five turnovers and never really a threat as the Bulls took charge of the game early with a double digit first quarter lead, paused some in the second quarter as the Lakers closed in their rear view mirror. But with strength on the boards with a 48-40 edge, DeRozan with nine of the Bulls 25 assists, and especially an uncanny shooting game with 18-of-34 threes and 55% overall shooting, the Bulls pressed down on the accelerator of their game and the Lakers’ throats in pulling away to a 90-78 lead after three quarters and an arms length double digits lead just about the rest of the way.
Lakers star Anthony Davis had to exit for a bit in the third quarter with an apparent ankle sprain. A dose of iodine to get him back? He did return, but it was an anodyne Lakers performance the rest of the way as the Bulls never were seriously challenged. Or allowed the Lakers to do so.
Coby White added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso each had 15 and Nikola Vučević had 13 points and 10 assists. Despite learning Torrey Craig could be out two months with a foot injury, the Bulls reserves led by Ayo Dosunmu with 14 points added 37 to the Bulls total.
"We’re all super unselfish guys,” said White. “I feel the ball is moving at a high rate. I think the main things we are doing these last how many games is playing a lot faster, made baskets getting the ball out quick and up the floor making us hard to guard. Coach has been since the beginning of the year trying to get us to play fast and now we are starting to.
“We feel we are all super positive players and teammates and want to see each other succeed,” White added. “Really good win for us against a really good team that has championship aspirations. Honestly, we were due. Especially from the beginning of the season, we were getting a lot of the same shots and they weren’t falling and now they are starting to fall. Playing faster opened up a lot for us not playing against set defenses and taking advantage of the mismatches. Another way we can create threes is with the offensive rebounds. We’re (also) getting back to where we were defensively last year playing for one another. I feel we are now hitting our stride and starting to make shots.”
Who am I to challenge the Bulls new white hot hero, but the pace of play seems somewhat similar other than with the opportunities after turnovers. The Lakers actually had 21-18 fast break edge.
Where the Bulls have looked so different is with quicker decision making, more passing in the half court, the ball moving too quickly for the defense to respond and thus so many open shots.
That was evident after a mini 9-4 Laker start when the Bulls flipped the script not only making five threes, but making the Lakers look old and defenseless. White got his own miss and made a three. Vučević got a miss and followed with a slam dunk. Dosunmu was so open for so long on a corner three James didn’t even know to whom to complain. It was just the beginning of a kaleidoscope of colorful highlights for the Bulls in perforating the Lakers’ smug.
There was Caruso’s shake-and-bake to leave Cam Reddish in the rubbish, Caruso flying — well running fast — to block a Reddish fast break attempt after a Bulls turnover, and near halftime White with a Tar Heel-step layup score after the Lakers closed within 53-51 following a some Taurean Prince baskets.
Sure, Prince was charming. But it was the Bulls having a ball and perhaps making their own glass slipper claim to NBA royalty.
But it’s not like we haven’t seen stuff like this before.
Does it feel like 2004-05 all over again?
That was the season the Bulls started 0-9 and basically were written off by the league with angry local suggestions to get rid of everyone. But then coach Scott Skiles made a tweak in the lineup with defensive-oriented and pass happy reserves Chris Duhon and Antonio Davis moving into the starting lineup, and their play began to flow while their opponents met a wall.
The Bulls, about this time of year that season after being a similar 13-18, won 13 of 16 and went on to a 47-win season, the playoffs and second in the division.
This time it’s been with Zach LaVine finally going out of the lineup 10 games ago with a foot ailment, though it’s mostly been the debut of this new version of Coby White, the Damian Lillard clone.
So addition by subtraction? Though the Bulls also are undefeated since Craig hasn’t played.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan was having none of it.
“I’ve said this before anytime you lose a really, really great player and a talented player like Zach, I think it always hurts you,” Donovan insisted. “Hopefully he’s back sooner than later. With his skill set and the way he shoots the basketball, he’s always been to me a guy who can get out in transition and is really, really good in situations.
“I think Zach can play any style because he can put it on the floor, shoot threes and get to the rim,” Donovan reiterated. “For us, with him coming back in I think he fits into how we are trying to play. So you would say why didn’t you play that way at the beginning? Why does it look different? I think there’s been improvements we’ve made in the way we need to play. As long as we are moving the ball, passing the ball, not holding it. Tonight, we held it too long at times. It wasn’t just DeMar or Vooch; sometimes Coby had it too long, sometimes AC had it too long. It’s collectively what we’ve got to do and we’ve done a better job of that. I’m hopeful when he gets himself healthy he can get himself back to where he was. I think what he was dealing with his foot for a long period of time I’m not so sure he was ever right. So when you look at his numbers some may have been what he was dealing with and trying to fight through. If he can get back healthy hopefully he will thrive.”
LaVine is not expected back until next month, though there have been ongoing and mesmerizing rumors regarding his status with the Bulls and possible trades. The most common potential landing site has been with the Lakers, especially because he, James and Anthony Davis share the same agent firm.
It’s been a story line in Los Angeles since the team apparently was denied a parade earlier this month. The Lakers have lost four of five since they were declared December brides, and the Los Angeles Times story about Wednesday’s game led off with speculation about a trade for LaVine.
The story began like this: “It felt like a player on the bench in street clothes was having the biggest impact. It’s been impossible to ignore that the Bulls’ recent turnaround has happened with Zach LaVine on the bench because of a foot injury. It’s also impossible to ignore what LaVine could do for a team like, say the Lakers, who clunked and clanged their way to a 124-108 loss to LaVine’s (for now) Bulls.”
You know what they say, where there’s smoke…there’s these smokin’ hot Bulls.
“We’ve still got a lot of road to cover,” said DeRozan. “Sometimes you’ve got to go through it so you can find a different type of motivation that you can come together with. Everyone wanted success so much. We put in the work and dedicated ourselves and a lot of times when the outcome wasn’t what you wanted a lot of frustration comes. And that has to bring motivation to push through and I think that’s what it did for us. That’s how we have to play, not being predictable. It’s hard to guard when we play that way and having the confidence no matter who is shooting the ball. It feels sustainable because we are getting easy shots and when you know where your shots are coming from with the ball movement it makes it a lot easier.”
The game Wednesday began a six-game homestead for the Bulls, and suddenly .500 doesn’t look so unattainable. So why stop there?
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