The Bulls Can Play Now, and You Should Embrace It
In December 2015, I was in attendance for the Bulls’ first quadruple-overtime game since March 1984. They lost to the Detroit Pistons, 147–144, but it was a thrilling game nonetheless. Fast forward to Friday against the Atlanta Hawks, and the Bulls again found themselves playing 20 minutes of free basketball. This time, the Bulls won, 167–161, as both teams set franchise records for scoring, which shouldn’t be shocking in today’s NBA.
Did anyone think a month ago the Bulls would be capable of a game like this? Granted, they played the first team behind them in the Tankathon standings, but think about what they did. Rather than be intimidated by Trae Young’s 49-point performance, they kept pace with him and the Hawks. They succeeded in every opportunity that came at a critical moment, and they were rewarded for their required extra effort.
This came at a good time, too, because I was planning on writing something this weekend, but was going back and forth on a couple of topics. They were pretty obvious ones, but ones I felt I could still give good takes about. Then, we got the most thrilling game the Bulls have played all year, and everything became clear. I now know what I must tell you.
Here’s what I want to say: The Bulls are returning to respectability, and they will be back in the playoffs as early as next year. They won’t be a championship contender as currently constructed, but there’s no reason to think the core needs to change outside of one or two players. In winning five of their past six games, we saw the team many felt it was capable of becoming before early injuries derailed the season. We’re finally seeing consistency, and that’s why it’s time to embrace them again.
“You know they’re only going to start losing again soon,” I hear you cry. “This winning is hurting our chances to draft Zion Williamson and thus, ensuring we’ll stay in basketball hell,” you say. First, you might be right, and I’m only using this opportunity to celebrate during what has been a bad season over all. Second, if you clicked on the Tankathon standings above, you’ll know the Bulls firmly are in that fourth spot, and it would take a drastic change of fortune for them to drop further.
You can’t please some folks, but I’ll do my best anyway by asking a few questions. Why shouldn’t we admire the All-Star Lauri Markkanen is blossoming into with amazing play on both ends? Why shouldn’t we get excited for Zach LaVine scoring at will, even if those turnovers need to decrease? And why shouldn’t we be happy Otto Porter Jr.’s arrival has changed the flow of the offense for the better with his roles as both a scorer and facilitator?
Is it because the championship-or-bust mentality is so ingrained within you that you see nothing more than the big picture? Do you feel the Bulls are screwed if they don’t get Zion because they didn’t put themselves in position to have a better shot and they never sign big free agents anyway? I can only feel sorry for you if you can’t take the little victories over a long NBA season and see them as reason for optimism. In that case, why watch them at all?
You have to remember that this isn’t Nikola Mirotic, Sean Kilpatrick or some other player with no future in Chicago who are responsible for the Bulls’ newfound success. These are the players management is relying on long-term. The Bulls are the youngest team in the NBA at an average of 24.1 years old, so they’re still maturing. And given the past couple of weeks, that should scare the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Many things have changed quickly for the Bulls, just about all of which for the better. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be seeing them hang with more than the NBA’s bottom dwellers. Who thought after they lost to the Boston Celtics by 56 points, they would smack them around when the teams met at the United Center the next time? That should say it all.
Nineteen games remain for the Bulls this season. When they finish playing out the rest of the schedule, they’ll feel good about what’s to come beginning in fall. The fans should be, too. After all, the young talent is starting to catch up with the rest of the league, and that’s good under any circumstance.
