The Chicago Bulls fought hard but fell short tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Here are some things I loved and some things I hated from the fun loss.
It’s not very often that a loss can be considered fun in the NBA, but the Chicago Bulls’ loss tonight was extremely fun. In fact, it was one of the most fun Bulls games I’ve watched all season — win or loss.
Here’s tonight’s love/hate list.
Love – Perseverance
The Thunder came out of the gate smoking hot and punched the Bulls in the mouth repeatedly. Danilo Gallinari was unconscious, knocking down his first five threes. Everything was going in for OKC.
It would’ve been easy for the Bulls to roll over. The Thunder are a great team and the Bulls only had nine available guys. They didn’t do that, though. They fought incredibly hard, and it was admirable.
Of course, Chicago ended up losing the game, but this was a nice sign of what’s to come in the future. If they play this hard every night, they’ll start winning games soon.
Hate – The first quarter
Yes, I loved the perseverance the Bulls showed, but they shouldn’t have gotten themselves into the situation they were in. Sure, Gallo was scorching hot, but the Bulls also kept getting lost on defense, allowing him to get wide-open looks.
There was also no sense of urgency on the offensive end of the court for Chicago. It looked like nobody wanted to be there.
As a team, the Bulls need to do a better job of getting off to quality starts. They can’t keep playing from behind.
Love – Everything about Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine was on another level tonight. He scored a game-high 41 points on an efficient 19-of-35 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
LaVine’s night was relatively unorthodox, though. He scored those 41 points without making a single free throw and only connected on three of his 3-point attempts.
That means he was electric from inside the arc. It was beautiful to watch. He had his way in the paint, finishing at the rim, and also did his fair share of damage from the mid-range.
I won’t stand for anymore Zach LaVine slander.
Hate – Daniel Gafford’s fouling
Normally, if Daniel Gafford gets into foul trouble, it’s not a huge deal. When healthy, Wendell Carter Jr. is the main big man and Luke Kornet can fill in when needed. Without both of those guys, though, Gafford simply has to do a better job of defending without fouling. His inability to stay on the floor tonight hurt the Bulls.
Thanks to Gafford’s foul trouble, Cristiano Felicio had to play 33 minutes. No offense to Felicio, but he shouldn’t be playing 33 minutes in an NBA game. Ever.
Getting in foul trouble is a common theme for rookie big men so I’m not too worried about Gafford’s long-term success, but he needs to start learning at some point.
Love – The Rook
That’s what I’m calling Coby White now. He’s not a rookie, he’s “The Rook.” He’s officially earned that title.
The Rook was a magician tonight. For the third straight game, he scored at least 33 points off the bench and did it in an extremely efficient way. His 35 points tonight came on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds, three assists and only turned the ball over once. He had a +15 plus/minus in 33 minutes.
Coby simply looks more comfortable than he ever has on an NBA court, and it’s glorious to see. It’s only a matter of time before he gets thrown into the starting lineup.
I can’t wait for that day.