Ahead of Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine’s return, the Bulls looked flat. They had lost four in a row and the play-in game wasn’t on anyone’s mind. We were preparing for the team to begin tanking with the hope of keeping their 1st round pick that was traded to Orlando. Well here we are two games since LaVine’s return and the Bulls have won two in a row.
This win is for the fans back in the United Center ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PDlNv8ORaY
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 8, 2021
Over this two-game stretch, the Bulls beat the 7th & 8th seeded teams in the East. They sit 3 games behind the 10th place Washington Wizards. While it’s going to take quite a bit for this team to get into the play-in game both LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic believe they can make it.
There’s no quit with this team
While many fans have given up on the team the players haven’t thought about quitting. Zach LaVine knows what’s at stake and he’s going to fight for his life every game.
#Bulls understand that realistically speaking, they're going to need to go undefeated in their final 6 games to have any chance of reaching play-in round.
Zach LaVine: "We got to fight for our lives every game. So whatever it takes to win, that’s what I kept telling everybody.”
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) May 7, 2021
At this point, there’s no other option for the Bulls than to go undefeated over their next five games. They will need to win out and have the Wizards lose at least three as the Bulls own the tiebreaker. The Bulls will meet the Brooklyn Nets twice and the Milwaukee Bucks once. The Bulls will need to play the best basketball of this season to beat those teams. They might catch a break if any of those teams are resting players for the playoffs. Regardless the Bulls are going to need to grind out some key victories if they want to make the play-in game.
Vucevic and LaVine are starting to click
This season hasn’t been what Bulls fans hoped for thus far. After the trade deadline, the team was hit with injuries and COVID protocols. We never truly got to see what the Vucevic and LaVine duo could do over an extended period. Last night the Bulls played the way fans have been expecting. Vucevic had a triple-double and guard Coby White co-led the team in scoring with LaVine. Vucevic knows that the Bulls can be tough to defend if they are playing like that every night.
Nikola Vucevic on him, Zach LaVine and Coby White starting together: "There's so much we can do. It's hard to defend that way."
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) May 8, 2021
When the Bulls are clicking offensively they are a tough team to defend. The issue here is consistency. Night in and night out you can count on Vucevic and LaVine to deliver. It’s the supporting cast that you wonder about. While the supporting cast will most likely change in the offseason it’s good to season the Bulls All-Star’s clicking to end the season. Even if the team misses the play-in game this is a huge step in the right direction.
This team knows where they need to be in the future. They aren’t there yet and Vucevic knows that it’s up to LaVine and himself to get them there.
"Zach and I are the leaders on the team and we're the ones who need to take this team to where it can be… I think we're just going to continue to grow as a duo." -Vooch
📰 | @SamSmithHoops game recap:
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 8, 2021
We knew this was going to take some time but a part of every Bulls fan was hoping there would be instant chemistry. While it’s looking more likely than not that the Bulls won’t be in the postseason these final five games are important for the future.
Five games remain
Like I said earlier the Bulls don’t have an easy road to finishing the season 7-0. If they play how they have over the last two games then it’s certainly a possibility. While they didn’t look like the best team in the East they certainly looked like a playoff team.
#Bulls look like the 6th-best team in the East tonight.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) May 8, 2021
Due to some unfortunate injuries and a few players going into the league’s health and safety protocols, the Bulls are on the outside looking in. They aren’t mathematically eliminated yet. So like all Chicago fans we will hold on to hope. We will get ourselves invested to inevitably be let down. The most important factor is the players aren’t ready to give up yet. They are going to fight until the end. You have to be excited about the Bull’s future. This year wasn’t what we wanted but we’ve got two All-Stars now. The front office will make some moves in the offseason and we will certainly see the Bulls in the playoffs next year.
However, there are still 5 games remaining this season, and if the Bulls continue to win who knows what might happen.
