I’m sorry, but I don’t really know what to say.
While it’s almost impossible to be mad at losing to the Phoenix Suns – the NBA’s best team that has only 14 losses on the season – it’s not hard to be mad about dropping eight of the last 10 games. The Chicago Bulls continue to play some of their worst basketball of the season at a time when teams are supposed to be doing the exact opposite. And not only have they looked completely outmatched in a number of these recent games, but they have started to let it get to them.
I get this is a frustrating stretch, but letting that seep onto the court is exactly what inexperienced, not-ready teams do. The Bulls easily looked the most defeated I’ve seen them all season long tonight. They complained about every call, stared at each other after missed assignments, and simply went through the motions on the offensive end during a number of possessions. Their body language screamed for the game to end, and thank god it finally did!
I don’t really know what can help this team at the moment. Something simply has to click inside that locker room, and maybe it does with a warm welcome back home on Monday night. All I know for sure is the schedule isn’t getting any easier, so the Bulls can either continue to lay in the fetal position and get smacked around or they can fight back.
I’ll try to gather some more big-picture thoughts as my head hits the pillow. We’ll talk again tomorrow in bullets. Sweet dreams of the early-season Bulls!
Check out the full box score here.