NEWSLETTER
That game was the 2022-23 Chicago Bulls in a nutshell.
After a lackluster first half where the Bulls looked a step slow on defense and out-of-sync on offense, they came out with a vengeance. Once down as much as 19 points, they went on to win the 3rd quarter a slim 25-23 before exploding for a 37-24 performance in the 4th quarter.
Zach LaVine was the catalyst for the epic comeback. He looked like a true max-level player by scoring 32(!!!) of his 39 points in the second half. With the Bulls struggling to get anything going outside of the paint, he continuously put his head down and put pressure on the rim. He went on to end the night 13-15 from the free throw line.
While I still hate the fact that this team needs to be down big to play their best basketball, I have nothing but respect for them crawling back into the game on that big of a stage. Did the Raptors help them out by going a ghastly 18-36 from the free-throw line? Absolutely. But the Bulls refused to hang their head as they did so many times earlier in the regular season and clawed out that victory. Props to them.
Now, the Miami Heat await. We’ll get more into that tomorrow, but I certainly don’t hate that matchup for Chicago. As scary as Jimmy Butler can be in the postseason, the Bulls have shown they have a recipe for beating this team by going 3-0 against them in the regular season. We’ll see if they can whip that up again on Friday night.
If they do, they’ll become the first 10-seed in Play-In Tournament history to clinch a playoff spot.
