McCaffrey: Bulls Searching For Defensive Answers
By Brendan McCaffrey-
(CBS) The Chicago Bulls continue to search for answers after a 121-114 loss to the lowly Magic on Monday night at the United Center, which marked their second consecutive loss at home to a sub-.500 team.
The defensive lapses were as frequent as they were ugly -- getting beat down the floor, beat off the dribble and losing players off backdoor cuts. The few times Chicago found men to defend, Orlando used the muscle of Nikola Vucevic or the quickness of Victor Oladipo to finish the game off. Each player scored 33 points for the Magic.
After the game, a disgusted Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau took his team to task.
"We have to decide what we are going to be," Thibodeau said. "If we are going to come in and outscore people, we are not going anywhere. I know that doesn't work. We are going to have to bring a lot more intensity. The only way to bring intensity is to work a lot harder. It really is that simple."
The Magic came into Monday night's game losers of six consecutive games, but they controlled almost the entire contest, grabbing a lead with 9:11 left in the first quarter and never relinquishing it. They built their lead to as many as 17 points, and the Bulls had few answers. The Magic shot 59 percent from the field.
"I really don't know (what happened on defense)," Derrick Rose said. "That tells you something right there. Communication, energy, we just need to make sure we are always the aggressor. The last couple of games, we just didn't have that pressure, that defensive presence."
"Defensively, we struggled," Pau Gasol added. "There was no energy, no aggressiveness, no engagement from our team. No communication. So we've got to improve, dramatically."
In the grind of a long season, the Bulls have wasted multiple games fooling around with inferior teams. Losses at home to teams like Boston, Indiana and Utah mean more minutes piling up for Gasol, Butler and others who would be better served with ice on their knees in blowout victories. Granted, it can be hard to get any win in the NBA, let alone a blowout one, but the Bulls (26-13) make things more difficult on themselves with their up and down play this season.
Taj Gibson told reporters that Gasol addressed the team at halftime, telling them they can't lose games like this if they want to be something special. The subject remained on Gasol's mind after the game.
"I am upset," Gasol said. "We've given away too many home games against teams that we shouldn't. That has to stop."
Naturally, Thibodeau doesn't really look at the league in terms of good and bad teams.
"I know how dangerous this league is," Thibodeau said. "You don't get into the NBA unless you are a great player. There is not that much difference between the first team in the league and the 30th team."
The Bulls' home mark fell to 12-9 after the loss, and things don't get any easier, with the Wizards, Hawks and Spurs the next three teams coming to the United Center. How long will it take for the Bulls to get their edge back?
"We will find out," Thibodeau said. "You have to decide what you want to be. It doesn't take much to throw you off in this league."
Brendan McCaffrey is the sports director at 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @b_mccaffrey.