In the 60-season history of the Chicago Bulls franchise, there have been all-time highs that led to six NBA championship banners hanging from the rafters of the United Center, and certainly all-time lows - the pick of the litter can be found across the entire Tim Floyd-era of Bulls history.
However, in the recent 2020s history of Bulls basketball, there arguably is no more infamous Bulls game loss than the nauseating second-half collapse the Bulls delivered on Jan 2, 2023, on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, appearing on the Cousins with Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter podcast, revisited the game from his historic perspective. Disclaimer: NSFW language
Mitchell finished the game with 71 points as the Cavaliers pulled off a monumental turnaround, fueled by Mitchell’s scoring barrage to eliminate the Bulls 21 point game lead and force the game into overtime, where the Cavaliers finished off the Bulls 145-134.
The preamble to the shambles
Going into the game, the Bulls were fresh off a New Year's Eve 103-102 loss to the Cavaliers two nights prior at the United Center. Although the Bulls challenged the Cavaliers late in the fourth quarter in a clutch game scenario, the Bulls never successfully wrestled away the game lead from the Cavaliers.
An ideal Bulls response takes shape in Cleveland
After the stinging home loss and perhaps a bit of revelry to ring in 2023, the Bulls traveled to Cleveland and prioritized vengeance from the opening tip of the rematch with the Cavaliers.
The Bulls held the game lead for the entirety of the first half, with a halftime score of 65-47. Exiting the locker room for the second half, everything for the Bulls in the game should have been smooth sailing, and for most of the third quarter, that appeared to be the case, but again, Donovan Mitchell had other plans in mind.
Mitchell’s mandate: make it close
Despite Donovan Mitchell’s modesty in recounting his first-half performance against the visiting Bulls to Carter and McGrady, Mitchell actually was actually efficient in scoring his 16 first-half points, shooting 50% from the field on 10 field goal attempts.
The Cavaliers' bench scoring in the first half of the game was the anchor that weighed down the Cavaliers' offense, shooting 37.5% from the field on eight field goal attempts, while the Bulls bench made their presence obvious, shooting 61.5% from the field on 13 field goal attempts.
Mitchell’s second half against the Bulls turned into a nuclear assault at the rim and in the paint, which eroded the Bulls' game lead through a one-two punch of Mitchell’s effortless scoring inside the paint (76.9% field goal percentage on 15 shot attempts inside the paint) and drawing 18 free-throw attempts in the second half.
Ultimately, the Bulls' lack of defensive resistance in the second half and perhaps some questionable officiating led to the franchise showing up in NBA history books for the wrong reason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google