From the ice to the hardwood we go… helping us recover from the end of Bears season as we prepare for the start of Cubs & White Sox season. Yes, the Blackhawks made a big move trading Seth Jones, and ended up posting only their 2nd win in the last 10 games; the Bulls are about on the same pace. Going back to before the All Star game, heading into Indiana on Sunday night, the Bulls have won 2 of their past 9 games; after losing to the Pacers on Sunday night, the Bulls matched the Hawks, winning 2 of their past 10. So, 4 wins in 20 games between the 2 teams… the winter may have not been too bad for us in Chicago, but our teams have been picking up the slack.
There was that miraculous win against the Raptors at home on Friday night; I walked away when the Bulls went down 4, only to hear my wife screaming as Coby White got fouled hitting a 3 pointer. He made the FT and after Scottie Barnes shot one of the side of the backboard, this game was heading to OT. The Bulls wiped them out in the extra session getting a rare W. Could they keep the momentum going in Indiana? The answer was no.
It was a good game for most of the game. Heading into the 4th quarter, the Bulls were only down by 3 points. Have no fear… the Bulls giving up the most points per game in the NBA this season always come through in the 4th quarter. 32 points later, the Pacers reached 127 points for the game, and secured a 15 point W. 33 by the Wolves in the 4th, 35 by the Warriors (preceded by 42 in the 3rd quarter), 27 by the Pistons (only because they were up by 46 points), 32 points by the Pistons, 21 by the Knicks (what was wrong with them?), 28 by Phoenix, 24 by the Clippers, and now, 32 by the Pacers… in the past 8 losses, the Bulls opponents have averaged 29 points in the 4th quarter; I want to say its worse than that over the whole season. No matter how well the Bulls play throughout the game (and it ain’t that well), no matter how close they are heading into the 4th quarter, their lack of defense always sinks them. The Bulls are an NBA worst in the 4th quarter, with an average point differential of -1.8 for the entire season; it feels worse than that. How much is it in their losses?
Against the Pacers on Sunday, it was just another frustrating loss, in a season of them. The Bulls were out paced, again, losing their 3rd game this year vs their division foe. Maybe they’ll get a little payback in their final meeting of the season on March 10th at the UC; I doubt it. Just let Buzelis play please… and oh yeah, Fire Billy. Go Bulls.
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