Playoffs

Sam Smith

The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are reeling and ailing.

The Bulls, losers of 15 of their last 23 games since All-Star break and swept 4-0 by the Bucks this season in losing 16 of the last 17 between the teams, are rocking and rolling with now potential home court advantage in the first-round playoff series after Wednesday's 114-110 victory in Milwaukee.

"We had a long season, a lot of adversity," agreed Alex Caruso, who was part of that with six weeks off from a flagrant foul by Milwaukee's Grayson Allen. "It was almost a little bit of (saying). ‘Start the playoffs already.' We were in a hole, but we got our spirit back. We talked to each other about the opportunity we had in front of us: It's the playoffs! You've got to get up and play, and if not you shouldn't play. It comes with the territory. So you're going to do the things it takes to win."

The Bulls did most of those things in Game 1 in narrowly losing after taking a third quarter lead and toggling with Milwaukee though most of the fourth Sunday before falling back. There was no such retreat Wednesday in Game 2 as the Bulls dominated from a 9-0 start, led pretty much all game and as much as 18 in the third quarter, and then never flinched as the Bucks made one, last effort late.

"Go to game 3," said Caruso. "We have to win three more times, they have to try to win three more times. Lot more games to play."

DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Alex Caruso all had big contributions in the Bulls' Game 2 victory in Milwaukee.

Though now after a career playoff-high 41 points from DeMar DeRozan and another superb effort from Nikola Vucevic with 24 points and 13 rebounds, it all doesn't look so daunting. Especially because it's now the Bucks suddenly facing the adversity. After getting going late with five of seven threes, Bucks high scoring forward Khris Middleton suffered an apparent sprained MCL knee injury that could keep him out the rest of the series. Earlier, Bobby Portis left with an eye abrasion after being elbowed by Tristan Thompson and missed the second half. And the Bucks said vital reserve George Hill apparently will miss the rest of the series with an abdominal injury.

Giannis Antetokounmpo almost willed the Bucks back with 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. And Brook Lopez added 25 points. But Jrue Holiday was slowed again, now with 10 turnovers in the two games, and the Bucks bench virtually disappeared with eight combined points on two of 13 shooting.

Meanwhile, the Bulls got yeoman work from Patrick Williams with 10 points and nine rebounds, 20 efficient points from Zach LaVine and the most impactful nine points and 10 rebounds from the relentless Caruso.

"I think coming out of the All-Star break and the teams we played and the way we played and especially the last four home games, that was really not us at all," admitted Bulls coach Billy Donovan. "It was disappointing the way we played and we felt like we were better. I think coming out, having that six days I think our guys worked really hard to understand that (playoff) mentality.

Tap to listen to full postgame reaction from Billy Donovan after Chicago's 114-110 win over Milwaukee.

"Maybe playing against some of these higher level teams at the end of the year maybe helped us grow, hardened us, helped us get better, helped us to have that kind of mentality that we have to move onto the the next play," Donovan added. "Because I think at times this year when we played against good teams and it started to go a little bit the other way, we didn't have enough in us to get it going back in our direction. We have to be able to do that, especially in the playoffs because teams are too good and too talented and especially this team with such continuity. You know they are going to respond. You know they are going to fight back and they did. And we had to make some plays."

And what was impressive for the Bulls were they made those plays just about every time in Game 2.

It was a shocking start with Bucks turnovers on their first three possessions, which sort of announced for the Bulls that a different kind of team was here compared to the one the Bucks toyed with all regular season.

Nikola Vucevic posted a 24 point, 13 rebound double-double in the victory.

"I think our approach is very different going into the playoffs," said Vucevic. "We obviously understood we had a bad stretch to end the season, and we came in after a day off and we talked about what we didn't do well and what we needed to do to have a chance going forward. I thought we bought into it and I think we were able to put that behind us and come into the series and just play. We also understood, especially the older guys, that whatever happened in the regular season it doesn't matter anymore at this point. You just have to focus on the series and go one game at a time.

"Obviously, Game 1 was a tough game; we came up short," noted Vucevic. "But tonight was another opportunity. Every game in the playoffs is a new opportunity regardless of what happened before. You can't think about it; you have to move on and play better. And I felt that's what we did tonight."

The Bulls did the way they closed off the lane to make it so difficult for Antetokounmpo as he added three more turnovers to his five from Game 1. Their defensive help on Giannis in the lane was strong and quick, and then they hustled back to close out on the Bucks shooters, who again went awry from three. The Bulls primarily stayed with their starters, and the effort was inspiring.

The Bucks did close within 29-28 after the first quarter, but the Bulls opened up a 63-49 halftime lead thanks to a smothering run of defense led by Caruso late in the second quarter to force multiple turnovers. The Bucks made that inevitable run midway in the third quarter, a 15-2 here-they-come-again that in recent weeks has seen the Bulls wilting like a rose planted in Chicago in February.

Tap to watch full-game highlights from Chicago's Game 2 win in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

"We're up 16, 18 and they come storming back and cut it to (three); you have to deal with that," reminded Donovan. "There are going to be the swings and the communication was great and in the huddle it was, ‘We know they're going to make a run; now it's time for us to respond. We've got to respond.' And we did. We got the lead back up and that's what you've got to be able to do. Guys like Vooch and DeMar and Zach, these veteran guys, they've played a lot of basketball and they know that in the league there's going to be these swings. Those guys' poise, their leadership and their communication was really good. That was the talk, that we've got to move to the next play, the next situation.

"A lot of the good teams in the league understand the swings in the game and don't get emotionally wrapped up and are able to focus on the next possession and go out there and play," said Donovan. "I think maybe we've learned some of that stuff with some of the teams we've played in April. And coming out of the All-Star break as challenging as our schedule was, we had to learn some of those things."

Perhaps lesson well learned if also difficult to endure at the time.

The Bucks with that late third quarter run made it 81-78. And we've seen this show before. But there was a 6-0 Bulls close on a Vucevic slam on a Caruso pass and a DeRozan score and free throws. And then to start the fourth quarter, it was nine straight Bulls points for a 96-80 Bulls lead, DeRozan right in the middle of everything with a steal on a Giannis shot to start and then a pair of baskets between a Vucevic three and another score.

