The Chicago Bulls have come out slow in the final week of the season, losing the first quarters of their last four games and struggling to dig themselves out of first-half deficits. As he prepares his players for their first taste of single elimination in the NBA play-in tournament, coach Billy Donovan knows that is no longer an option.
If the Bulls don’t strike first Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors, their season could come to a crashing halt.
“There’s no question that at times we’re taking the temperature to see how the game’s being played,” Donovan said. “And I do think that we’ve got to come out and be the aggressor. Sometimes what’s happening is the fight is getting dictated early. You want to be the one forcing other people to respond.”
