Alright, I’ve been gone a while & there has been so much good that I’ve missed talking about. The Bulls have been on an absolute rampage the last month even with COVID affecting the entire team. The NBA finally stepped in & helped postpone some games amid the outbreak. In the month of December, the Bulls went a very solid 9-2 with the losses coming to Cleveland & Miami. They ended the year with an absolute bang & immediately followed the beginning of the year with another one; DeMar DeRozan hit back-to-back game winning three-pointers & continued to lead the Bulls to wins. Zach has been playing fantastic as well along with Vooch & Coby White. Coby has found his stride as of late & has been a huge reason for many of our wins. The Bulls were on a nine-game win streak heading to Dallas; although Dallas hasn’t been amazing, they’re still a top tier team. Luka is a phenomenal basketball player & Jason Kidd is doing a pretty solid job coaching the team. Jalen Brunson is having a career year & the Mavericks have surrounded Luka with very good role players. I expected the Bulls to struggle against the Mavericks only because they have struggled against the high pick & roll this whole season—while the Mavericks entire game plan relies on the high pick & roll. Vooch should have had a big game with not that many talented bigs on the team & the Bulls being able to fight fire with fire—using the pick & roll. Only four Chicago Bulls scored in double figures & the bench basically didn’t score. In a game like this, Javonte Green & Alex Caruso were missed dearly. Also, officiating during this game was downright atrocious.
I knew this game was going to be an issue when Billy Donovan had to call a timeout about 3 minutes into the game; the Bulls were down 10-2 & looked lost on defense. The timeout was well-timed & the Bulls figured it out & hopped out to a quick 9-0 run. They played well defensively, with Lonzo & Ayo handling the duties to guard Luka. Although Luka wasn’t really scoring well, his playmaking was on full display, especially in the pick & rolls. The Bulls were able to outrebound the Mavs by a couple rebounds & get out in transition. The Bulls led the Mavs by 10 going into the second period. The Bulls started the second quarter playing well & building off their solid start until Luka got going—having five assists & twelve points in the quarter. Bulls were getting outrebounded in the second quarter & nobody got going offensively. DeMar only attempted three shots & Zach attempted five. The officiating was terrible with Zach getting rocked every time he drove to the basket but the officials seemed to swallow their whistles. The Bulls played well up until the last couple minutes of the first half where they allowed the Mavs to go on a 9-0 run to finish the quarter with the help of some three balls. The Bulls lost momentum & led by one entering the second half.
Dallas continued their momentum into the third quarter with an 8-2 run in the first few minutes & clearly set the tone. They had taken somewhat control over the game with Luka scoring then in the frame & assisting on four baskets. The Bulls couldn’t really get their offense going as they shot 36% during the quarter & only 25% from deep. Zach & DeMar weren’t getting calls & oddly not scoring efficiently. On the other hand, the Mavericks were shooting 50% from the floor & 38% from deep. The Bulls continued to struggle with the pick & roll, especially Vooch & struggled against the double team as well—at times even triple teams. The Bulls fought throughout the quarter & kept it close being down 79-83. The fourth quarter looked like it would be ours with DeMar doing DeMar things but the double & triple teams kept coming & the Bulls struggled immensely. Then Dallas began clicking on every cylinder, especially from deep; the Mavericks made five of their first six attempts from deep to begin the quarter & continued to shoot the ball well throughout the quarter. Luka scored 15 of his points in the final frame alone while DeMar, Zach & Vooch combined for a whopping 11 points. Shots weren’t falling for the Bulls & the bench didn’t even seem like they were there to play. Maybe we got accustomed to seeing the bench play well with Coby & Ayo playing great but it’s not wrong to expect solid play from the two night in & night out. Bad shooting nights happen though & there isn’t much you can do about it. Bulls fall to the Mavericks 113-99.
You can’t win them all. I have no issues with the loss but I had an issue with the way they lost; the Bulls seemed to lose focus & motivation. Zach complained after practically every call—yes, he was fouled but you have to get back on defense & this is an issue I’ve had with Zach for some time. Billy Donovan didn’t seem to make too many adjustments but not much you can do when nobody is shooting well. Javonte Green & Alex Caruso were definitely missed. The Bulls move on & take on the Pistons tonight with rookie Cade Cunningham coming off his best game of the season. This should definitely be a win & the Bulls need to jump out on top quick as they play the Brooklyn Nets the following night—a game where the starters will be needed at full strength. A nine-game winning streak came to an end but the brightside is that you can always restart such a streak. See red, Bulls Nation.
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