"I looked at all my missed shots from Game 1," said DeRozan, who had declared no way was it going to be another six of 25. "I was in here last night (Fiserv Forum) shooting, just getting my rhythm. I got to my spots and understanding I never let a miss deter me from taking my next shot and being aggressive; I knew it wasn't going to happen (again).

DeMar DeRozan set a new playoff career-high with 41 points in Game 2.

"It doesn't matter what you did in the regular season," DeRozan agreed if not helping season ticket sales people. "It's a brand new start, brand new mindset. You could see that in all the guys. It didn't matter if we lost 20 times to those guys. This is a new opportunity for us to go out and compete, and we have to take advantage of it."

The Bucks got some momentum in the fourth quarter with a successful challenge on a Holiday block on DeRozan that was first called a foul. But then with Antetoukounmpo crashing down the lane repeatedly, it looked like the Bucks might produce the magic trick of victory, drawing within 112-109 after two Lopez free throws with 56.4 seconds left.

But then it was the Bulls with the spirit and veteran savvy as Caruso first and then Vucevic with a tip out got offensive rebounds that led to a DeRozan score, appropriately enough over Giannis to effectively clinch the game with 22.3 seconds left.

"The shot making was obviously much better, especially our poise as well, especially the end of the game," said Vucevic. "It was a little bit of a scramble mode (in that possession) and once we shot the ball I saw an opportunity at the rim trying to get the rebound. I think it was Giannis with me, and I couldn't get the ball. So I just tried to tip it out, a broken play and an opportunity for us."

Which it really is now with the next two games in Chicago.

"I expect a very loud United Center," said Vucevic. "Bulls fans are hungry for some playoff games. They've been great with us all season long, so I can't imagine what it's going to be like in the playoffs. We're looking forward to it and are going to try to use that energy and feed off it, and hopefully we can play well. We as players have to focus on a game plan and do our part, and obviously the fans are going to be huge and it's going to be exciting. We can't wait."

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Bulls beat Bucks behind DeRozan's 41 points, tie series 1-1

It was a night to celebrate in the United Center, a shining moment, if you will. There weren't the confetti carpeting for locker room baseball hats, but the Bulls Tuesday did cap off the season they promised in clinching their first playoff spot in five years.

"I'm happy for our guys, I'm happy for the organization," said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. "You want to be playing during that time of year. I'm excited for the guys because they've worked hard and it's been a really good group considering this is really the first time they've all played with one another. I'm happy they'll get a chance to experience that, for the organization, the history and championships, and what the organization has done for a long period of time to be able to get back to the playoffs."

But the Milwaukee Bucks in dominating virtually the entire...

"It's always an honor to be able to get into the playoffs," added DeMar DeRozan. "The franchise hasn't been here in five years. So for us to make the jump that we made to be in the position to be able to compete in the playoffs, it's definitely great. It will give us an opportunity to further our season and play for something bigger. As long as the opportunity is there, it's a chance. It would be different if we weren't making it and we were talking about next year. For us to still have a chance and have an opportunity to pick it up and use these next couple games to be going in the right direction at the right time, that's what it's all about. Anything can happen. You always kind of look at it from the positive point of view."

But in trailing by double digits for virtually the...

"It's great for all of us, happy to have done it," said Nikola Vucevic. "That was our goal from the beginning of the year to get there and after that see what happens. It would have been nicer to happen on a better night, but for sure it means a lot for the players, the organization, the city. So hopefully we can continue to do well. We would prefer it shows through results where we are playing better and winning games, but it just takes time."

So it wasn't a celebratory evening until the score was posted that the Cleveland Cavaliers lost. That meant both the Bulls, now sixth in the Eastern Conference at 45-34, and the Toronto Raptors clinched the last two playoff positions in the Eastern Conference. The top six teams will get a week off as the NBA adds two playoff teams in the play-in tournament, which in the East involves Cleveland, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Charlotte.

The Bulls can no longer get a home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs, so there's little meaning for the final three games, starting Wednesday in the United Center against Boston. The Bulls are home Friday against Charlotte and close the regular season Sunday in Minnesota.

Their first-round opponent likely won't be known until the last day of the season with Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia tied for second through fourth and Toronto a game ahead of the Bulls. Though the Bulls hold the tiebreaker over Toronto.

But it sounded like the Bulls were going to seriously play out the last three games without much rest both because of the week off before the start of the playoffs and the danger of losing continuity, though the Bulls hasn't been particularly good since the All-Star break in losing 13 of 20.

Tap to watch postgame reaction from Billy Donovan after a bittersweet night where Chicago clinches a playoff berth despite losing to the Bucks on Tuesday night.

"The big thing is the guys' health," agreed Donovan. "But the other thing is I don't want to miss out - and I think AK (chief basketball executive Arturas Karnisovas) would be in alignment with this, too - where you sit there and say, ‘OK, were going to sit these guys out and not play them and not necessarily worry about growing and getting better.' There's going to be another week layoff before you play again and (we're) not sure who you're going to play. There's a different rhythm to that. I do think there's a level of opportunity because I think we have some inexperienced guys in these situations. We'll be taking inventory of how they are feeling and what they need, (but) we're not necessarily changing where we're at (in the standings)."

"I don't need no time off," said DeRozan, who takes among the least for NBA stars. "It takes that one game for us to be going completely in the right direction. There's nothing like having a rhythm while playing. For me, I hate sitting too long. I love playing. I'm going to continue to play this thing out, continue to find a better rhythm for us team wise on both ends and hopefully we're going in the right direction come next week. It's going to come. It sucks right now over the last couple of weeks, but I have the utmost confidence in the guys."

OK, the game. I've stalled enough, but this was one to look away, nothing to see here. Well, not much.

DeRozan in the nationally televised ESPN game made his last bid for MVP consideration with 40 points through three quarters that continued to provide some hope and keep ESPN from switching to the G-league playoff game early.

