NEWSLETTER
How ya doing this morning? Good? Me too! The weather looks kinda nice, right? Yeah, might have to sit outside with a brewski later. Have anything fun planned for the weekend?
UGH. FINE. WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT.
• Last night’s loss to an Embiid and Simmons-less 76ers team made me disappointed, angry, and a little bit gassy (though, that could have been the chili). While I’m not sure we should chalk it up as the worst loss of the season, it is certainly making a convincing run for the title. I just can’t believe that after all the positives we saw to end the first half that this group couldn’t come out hungrier. Instead, it felt like they approached this first game as another preseason contest – one where the result didn’t matter and the chemistry wasn’t important. The exact opposite is true at the moment, as this team is not only in a position to make a playoff push but also 13 days out from the trade deadline.
• A performance like last night isn’t going to be viewed as a “work in progress” game like the Hawks and Pacers blowouts earlier this season. That loss is going to weigh heavy on the minds of the front office over the next week, as they try to determine (1) what this team needs and (2) how likely they are to actually crack the postseason. Like many of the fans, I’m sure Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley started to think that complete duds against teams the Bulls were “supposed to beat” was a thing of the past. The next step was finally picking up some wins against the full-strength, playoff-caliber squads. What we saw against the 76ers reversed course, however, and now the Bulls have to play four more games in six days.
• I couldn’t be more conflicted about Lauri Markkanen’s return. While it was all kinds of fun to see him boost his 3-point percentage to 43.5 percent with a 7-7 night behind the arc … the Bulls still lost by 22.
Lauri shot it well in his first game back.
23 points | 8-for-11 FG | 7-for-7 threes pic.twitter.com/mgqaTgQn19
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 12, 2021
• Not to mention, this feels like another performance to point to in the “LaVine and Markkanen struggle to play together” argument. LaVine failed to get into any kind of groove throughout the night, so much so that Markkanen’s first game back snapped LaVine’s 21-game streak with 20+ points. The streak with the 14th longest in franchise history, and the longest streak in the league this season, according to Jeff Mangurten. Perhaps it’s simply a coincidence or something that I’m thinking too much about due to the severity of the loss. Also, I do have to give credit to the 76ers, who switched on LaVine repeatedly and played an overall solid game against him. But, as a fan, it’s so hard not to look at this game and continue to be concerned about the LaVine-Markkanen duo. This will continue to be a must-watch storyline over the remainder of the season.
• I was always concerned about whether or not there would be another learning curve with Markkanen and Porter back in the lineup, and I think last night validated that concern. Not only did the starting unit struggle as a whole, but the reserves played arguably their worst game in quite some time (Thad was the only player in double figures with 14 points, and Otto Porter shot 1-6 in his return). Now, that isn’t to say we should blame Markkanen and Porter for this happening, because it is on the team as a whole.
• FWIW, here is what LaVine had to say about possible chemistry issues with fitting Markkanen and Porter back into the rotation: “I don’t know, but we don’t have a lot of time to mess around with that. We got to figure it out. We’re pros; we have to figure out how to make it work.” He’s right. Adjustments have to be made as soon as tonight.
• This stat is so incredibly frustrating.
The Bulls have dropped to 2-29 against last season's Eastern Conference playoff teams since the start of last season, including 0-14 at home.
— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) March 12, 2021
• Speaking of last season’s Eastern Conference playoff teams, the Bulls get to play the squad that went to the 2020 NBA Finals tonight. Yippie [he types with an eyeroll]! I wish I could say that no Bam Adebayo or Avery Bradley could give the Bulls some kind of edge, but I truly have no clue what team to expect after the most recent performance.
Erik Spoelstra says neither Bam Adebayo (knee) nor Avery Bradley (calf) will travel for Friday night's game in Chicago.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) March 12, 2021
• Some good news for the Bulls might be that the Miami Heat score the 5th-fewest points in the paint per game, but they still have players like Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic who could exploit the Bulls guards all night long. If Chicago wants any chance at winning this game tonight, it’ll start with much better ball pressure from the backcourt. Philly’s guys blew past the Bulls first line of defense over and over, and the pick-and-roll coverage was all kinds of unorganized.
• In case you saw Chandler Hutchison suited up on the sidelines:
Billy Donovan said Chandler Hutchison is active but he's still not in position to play. Hutchison has been dealing with personal issues.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 12, 2021
