No, really … what did you expect?
I would have loved a miraculous Bulls victory over the title-contending Bucks as much as the next guy, but I’m neither surprised nor upset that it did not happen, and here is why:
• The Bucks may have started this season 2-3 … but they’re still the Bucks. They have a 2x MVP running the show, and they will be one of the top-seeds come playoff time.
• The Bulls are on the backend of a back-to-back. They literally played less than 24 hours before tip-off tonight, and it was a close contest where they had to score 133 to win.
• The Bulls are without four players due to the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols, two of which are key players for the first and second unit – Lauri Markkanen and Tomas Satoransky.
• Oh, and for what it’s worth, the Bucks have been ridiculously good behind the arc this season. They knocked down 22 buckets behind the arc tonight, converting at a 48.9 percent clip. Just the other night against the Miami Heat, they made an NBA record 29 3’s in the game. How did the Bulls shoot tonight? 23.1 percent.
All things considered, at least this team tried. I know that’s fun to hear, but with the cards stacked against them like this, that is about all you can ask for. The hope now, though, is that a loss like this doesn’t sit in the back of their heads. The team still had two solid victories in Washington, and this was undoubtedly their hardest matchup of the young season (the rookie, Patrick Williams, literally had to guard Giannis lol). Billy Donovan has to remind this team of the things they did well in those past wins and work through why they may not have worked as well against a much better team.
This Bulls backcourt, specifically, should review the film and think about how they can promote better ball movement against more elite defenses. The team finished with 20 turnovers tonight, and Zach LaVine and Coby White combined for half of those. Williams also didn’t help in that department, committing three of his own.
Time to put this one behind us. A gauntlet schedule continues on Sunday with a matchup against the offensively-gifted Dallas Mavericks, so these guys need to rest-up, review the film, and stay confident.