DeRozan finished with 40 points through three quarters in the loss to Milwaukee.

DeRozan finished the game with 40 points after finally getting a rest in playing 33 of the first 36 minutes. Without him, and with Zach LaVine sitting out with his sore knee issues, the Bulls couldn't do much. DeRozan got a brief fourth quarter cameo, missed one shot and then Donovan emptied the bench with about five minutes left.

The Bulls never were close in this one against a Bucks team that didn't even seem to be playing too hard. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points, didn't attempt a shot in the first quarter when the Bucks took a 12-point lead after nine minutes, and had three shots by halftime in a 58-46 Bucks edge.

The defending champs looked confident enough with seven players scoring in double figures led by Brook Lopez with 28 points, repeatedly rolling down the lane for scores as the Bucks continued to abuse the Bulls in pick and roll plays.

With LaVine out, Patrick Williams got his first start in his return from surgery and had 18 points and shot confidently. Coby White broke out of his three-point shooting woes with 13 points. But no other Bulls player scored in double figures with Vucevic an unproductive three of 19 shooting.

And then he was one of the biggest stories, less for his shooting, which he and Donovan agreed was just an aberration, than a technical/flagrant foul assessed on what looked like a hard foul/cheap shot on Bucks villain (to the Bulls) Grayson Allen.

It came with about 10 minutes left in the game and the Bulls trailing by 15 points. And it generated about the only enthusiasm for the patrons other than an occasional DeRozan MVP chant.

Allen, of course, took out Alex Caruso for about six weeks with a flagrant foul in January. Derrick Jones returned a hard foul for a flagrant when the teams played last month. And then the Bucks bench erupted when it seemed Vucevic continued the pay back.

Or did he. I don't believe he did even if Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said it crossed the line. C'mon, the guy did post game interviews in three languages. And he reads. Books.

"I just saw somebody drive and I saw that I was late," Vucevic related. "I got pushed a little bit (by Lopez, who was called for an offensive foul before Vucevic's foul). I was trying to swipe at the ball. It looked worse in the moment, but when you look at the replay it wasn't even that bad. My intention wasn't to pay back or anything. I talked to him (Allen) right afterward; no big deal. Their bench reacted, but right after when they saw the replay a couple of their players came to me and they saw I wasn't trying to hard foul him on purpose; it just happened the way the play developed. I don't understand why I got a tech for it. So I hope I get my money back for that tech."

Some fans calling for peace overseas were, nevertheless, disappointed.

It was a disappointing effort for the Bulls, though really no surprise with the Bucks at full strength and LaVine out. Caruso played 22 minutes and was scoreless. And if anyone probably could use some time off it's him with his back issues. Plus, the way he plays it would seem he only would make it worse. In the last five games, he's two of 15 on threes and averaging about two and a half points. With Caruso starting with reluctant offensive players like Ayo Dosunmu and Williams, the Bulls fell behind early and only thanks to some remarkable shooting runs by DeRozan were able to stay within the broadcasters' it's-still-a-game distance. Though the Bulls did fall behind by 21 points early in the third quarter.

"You want to be going into this time of year playing well," Donovan acknowledged. "I don't think that we necessarily haven't played well. I think we have shot really poorly. We have not been able to consistently shoot well enough for a period of time, but I think our effort tonight was really good and in general it's been good. I'm hopeful these experiences will harden us and we'll get tougher and more resilient and more battle tested going through some of the stuff we've gone through because since the All-Star break it's been a challenging schedule with the quality of teams we've played. I do think it's good because it's shining a light on what you have to do and where you have to get to; I think that's a positive."

Donovan did again give a look to Derrick Jones Jr., who made a pair of threes and could be more of a factor in the playoffs. It's difficult to compete with teams like the veteran Bucks and Heat starting basically two rookies in Dosunmu and Williams.

Lonzo Ball watches from the Bulls bench during Chicago's game against Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

Donovan prior to the game said Ball even after this 10-day resting/reassessment period is still feeling knee discomfort. Which hardly bodes well for a playoff return.

"It's disappointing from the standpoint that you were hoping that the time that he had off could help him maybe propel going forward and do a little bit more, but that certainly hasn't been the case," Donovan said of Ball. LaVine is considered day to day. Donovan said the team and Ball's representatives will meet in the next few days.

And so even if Tuesday wasn't a game to celebrate, it was a night to appreciate because the Bulls achieved goal No. 1 for this season.

And not being the Lakers. Couldn't resist.

"We are a new team, a new group, a lot of young guys, and when we play some of those better teams that have been together for awhile and have that experience and have played in big games and big series, sometimes it shows we lack some of those important things, like paying attention to detail," said Vucevic. "So just part of a learning process. I think our main issues are the consistency of doing all those things and hopefully we can use these next three games to take a step forward."

bulls-clinch-playoff-berth-for-first-time-in-five-years-despite-loss-to-bucks

Bulls clinch playoff berth for first time in five years despite loss to Bucks

Bulls.com

The Bulls announced today that tickets for all potential home games in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament and the first and second rounds of the 2022 NBA Playoffs will go on sale to the public today, Friday, April 1 at 10 a.m. CT via Bulls.com and at the United Center Box Office. Due to high demand, there will be an eight-ticket purchase limit per person for each game.

Opponents, game dates and times for NBA Play-In Tournament games will not be determined until the end of the regular season. Opponents, game dates and times for the first round of the NBA Playoffs may not be determined until after the Play-In Tournament.

Fans who purchased tickets to any unplayed home games will automatically be issued a refund by their point of purchase. Once purchased, Play-In Tournament and Playoff tickets will be accessible via the Bulls mobile app.

Bulls 2022-23 Season Tickets are also available. Fans who purchase new full season ticket plans will have guaranteed access to tickets for all Bulls home games during the 2021-22 Playoffs. The Bulls will also launch another round of its SEE RED campaign presented by BMO in the upcoming postseason, featuring promotional giveaways and encouraging fans to wear red to all home playoff games.

