There are times when it really feels like a collegiate locker room.
More and more frequently lately.
Different players stepping up for motivational postgame talks and congratulations on milestones, water flying around, smack talk a plenty. This Bulls roster might be the poster child for mediocrity, but as far as coming together from a chemistry standpoint the last few months, there are few teams in the NBA that have become more cohesive.
Even Billy Donovan, who spent 21 years coaching in college locker rooms, has been getting that sense.
“We’ve got a great group of guys and the one thing that’s always been the case inside the locker room, whether Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) has had so many double-doubles or so many rebounds throughout his career, there’s always a celebration, guys always say something, guys always celebrate each other’s successes,” Donovan said.
He would know.
Last weekend it was Donovan’s turn to feel the love, as the coach walked into the postgame locker room after a win over Charlotte, listened as Patrick Williams and Coby White celebrated Donovan headed into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and then quickly found out he would need a change of clothes as the players completely doused Donovan in water as they danced around him.
And what’s been building in the locker room is translating to the court.
It’s a tired cliché for players to insist that they are “playing for one another,” but these Bulls actually subscribe to that.
That’s what makes them dangerous with the Eastern Conference play-in tournament starting next week.
Of the four teams — Orlando, Atlanta, Miami and the Bulls — set to battle it out for two playoff spots, Donovan’s crew is the only one without a recent All-Star on the roster.
Actually, they had two All-Stars in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, as well as an All-Defensive First-Teamer in Alex Caruso, and traded them all away over the last ninth months. LaVine was the latest, sent out in early February.
“Zach is an All-Star in this league and a helluva player, but it forced us to have to come even more together and figure out, ‘How can we make up for what we just lost both on the court and off?’ “ guard Josh Giddey said. “Doing it collectively has made it so guys are starting to flourish in their new roles, and some guys have really taken a leap from the middle of the season, so it’s been great. It feels like we’re starting to click on all fronts at the right time of the year, and now it’s about making sure we can keep that momentum going into the play-in and towards the postseason.”
And that’s why the Bulls just might be the team that no one wants to face.
THREE REASONS THE BULLS CAN GET OUT OF THE PLAY-IN
1. Backcourt’s back, alright: Giddey and White have been a lethal tandem since the LaVine trade. As bad as the growing pains looked early on in the season for the guards to co-exist, they have figured it out. