Westerlund: 5 Thoughts After Bulls-Raptors
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – After losing five of six, the Bulls won their second in a row with a 108-92 win against the Raptors at the United Center on Friday night.
Here are the notes and observations of the night.
1. It's more than likely not going to happen, but the Bulls would welcome any playoff series against the Raptors. For the third time in as many matchups this season, Chicago dominated Toronto down low. Not coincidentally, the Bulls are 3-0 in those games. On Friday, the Raptors played especially awful interior defense, as the likes of Aaron Brooks, Tony Snell and Mike Dunleavy had finishes at the rim with no contests. Chicago outscored Toronto, 54-26, in the paint, the likes of Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough offering nothing defensively.
When Friday's game ended, the Bulls, Raptors and Wizards each had 28 losses. Washington has the hardest remaining schedule among the three teams, so it seems more likely that Chicago or Toronto grabs the East's third seed and those latter two teams never meet. But if they did, the Bulls would privately nod and smile. Records aside, the Raptors aren't in their league.
2. Nikola Mirotic's 29 points tied a career-high and grabbed the headlines Friday, but it's not just his scoring that's so meaningful. In an important subplot, the Bulls believe his bigger minutes combined with Joakim Noah's approach has helped them have a more "wide-open" offense, as Taj Gibson termed it. Noah had a near triple-double Friday, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds and a career-high-tying 14 assists.
"You got Niko pushing the ball," Gibson said. "He gets the rebound, he can push. You got Joakim (Noah) that can push. So many easy buckets, of just getting the bucket up the lane. "
The Bulls had seven fast-break points Friday, so it wasn't like they reminded of the Showtime Lakers. Reading between the lines, though, Gibson's words were a compliment to the Bulls passing the ball well and acting decisively in the half-court in the past two games.
On Wednesday against Indiana, Chicago had assists on 22 of 34 baskets. On Friday against Toronto, Chicago had assists on 32 of 42 baskets. The ball is moving crisply.
3. As much as Mirotic has stepped up in averaging 21.5 points in March, it will be a challenge for the Bulls to blend his bigger role with the roles of Derrick Rose (right knee) and Jimmy Butler (left elbow) when they return. Whether Chicago can do that could well determine if it's headed for an early playoff exit or a deep run.
So, can Mirotic play a similar leading role – admittedly with likely fewer shots – if everyone's healthy?
"I don't see why not," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The challenge for any team is to bring out the best in everybody, so as guys come back, everyone play to their strengths, cover up their weaknesses. Know what your teammates' strengths and weaknesses are, and you want to bring the best out of everybody. That's everyone's challenge."
The promising aspect for the Bulls is that Mirotic's ability to space the floor serves Rose and Butler well, as they can get to the rim and draw fouls. The concern is that Rose and Butler could come back with just a few games left in the regular season, and then the Bulls will be restructuring the offense and learning on the fly at a time in the season when a team's habits should be set in stone.
4. Upon informing teammates following warmups that he'd be playing after missing 10 games with a left ankle sprain, Gibson said he got hugs from several of them. It was symbolic of how Chicago's mood has swung in the last 48-plus hours. After losing five of six games and hearing endless speculation about coach Thibodeau's future, the Bulls have followed up with decisive wins against the Pacers and Raptors, reminding themselves what they're capable of when they focus and are right.
"You look at the last couple games, we've been fighting, fighting, fighting," Gibson said. "And the mood, it's been OK, but it's even harder when you lose and guys are like, 'Man, we fighting and are in these close games – we should winning them. What if we had a couple more guys?' And tonight, everybody was excited, into it and chest-bumping."
The injured Rose joined the Bulls on the bench and was chatting up Gibson during the game.
"He was just telling me, 'I can't wait to get back,'" Gibson said.
Gibson scored six points in 10:39 in his return and said he feels close to 100 percent. Thibodeau added Gibson isn't on a minutes restriction; he simply wanted to ease him back.
Butler will travel with the team to Detroit for Saturday's game, but his status is still unknown. Thibodeau called him "day to day."
5. Gibson strongly reinforced a belief that Noah has expressed before and that the Bulls are privately hoping to be the case – that when Rose returns for the playoffs, the competition that awaits will raise his game to another level.
It's certainly easier said than done, but the belief stems from seeing Rose have his six highest-scoring games of the season against the Cavaliers, Warriors, Wizards, Blazers, Raptors and Celtics – five of whom feature big-name points guards.
"One thing about Derrick, you look at the big games, when we play the Cavaliers, we play the Damian Lillards, when we play the really good opponents, the (Washington) DCs and Atlantas, he turns it up a whole other notch," Gibson said. "And at times, it's just knowing your body. But when playoff time comes, I expect him, I already know he's going to turn it up another notch. Because when we play these big-time games, he's just explosive to the basket. He's just going all out."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.