Late Season Play Determining the Bulls’ Bleak Playoff Fate

Apr 9, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (right) reacts after guard Derrick Rose (left) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Do you remember how well the Bulls were playing near the end of 2014? I would feel guilty every time I missed a game during their 15-4 run from late November to early January. Tom Thibodeau coached teams always had effort and teamwork, but this year was the first team that actually had remarkable offensive talent. They were the most entertaining Bulls team of the past ten seasons.

Bulls’ rosters coached under Thibodeau have always been a must-watch because of their pride. It never mattered who they were playing, the Bulls were expecting to beat everyone. A lot of it was due to Thibodeau ‘s willingness to just sit guys he didn’t think played hard enough, and having a 7-footer that hustled for loose balls harder than opposing guards probably didn’t hurt. To actually get minutes for Thibodeau, you needed to pass the “will you play just as hard on defense as you do on offense?” test. Many players that the Bulls signed for offense—Richard Hamilton, Jimmer Fredette and Daequan Cook—never passed the test.

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This season, the Bulls added four new players to the team for offense. Aaron Brooks and Pau Gasol were going to play because they had already proved themselves in the league. The other two had more uncertainty attached to them. Nikola Mirotic passed the test and is now playing a crucial role on the team. Doug McDermott did not pass the test. Even without McDermott, the addition of the other three, along with Jimmy Butler’s emergence, made for the most offensively proficient team Thibodeau had ever coached. And even though they had the talent to overwhelm most teams, they still had the hardworking, defensive culture of past teams with Thibodeau and Joakim Noah. It was beautiful.

Players were genuinely happy when another teammate did well. They all took responsibility for the losses and accepted that wins were just another small peg towards a bigger goal. The best part of the team was that it was impossible to say who their best player was. In an era when the NBA has become so star driven, the Bulls prioritized group success over individuals.

The Bulls had four stars that traded time as their best player. Gasol was the most visceral. Never had the Bulls—in the entire history of the franchise—had someone so big with such skill on the offensive end before Gasol started making double-doubles a habit. Butler was the most newsworthy because no one was expecting his emergence on offense, at least the people that didn’t’ know his backstory. Noah was just coming off a season were he won the Defensive Player of the Year and was the fourth center ever, after Russell, Chamberlain, and Abdul-Jabbar, to average at least a 12-11-5. And then there was Derrick Rose, the former team leader and MVP who finally, for the first time in his career, had offensive talent matching his skill set. The Bulls complimentary style of play was dominating the NBA.

Next: When It All Went Bad