For any questions, please reach out to the Chicago Bulls Ticketing Department at (312) 455-4000.

tickets-for-nba-play-in-and-first-and-second-rounds-of-nba-playoffs-on-sale-today-at-10-am

Tickets For NBA Play-In And First And Second Rounds Of NBA Playoffs On Sale Today At 10 AM

Life is why you never give up. There’s always hope, and you can be very surprised what you find around that unexplored corner. Or unused lineup. There’s always a chance if you don’t surrender to your disappointment and anguish. The Bulls discovered that last month after a devastating and embarrassing loss in Boston and eventful airplane ride to North Carolina.

Few these days find peace and resolution on the way to North Carolina.

The Bulls did, a change in lineup, attitude and style that helped produce seven wins in the last nine games, a 41-41 record that was good enough for the last seat on the NBA playoff bus. Which for the Bulls rolls into Boston 5:30 p.m. Sunday to start against the No. 1 seeded Celtics.

The Bulls are considered underdogs, long shots. Though they’re a lot closer than they were a month ago, now with vigor and vivacity that seemed long lost.

Yogi Berra supposedly observed once when you reach the fork in the road to take it. The Bulls had come upon a crossroads of their season. The trip from Boston to North Carolina became an awakening that even now gives them hope, if not belief, they can make something special of this often incongruous and inglorious season.

“I do remember,” said Wade about that lost afternoon and subsequent plane ride when he huddled with coach Fred Hoiberg. “(Rajon) Rondo got in the lineup after that. Niko (Mirotic) got back in. Then we played Charlotte and we won and then I got hurt. It was a big moment for this team. For me, just being a leader and going to talk to coach and watch film with him and talk about a few things I saw. And understanding if we were going to make the playoffs, we needed those guys. We needed Niko; we needed Rondo. Coach obviously made a decision on what needed to be done and that’s the reason we’re in the post season now for sure.”

The Bulls had reached a low point in the season both numerically at 31-35 and spiritually with the calamitous loss in Boston on national TV. It wasn’t just the near 30-point deficit much of the game or the horrific shooting, the sagging shoulders under the weight of a season seeming to having fallen in on them. The Celtics were laughing at them, Isaiah Thomas joining the fans’ wave while sitting on the bench, Celtics players laughing at those comments not usually so funny.

The season had become a doctorate in dysfunction, changing lineups, trades, promotions, demotions, rivalries, team meetings, individual accusations, fines, benchings. There was plenty of "me" in spelling team for those guys.

The hope of the so called Three Alphas upon arrival with the 10-6 start through November had been extinguished in the reality many saw previously: Three guys best with the ball, not so good shooting three pointers, playing with two other guys who rebound well, but don’t score or shoot. It took a month, but the rest of the NBA picked up on it. The squeeze on the court often was obscured by the personalities off.

Rondo, Butler and Wade wasn’t working. Someone had to go. Rondo was low man with the shortest contract. He was benched after the Dec. 30 loss in Indiana that sent the team under .500. He didn’t even play for five games. Meanwhile, Mirotic, facing his own free agency and always a bit uncertain about his status, stewed a bit in his own frustrated juices about losing a starting position to Taj Gibson. He pressed and added pressure. Alone without buddy Pau Gasol, he crawled more into himself. His play, predictably, declined. He left the rotation as well.

There was enough talent with Butler and Wade to be average, but who was satisfied with that? So they rocked and rolled around .500, good wins, horrible losses. Excellence is consistency. They were not.

Boston was the bottom, a fifth straight loss, baked like a Boston bean that Sunday afternoon in March.

Hoiberg was ready for some major changes; it was good to share it with Wade, who had been no great fan of Rondo’s or Mirotic’s. But Wade also understands the game.

He and Hoiberg watched film all the way to Charlotte and it remained clear. They needed more speed from the ball handler, less holding, obviously, but also more shooting to get the defenses off he and Butler. Sure, they’d talked space and pace all season, but there also was the ongoing tryouts and auditions; just who could play with all those kids. It takes time. Time was up.

Hoiberg was glad to hear it from Wade, especially. Rondo needed to be there, so did Mirotic. Hoiberg knew there’d been some friction among them, but he was ready to go with that group again and show Wade his flaws as well. You want your best players to buy in. Wade was offering to pay. Butler was on board.

Rondo went back into the starting lineup the next game in Charlotte and scored 20 points for the first time this season with six assists and six rebounds. Mirotic came off the bench, but he led the Bulls with 24 points and 11 rebounds in one of their better wins of the season. He made five three pointers; it’s much easier to shoot without a boulder of distress on your back.

Professional athletes are the gods of our society, the fittest and fastest, able to perform extraordinary feats. We prefer their lives to be about the joy and success we can revel in. But they bleed like everyone else, emotionally as well. Mirotic had so sought acceptance from the team’s stars. Not that he didn’t have it, but no one ever said. He glowed after he heard Wade had lobbied for his increased presence in the lineup. He told a staffer he’d wished someone had told him before. Everyone likes to hear about acceptance. Not everyone can be the stoic, strong, silent type we celebrate and fantasize about. More fancy than reality.

Mirotic got back into the starting lineup after three games. Since sitting out that Boston game, he is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. More significantly, he is shooting 47 percent on threes and averaging five made threes per game. Rondo started in Charlotte and since except for the three games out with a bad wrist. He’s averaging for the season 7.8 points and 6.7 assists. But since that loss in Boston, he is averaging 12 points and eight assists.

The Bulls since that March game have made double figures threes in a game 12 times in the 16 games and a franchise record seven straight. They’re averaging 107.3 points per game since then in going 10-6. It’s the same record the Bulls had in their 16-game start of good feelings.

It wasn’t a pleasant 50-game interlude to watch or be a part of. But it provided a basis and foundation for growth and realization. Your worst days can prove to be your best remedies as long as you don’t give in to them. It’s a credit to this Bulls group they survived the darkness by trying to unlock their aspirations.

