Was it a one-time thing or does Patrick Beverley make that big of a difference? I guess we’ll find out more this afternoon. Washington is coming in off a loss to the Knicks on Friday putting the Bulls 1.5 games back of the Play-In Tournament. Eli touched on it earlier this week, but like, is making a Play-In push really worth it? Are a couple of Play-In wins and a first-round date with the Bucks going to go any differently than it did last year?
The answer to those questions is likely no. But who am I kidding … when Pat Bev is announced in that starting lineup and LaVine gets hot again I’m going to let my mind wander about what this team can do if they reach their full potential.
Was anyone else watching the game on Friday and not convinced the Bulls weren’t going to let the Nets mount a massive comeback? Yeah, me neither. But seriously, it was so refreshing to see the Bulls come out in the 3rd Quarter not on cruise control. Ok yes, they were up 37, but to see them show some killer instinct to start the 2nd Half (instead of letting the team they controlled early on annoyingly crawl back into it) was refreshing.
Speaking of refreshing things to see, Friday was one of my favorite games I’ve seen LaVine play in a Bulls uniform. The 32 points were great, sure. But for me, it was the efficiency. 12-for-17 from the field, 4-for-6 from deep, and not nearly as much lazy iso ball. LaVine has to be the guy in this offense with DeMar DeRozan clearly playing through some pain, and Friday was a nice start.
We’ve all been raving about the energy Patrick Beverley brought on Friday night, and rightfully so. That was the best effort of the season for this team. Having said that, it’s time to give Dalen Terry some credit (and some more minutes!). Sure it was in garbage time, but Terry put up another 11 points and went 3-for-3 beyond the arc Friday night. That coming after his 13, 7, and 6 night against the Bucks before the break. The kid plays with so much energy, and in the Bucks game not only was the stat line solid but he affected the game defensively too. Not advocating for him to be in the starting lineup or anything, but let’s get him in the rotation!
If you missed it last night, the Celtics and 76ers had a WILD ending. Jayson Tatum hit a game-winning three with less than two seconds on the clock. Joel Embiid then drilled what could have been a game-tying 3/4-court heave but he didn’t get the shot off in time.
Sure this season hasn’t gone the best for Derrick Rose, but he got a pretty awesome standing ovation at MSG last night in a blowout win for the Knicks.
Elsewhere in Chicago sports, things could be better. Patrick Kane is likely out the door in the next day or two, and another potential big-name free agent Cubs target this winter in Manny Machado re-upped in San Diego for a whopping 11 years and $350 million. Buy hey, David Gust scored on his first career shift last night for the Hawks so that was pretty cool! Tab has been all over the Patrick Kane updates, so make sure you’re giving him a follow on Twitter as well as the @BN_Blackhawks account for whenever that trade likely goes through.
NEWSLETTER
