CHICAGO — From the opening day of the NBA season, the Chicago Bulls have been seeking a sense of urgency.
Lackadaisical starts, bewildering midgame slumps, last-second collapses — there hasn’t been one throughline to the losses except for a lack of consistent energy. Even their wins have been incomplete, highlighted by late-game implosions that dialed blowouts back into clutch territory or yawning deficits that forced heroic comebacks.
As Bulls players returned from the All-Star break, they acknowledged the reality set out before them: Every night of this final stretch — beginning Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center — could be the decisive blow for their postseason hopes.