“It was a collective team effort,” said Rondo, the former Celtic from their 2008 champions. “There were a lot of ups and down this year. Whatever happens regardless of what happened throughout the season, we are where we want to be right now. Got to keep moving forward. We went through adversity. A couple of games we got down, but we stuck with it and continued to fight back. It was an ugly loss (in Boston in March), a TV game, Sunday afternoon, and they put it to us. It was (a turning point). I think it has to be in our heads, how they put it to us the last time they played us. We've got to come out and compete.”

No reason to believe now after what they endured, realized, accepted and overcame that they won’t.

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Wade vocal in the turning point of Rondo and Mirotic

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

The NBA’s final four (small letters with no sappy song at the end) begins Tuesday with the Houston Rockets against the Golden State Warriors. The Eastern Conference final opens Wednesday in Atlanta with the Cleveland Cavaliers playing the Hawks.

That would be the No. 1 vs No. 2 regular season teams in each conference meeting one another for the right to play for the NBA title. Of course, looking at it another way, perhaps we didn’t have to spend that much time with the playoffs since the No. 1 and No. 2 teams are where they should be, playing an elimination for the Finals.

The first game Tuesday gets a warm up act with the NBA draft lottery to determine which of the teams not much trying to win ultimately succeeded. Though not by that much as there isn’t a LeBron-esque gotta-have-him No. 1 pick this year. There never really is anymore with the top players leaving college after a year, or basically after John Calipari shouts, “Next!”

There’s plenty of uncertainty about the top pick, supposedly either Kentucky’s Karl Towns or Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. Though there’s a sense that it’s maybe a little like 2005 when the big guys, Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams, went 1-2, and then came the difference making guards, Chris Paul and Deron Williams. And it is a guard oriented NBA now as the conference finals suggest.

Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay who skipped college to play in China, and Duke’s Justise Winslow are supposed to be the next three and perhaps much more ready prospects than either of the top two.

It also so happens the Western Conference headliners are the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, the league’s Most Valuable Player, and Houston’s James Harden, the runner up, both the leading scorers on their teams and guards.

In the East, it’s LeBron James at basically every position, but sort of a hybrid power postup point guard since he runs the offense, bringing the ball up and also making plays for the shooters out of the post. Probably charting plays of the Western games on his day off. As the brilliant Mel Brooks prophesized, it is good to be the king. And then there’s the Hawks, or as they said in Atlanta, “Go figure.” That’s a 60-win team? Hey, the regular season said so. And the Bulls, Wizards, Raptors and the like aren’t laughing so hard now.

It’s been a heck of a playoffs, if surprisingly only in the lack of surprise that pretty much no one figured three of the four teams still playing would still be playing. LeBron, OK. You never have him out early. Of course, anytime he doesn’t win the title we can all say, “See, he’s no Jordan.” He is pretty tough, however, and has a good one going here. We thought it was amazing he got championship rings for Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and Rashard Lewis. But for J.R. Smith, Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov? Now, that would be something.

When the season began, sure LeBron was in that, “hey, maybe” category. But not Atlanta, Golden State and Houston. Of course, but who? That’s one reason they are there because no one could figure who should be there.

The Heat melted down once LeBron left, and though the San Antonio Spurs were everyone’s “uh oh, watch out,” they proved the conventional wisdom that there was no dominant team this season. And the way these things work if you have brackets and games then someone has to win and move on.

That 1 vs 2 thing was clear enough in the East as the Hawks and Cavs did pretty much look like the best even if the Hawks didn’t quite dominate.

Though the Rockets were technically No. 2, it wasn’t exactly with great vision since if the Spurs had won their last game of the season they would have been No. 2 with home court. Instead, they fell to No. 6 in the wild and wacky West. Still, the lesson about the regular season proved useful. By getting that Game 7 at home, the Rockets were able to defeat the Clippers. It matters. The Clippers won a home Game 7 to knock out the defending champion Spurs.

Yes, after the first round it meant a new champion.

So it made for one of the better playoffs in recent memory because there was real mystery. It became a heck of a lot of, “Why not us.”

There was loads of great stuff, as good as any being the back to back buzzer beater winners in the Bulls-Cavs series by Derrick Rose and LeBron James. Paul Pierce got one and called “Game,” and then came a fraction late to force a Game 7. Chris Paul had the Willis Reed award moment with his Game 7 pulled hamstring performance to knock out the Spurs and Curry had an amazing three to force overtime that preserved the Warriors first round sweep. Anthony Davis introduced himself again averaging more than 30 points and 10 rebounds in his first playoff experience.

The playoffs, of course, are about winners and losers, and pretty much everyone is a winner who gets to the conference finals. Maybe not LeBron, as he’s judged on Jordan and championships. But even the 67-win Warriors cannot be judged a loser after losing in the first round last year with basically the same team.

Plus, there is winning in losing even in the playoffs. It didn’t help Monty Williams, but it was a win for the Pelicans to get there, and especially the way they did with a win over the Spurs on the last day when the Spurs needed a win. It was a win for the Bucks playing the Bulls even until Game 6, which probably should have been a bigger tipoff about the Bulls. It was a win for the Wizards. Even though they went as far as they did last season, they were impressive even with John Wall out and pulled off maybe the biggest surprise the way they swept the Raptors. The Celtics also were winners competing as well as they did, though the Cavs still are mad for the Kevin Love injury that knocked him out of the playoffs—another big story—and provoking J.R. Smith, which isn’t that difficult.

Losers included the Raptors for even further minimizing the value of a division title, the Trailblazers for going out so quickly and perhaps provoking a bigger loss with the free agency of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Clippers blowing that 3-1 lead to a Rockets team that seemed ready to give up and Chris Paul being tattooed now with the second-round-and-done label. There was the Mavericks, who basically came apart with all their moves gone bad and basically cut Rajon Rondo during the playoffs. Make it just disappointing for the Spurs losing early as you can’t condemn them after consecutive Finals appearances and a tough seven-game series. They’ll never be losers. The Bulls, however, have to go onto that list with an opportunity squandered with Love out, Smith suspended and Rose back in All-Star form and still losing in six games. They’ll remember this one perhaps as much as the Clippers will regret their two weeks.

