The Bulls aren’t one of them.
Wednesday night in Motown was just the latest example of that.
Lethargic late first quarter to let an 18-win team start to feel comfortable, going through the motions in the second to allow Detroit to take a lead into halftime, and then instead of coming out in the third quarter and put Nike’s on throats, more bad basketball and emotions flying in timeout huddles.
On a night in which DeMar DeRozan should have been laughing on the bench with eight minutes left in the game, towel on head, shoes untied, and a 20-point lead comfortably in his pocket, the 32-year-old was out there playing hero, bailing the Bulls out once again.
And while his 16 points in that final stanza was needed, it didn’t hurt that his teammates actually started kicking on the intensity on the defensive end, holding the Pistons to 17 points on 6-of-20 shooting and adding five steals.
“I thought when the fourth quarter hit it looked like a level of desperation the way we were playing,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “That was good to see.’’
Yeah, but it would have been nice to see for 48 minutes. Heck, 24 minutes would have been nice. And that remained the problem with this team.
Alex Caruso’s return is going to improve the defense without question, but he shouldn’t also be the reason that three All-Star players suddenly play with high energy from tip-off to final buzzer.
Not with just 16 games left in the regular season and so much at stake.
“At this point of the season, every game matters,’’ DeRozan said. “There’s no time for rest. We’ve got 16 games left, it’s crazy. It feels like we just started. Every one of these games is critical.’’
Starting Saturday, when the Bulls host Cleveland in the first of two remaining meetings.
The up-and-coming Cavaliers are at least a year ahead of schedule, have earned a split with the Bulls in the first two meetings, and could be a first-round opponent in the postseason if the Bulls get hot and either Milwaukee or Philadelphia has a bad week.
Wins are key in March, but so is sending a message. Showing Cleveland that there’s a difference between contenders and pretenders will be essential. So while it starts with the Cavs, here are the other top five games left on the schedule.
1. Boston – Apr. 6 – The way it’s lining up, especially with the Bulls still having the toughest schedule left of the Eastern Conference teams, Bulls-Celtics is a very realistic first-round showdown. The two teams have split so far this season, but no team in the NBA has been better than Boston since the trade deadline.
2. At Milwaukee – Mar. 22 – Of the three teams ahead of the Bulls in the standings – Miami, Philadelphia and the Bucks – Milwaukee is likely the best matchup. Not that it says a lot since the Bulls are 0-2 against the defending champions, but both games have been tight.
3. Miami – Apr. 2 – It will be the last shot at the top-seeded Heat, and there’s a good chance that the Bulls will be close to full strength for it. They need to figure out a Miami defense that has given them fits, and this could be the last dress rehearsal to do just that.
4. At Phoenix – Mar. 18 – Could this be the return of Caruso? Just in time for the best in the West.
5. At Minnesota – Apr. 10 – An improved Timberwolves team awaits the Bulls in the finale, and as tight as the East has been this season in the standings, playoff positioning could come down to the last game.
