Trying to find positives after the Chicago Bulls blew another halftime lead has become who the Bulls are. These games show that this team still has a ways to go, yes some positives, but just another bad loss. Growing pains remain a constant for the new-look young Bulls.
The Bulls have been playing promising basketball after a six-game losing streak that featured four games following the NBA trade deadline. They put together a nice three-game-winning streak against teams that had key contributors out of the line-up. When it comes to playoff-caliber competition the Bulls still often fall short of victory.
Entering the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 9th, the Bulls came ready to play in the first half. All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine erupted for 39 first-half points, a monumental accomplishment for the young superstar. He became the first player to do so this season.
LaVine ended the loss with his first career 50 point game on 18-31 field goal shooting and 7-12 shooting from three. He added 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
LaVine joined a very short list of Bulls players to join the 50 point club. The list includes Michael Jordan, Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, and Chet Walker. That is some elite company. It was an outstanding shooting performance from the first year All-Star.
Zach LaVine on Michael Jordan scoring 50 points 38 times: “That dude is a ghost. He’s a legend.”
The Bulls lost another nail bitter, 120 to 108. Still unable to find consistency in key stretches this season. It was a game the Bulls should have won, but most importantly, needed to win. Instead of taking advantage of a winnable game, they handed it over to the Hawks late.
"Chicago Bulls All-Star shooting Guard Zach LaVine wasn’t happy with the outcome of the game. “It just sucks, man, when you have an opportunity like that to win. Obviously, I’d much rather take the win right now.” He sounded like a frustrated record setter after another sub-par outing as a team."
Learning on the fly has been what Bulls fans are accustomed to, but many concerns still plague this team. First-year head coach Billy Donovan has been amazing for the Bulls so far this season with his transparency and willingness to try new things. His in-game adjustments and late-game lineups are leaving questions to be asked, though.
Still trusting young core pieces in key stretches has caused a real issue in close-out situations that has hurt the Chicago Bulls all season.
The Bulls entered the fourth quarter in Atlanta with a win within grasp. The fourth quarter then played out, which saw Donovan make some very odd decisions.
Playing forward Lauri Markkanen and guard Coby White in crucial sequences in the fourth quarter was mind-boggling. Defense was needed to stop All-Star point guard Trey Young from having his way offensively.
Playing possibly the team’s two worst defenders in crunch time was what lost the game. Even more interesting is that Donovan sat two of his best defenders Troy Brown Jr. and Daniel Theis over White and Markkanen.
It was a scoring clinic for the Hawks. They eventually ran away with the win. Leaving more questions than answers in the aftermath of another terrible late-game collapse. Staying stationary in the Eastern Conference at the ten spot is about as far as the Bulls will climb in the standings if this kind of basketball continues.
Both Markkanen and White looked lost and confused on defense. Add their combined 5 for 15 shooting, and it was a terrible showing from them both. Most importantly it was very bad coaching on Donovan’s part.
It was a poor decision by the coach to not play his best defenders in crunch time. That is not a winnable philosophy, especially when bad defense lost this game for the Bulls. LaVine was again trying to do it alone.
Repeating the same mistakes is becoming old already as well as holding back the progression of this young team.
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Sitting our superstar LaVine at the 5:39 mark in the fourth quarter is when the game became out of reach. By the time Donovan brought back LaVine at the three-minute mark, the game was already out of reach. Very bad execution down the stretch and even worse in-game adjustments. Going big at the end of the game made zero sense on top of all the other variables.
It looked like Donovan had his rotation set in the three-game winning streak. We thought wrong. Playing Theis only 11 minutes is inexcusable when he’s their best interior defender. Putting Brown on Young is obvious, yet Donovan chooses to play Coby extended minutes in the fourth quarter of a game that needed defense, not offense.
The adjustment period for Donovan is over. He needs to at some point hold himself accountable, the same way he holds his players. LaVine was being double and triple-teamed in the second half leaving the team in three or four against five advantages that saw players watching LaVine instead of moving without the ball or finding other ways to contribute.
What’s next for the Chicago Bulls
The Bulls head into Sunday, April 11th against the worst team in the league, the Minnesota Timberwolves. They then travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies in another back-to-back. With ending this season strong at the top of their priority list, let’s hope Donovan has learned his lesson and players realize the necessity of urgency.
This wild ride has begun sometimes not fun to watch. The offseason should see the departure of the pieces that aren’t fitting on this roster. Maybe Donovan is a short-term solution, the outcome of these last 21 games will determine a lot in the next steps of building a contender.
Brace yourself Bulls nation, this journey is far from over. Watching the first half was harder than the second-half meltdown. It was twenty-four minutes of great basketball, ending with possibly the worst second half of the season. Be ready for more of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Stay locked in as I will be embarking on a twenty-two-part “Chicago Bulls, fans: Are you ready for a wild ending to the season” series to finish out this crazy, unpredictable season. We will be taking this journey together, win or lose!