How do you beat LeBron? Heck, the Hawks did it three of four times this season. Kyrie Irving is expected to play after some sort of aggravation in Game 6 against the Bulls. Not to say he was acting a bit, but he sure scored a lot of points with such a bad injury. He obviously was hurt in some regard, but it doesn’t seem serious.

Still, without Love this makes it a very competitive series. The Hawks have a bothersome lineup for the Cavs’ Mozgov and Tristan Thompson because of the way Al Horford and Paul Millsap shoot from outside. Neither of the Cavs’ bigs is very mobile moving outside. Horford probably is most responsible for winning the series with Washington. And the Cavs small lineup is too small with Smith, Iman Shumpert, Dellavedova and James Jones. Kendrick Perkins? The Hawks can pray he plays. The Hawks are a tough team to play the way they are all small ball, moving and passing and shooting threes. All the teams still playing were in the top five this season in made three pointers. Memo to Bulls: Shooting! But the Hawks’ shooters seem to have worn down some with the additional defensive pressure of the playoffs. They’ve got a shot at the Cavs, and DeMarre Carroll, much like Jimmy Butler, does a good job on LeBron, or as good as one can. The Hawks were one of the best teams this season pressuring James and Irving and basically challenging the other guys, frustrating LeBron some in a regular season Hawks win.

“I can't be worried about the Hawks right now. It's not like we're going to face them in the first round," James said then. "It was the first time they used that game plan on us (pressuring he and Irving). They kind of caught us by surprise. Down the road if we get to that point, we'll be all right."

Those other guys were better against the Bulls. Can they still be? The Bulls didn’t do a very good job of that. If the Hawks can they could pull the upset, at least as upsets go when you’ve won 60 games and have home court advantage.

This is going to be one big time shoot ‘em up even if San Francisco has the strictest weapons bans. There even were some hard feelings—not the level of Warriors and Clippers—but Curry got into it with Trevor Ariza in the last regular season game as the Warriors won all four by double digits, a 15 per game winning margin. And that was when the Rockets had Patrick Beverley, their best perimeter defender, and Donatas Montiejunas, a reliable interior scorer.

Harden and Jason Terry guarding Curry and Klay Thompson? It’s getting tough to figure how the Rockets will win a game, let alone the series. The Warriors have been the healthiest team and have a tough defense. Draymond Green will ride Harden and Andrew Bogut will get in the way of Dwight Howard. Howard even taunted them the last time they met, saying the Hawks were better. “They’ve (Atlanta) got the best record, right. I thought they were the best team. They play well, they move the ball, the defense and offense has been great this year.”

The Warriors, if Howard hadn’t noticed, have excellent depth and will run in better defenders off the bench than the Rockets have anywhere on the team. Though reaching the conference finals was a huge win for the Rockets, who perennially have been a first round out team and had the most unlikely series win to get to the conference finals. It seemed fairly obvious all the Rockets players brought golf clubs to Game 5 and the Clippers refused to win. And nobody in the playoffs has been worse defensively. The Warriors averaged 115 against them this season and 129 the two games Howard played. If anyone has seen a Rockets players challenge a jump shot in these playoffs raise your hand. At least someone would.  These Warriors will be so close now to the first Finals in 40 years there should be no holding them back.

sam-smiths-conference-finals-preview

Sam Smith's Conference Finals preview

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It was a discouraging end to the 2014-15 season for the Bulls Thursday, a shocking 94-73 home blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers to lose the conference semifinal series 4-2.

But it perhaps was a new beginning for Derrick Rose.

“I always look at me stepping on the floor and me walking off the floor as a positive,” Rose said afterward in a locker room of post mortems. “Of course, I would want to win every game. It’s the NBA; you are not going to win every game. I’m happy with how my body responded when I came back, I’m happy with everything I learned this year, what I went through individually, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I’m at peace with myself. Of course, mad we lost this game and we’re out of the playoffs. But it gives me a chance to really go into this summer with a game plan.”

It wasn’t a time for good feelings among the Bulls after they scored the fewest points they had all season and were defeated by a Cavs team with Matthew Dellavedova as the leading scorer.

But it was the first time in four years Rose left a playoff series walking under his own power, a significant step for not just Rose but the franchise. While the narrative has been that this Bulls team was built to win for this season—and it could have—this was also the first step back for Rose, to try to get through a season for the first time since the Bulls were in the conference finals in 2011.

Though Rose had a six-week setback with meniscus surgery late in the season, Rose played his most games since the 2010-11 season and produced some impressive playoff milestones.

Rose had 14 points and six assists in Game 6 as he and Jimmy Butler with 20 points were the only Bulls players to score in double figures. Against the Cavs, Rose led the team in scoring at 21.7 per game and assists at 6.5 while also averaging an impressive 5.3 rebounds per game. Rose averaged 39 minutes per game against the Cavs. Rose didn’t miss a playoff game and in the 12 playoff games averaged 20.3 points, second to Butler’s 22.9, along with 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 38 minutes per game. If not quite MVP-level scoring, it was impressive across the board statistics for a player some doubted would even be in these playoffs.

“The good thing is I think he’s regained his confidence,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said about Rose. “I thought he played very aggressively. You’ve got to remember he hasn’t played in three post seasons. Overall, playing in the last five games in the regular season and getting this experience I think is really good for him. I think he’ll have a great year next year. I think he feels really good about where he is. He would want to play better, but he has a lot of confidence right now in where he is; that was a positive.”

That’s vital for the Bulls going forward.

In many respects, it’s more an immediate two-year plan for these Bulls given Rose now comes off his first full playoffs in four years, Joakim Noah is entering the last season of his contract and Pau Gasol figures to still be at a high level in the second season of a three-year contract with the Bulls. Being able to head into a season with a strong and healthy Rose without the minutes limitations Rose played under all this season should provide confidence and additional flexibility for the Bulls and Rose going forward.

“We tried to battle our way through it; it didn’t end the way we wanted,” said Rose, who had 10 points in the first quarter in the only sustained play for the Bulls during the game. “When things happen like that the only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes, learn from the past and just try to adjust and prepare yourself for the future.

“I think we have a team (that) it’s all about just growing together,” said Rose. “Having your ups and downs. This definitely is a down right now. It’s all about getting through it and I know we’ll bring it (championship) here one day.

“I’ve got a baseline now,” said Rose. “I’m healthy. I’m going into this summer with a game plan, certain things to work on. I feel I’m going to push myself the hardest I ever pushed myself in my career. See where it takes me.

“I wouldn’t say (I played) my best, but I played very well sometimes,” said Rose. “It’s all about being consistent, just staying in the gym and preparing myself. That’s one thing I think I did well, prepare myself for every game even thought I didn’t perform the way I wanted to perform; but my body felt good. So it’s about going back in the lab this summer and putting my game back together.

“A lot of positives; some negatives,” Rose said about his season. “But that’s getting in the gym and staying in the gym; that will take away the negatives. The positive side is I felt good after every game. I think I prepared myself well for every game. Now it’s all about getting better. When you get smacked by 20, 30 points in the last game your thought process is everywhere. Tomorrow we’ll get together, talk about next year. As far as change and all that, I’m the wrong person to talk to. I’m just a player trying to win games.”

And with a healthier Rose, perhaps that’s possible ahead for the Bulls.

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Derrick Rose's health encouraging in defeat

“While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated.”

And so the Bulls’ 2014-15 season ends with arguably their worst loss of the season at the most vital time, the closeout game of the conference semifinal against rival LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who defeated the Bulls 94-73.

It perhaps sets back the Bulls farther than they imagined, now five and 16 in four playoff series losses to a James team in the last six years, unable to make progress against James even as he played with a shorthanded team and Thursday had just 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. So it raises questions about the future of coach Tom Thibodeau, of whether personnel changes are coming after falling so rapidly after winning the first game of the series in Cleveland and whether the Bulls overestimated what they had.

“That’s the goal every year, (a title),” said Joakim Noah. “Come in every year focused, give (us) a shot. Right now we’re disappointed; it always takes time to digest a season, a lot of ups and down. Right now, I think everybody is hurt, everybody is down. Disappointed with the way the season ended.”

It ended pretty much midway through the second quarter after a spirited 12-6 Bulls start behind Rose pushing the ball in transition and Pau Gasol fighting back from a hamstring injury for eight first quarter points. Though the Bulls trailed 33-31 after one, they were scoring and shooting well (56.5 percent in the quarter), Gasol looked lively, Jimmy Butler was holding down James, two of seven shooting in the quarter, and the expectant home crowd was rocking.

Then early in the second quarter, Kyrie Irving buckled in a collision with teammate Tristan Thompson and had to leave for the game after scoring six points in the first quarter. With Kevin Love out for the series and now Irving heading for the locker room, it was looking more and more like a Game 7 Sunday in Cleveland. And we all know that’s the anything can happen game.

The Bulls pulled ahead 40-38 on a Nikola Mirotic offensive rebound score and one of two free throws after taking J.R. Smith into the post. But the game would soon change dramatically when Mirotic reached across trying to stop a driving Iman Shumpert. Mirotic got Shumpert across the neck for what would be called a flagrant foul while Mirotic would peer over Shumpert. Shumpert, the Oak Park native, made one of two free throws and then a jumper and a three, yelling and cursing afterward at Mirotic after each.

“I think that was the wrong guy to clothesline in his home town,” said Cavs coach David Blatt. “He is really a tough guy besides being a heck of a basketball player. It seemed to really wake him up.”

The Bulls basically never recovered; it’s not a group that quits, but they seemed to, at least, give in. Shumpert hit another three and J.R. Smith added one for a 20-4 run to end the half, the Cavs taking a 58-44 halftime lead. The Bulls then opened the second half missing 10 of their first 11 shots, reverting to their slow paced, heavy play call, stagnant offense with one screen or dribble handoff and shot. They’d pushed the ball in that first quarter, swung for open shots. Now it was back to running down the shot clock and the season. Butler had a little run at the end of the third to get the Bulls within 73-60. But then Dellavedova playing for Irving shot the Bulls out of it to open the fourth and midway through the period the arena was emptying with the Cavs leading by 25.

“For whatever reason we couldn’t really channel our best effort and that’s really been the story all year long,” said Mike Dunleavy. “Since that Game 6 in Milwaukee, we just couldn’t get it going. We have a lot of talent, at our best as good as anybody, and a lot of high expectations. If you would have told me at the beginning of the series about all of Cleveland’s ailments, I would have really liked our chances. We just could not figure it out for whatever reason, whether it be chemistry or injuries. I just can’t put a finger on it. We couldn’t put it together.”

The most frequent question hanging over the team this season has been the fate of coach Tom Thibodeau.
“Until they tell me I’m not, I expect to be here,” Thibodeau said when asked post game about if he’ll be back. “That’s how I’m approaching it.”

Thibodeau has been rumored as a top candidate for vacant positions in Orlando and New Orleans, but Thibodeau said he hasn’t thought about that.

Thibodeau is 255-139 in five seasons with the Bulls, one of the best regular season records in the league in that span. It’s a winning mark of 64 percent. But the Bulls are 23-28 in the playoffs under Thibodeau, a 45 percent success rate. Plus, the Bulls have twice lost in the first round to lower seeds, though one was in 2012 when Rose suffered his ACL injury. The Bulls have lost to James teams in the playoffs three times in five games and this season in six.

Players generally don’t want to be involved in management decisions regarding coaching, but all basically supported Thibodeau.

“Me and Thibs really grew a relationship after the season last year when I was coming back with USA Basketball,” said Rose. “Went to eat with him at least a couple of times when we were out there. He was working me out every day while we were with USA Basketball. If it’s a feud or whatever is going on I just hope they fix it. I don’t mind him as a coach. We don’t talk about it (Thibodeau’s situation). When you have times you go six minutes without scoring it’s bigger than a coach. It’s all about the players. He came out to L.A. to check on me when I was working out after my surgeries. It’s not my decision. I love him as a coach.”

“Thibs is a hard worker, somebody who always has had us prepared,” said Noah. “We don’t know what the situation is with anybody. We lost in the second round, but a lot of great memories. It’s not my decision.”

“He has done a great job,” said Dunleavy. “He’s given us everything he has every single day and anyone would want a coach like that. We have a lot of great guys in this group and we will better next year.”

Dunleavy has said he’d love to return. He is an unrestricted free agent who has been a vital all around contributor. But the Bulls want to see Doug McDermott and Tony Snell play more. So Dunleavy’s fate is uncertain. Nazr Mohammed likely will retire. Aaron Brooks is the third unrestricted free agent and probably will get an offer above his minimum deal with the Bulls. Jimmy Butler is a restricted free agent and the Bulls have been on record saying they will match any offer for Butler, so his return seems certain.

The Bulls are over the salary cap, but they are limited in even using their mid level exception given the maximum salary Butler likely will command. So an addition seems uncertain. They have one first round draft pick, No. 22. So the current core likely will be together another season without any significant change.

“This team has more potential,” said Gasol. “We showed at times our potential. In order to be a great team, a championship caliber team, you have to be little more consistent than we have been. Injuries have been a factor, but that happens to most teams. We just have to mature and take this opportunity to grow as a team. Kind of digest the pain of losing against the Cavs and being eliminated from the playoffs. Understand how every game is important in the regular season. This team has more potential to get farther and have a chance to win the title.”

Maybe it was the injuries or minutes restrictions which bothered Thibodeau, the uncertainty regarding Rose, the sub-par season from Noah, the troubles for Kirk Hinrich, the fall of the bench in the playoffs (Dellavedova outscored the entire Bulls bench until the last seconds), the inconsistent use and play of the young players, the change in character of the team with the addition of offensive oriented players like Gasol, Brooks and Mirotic. In any case, it was a team that played games and the season in spurts, droughts in games, weeks of uninspired play. It wasn’t the same Bulls team of recent years, overachieving if underwhelming in the end.

“I don’t know if there will be changes,” said Gasol. “It’s something management and ownership have to decide. The team, at times, has shown great potential and high quality, but we have to find more consistency. We have to understand and have a better sense of urgency throughout the year. We’re a resilient team, but I feel like there are certain points we were content with having a few good games and having good stretches. To be one of the top teams you have to stay hungry, stay focused, stay disciplined throughout the 82 games.”

Perhaps most surprising Thursday was not only losing in rebounding again (Tristan Thompson with 13 points and 17 rebounds), but being dominated 53-32 on the boards by a team without Love, losing Irving, Smith with more rebounds than any Bulls player but Noah.

“Yes,” Noah said about it being a lost opportunity against a weakened Cavs team that had Smith suspended the first two games. “The reality is there’s no more basketball, no more practices, no more meetings with this group. That’s always hard; it always takes a little time to digest. Really disappointed right now.

I feel like I definitely have to play better than I did this year; I’m disappointed about that. This is definitely a really tough point right now losing with the caliber of players we had and the expectations we had. But I think it’s going to make us stronger and make us work that much harder.”

It was as close a Bulls team has looked to admitting defeat to end a great series that had three straight games come down to the last seconds. But Thursday not only do the Bulls get outrebounded by 21, but they get just 10 free throws, showing little aggression on both sides of the ball. It was the biggest loss in a closeout game in franchise history.

“Not at all,” said Rose. “When I think about that (window closing), I think about the Dallas team that won a couple of years ago; nobody had them winning. I think just coming out here and believing that’s what it’s all about.

“We’ve been trying to figure this out the entire year, our ups and downs,” Rose added. “Trying to give you the best answer as possible, I really don’t know. Look at film, as I always say, and try to fix. Hopefully, when we come back we’ll have a different game plan, a different approach to how we play each game; we’ve got to figure it out.”

bulls-season-ends-with-game-6-loss-to-cavaliers

Bulls season ends with Game 6 loss to Cavaliers

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The Bulls closed out their 2014-15 season Thursday with a discouraging 94-73 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cleveland victory gave them a 4-2 series victory in the conference semifinal series. The Cavs will play the winner of the Atlanta/Washington series. The Bulls were led by Jimmy Butler with 20 points and Derrick Rose with 14, the only two Bulls players in double figure scoring. The Cavs were led by reserve Matthew Dellavedova with 19 points. LeBron James had 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. The Bulls were pounded on the boards The Bulls started well, pushing the ball and getting better shots according to the game plan. Pau Gasol scored eight points in seven minutes in his return from his hamstring injury and the Bulls opened ahead 12-6. The Cavs did lead 33-31 after one, though the Bulls shot 56.5 percent. Kyrie Irving appeared to injure his knee early in the second quarter, but the Cavs broke away with a 20-4 run in the last six minutes of the second quarter after a flagrant foul by Nikola Mirotic on Iman Shumpert, the Cavs taking a 58-44 halftime lead. Both teams went cold to start the second half with the teams combining to shoot three for 23 in the first five minutes. James then hit a pair of jumpers, but Butler responded with 10 points in the last four minutes to bring the Bulls within 73-60 going into the fourth quarter. The Cavs then put the Bulls away for the season with an 11-2 run to open the fourth quarter behind the shooting of Matthew Dellavedova.

Observations: 1. The crucial sequence in the first half when the Cavs spurted ahead came with a flagrant foul by Nikola Mirotic on Iman Shumpert with the Cavs leading 41-40. Shumpert followed the free throws with a pair of jumpers against Mirotic, shouting at him afterward that began that 17-2 run. 2. Taj Gibson drew three fouls in three first quarter minutes, basically taking him out of the game for the rest of the half as Tristan Thompson went on to 10 first half points. 3. Another tough game for the Bulls reserves with the Cavs’ Dellavedova, who started the second half for the injured Kyrie Irving, leading the entire Bulls bench in scoring until the last seconds.

bulls-season-concludes-with-game-6-loss

Bulls season concludes with Game 6 loss

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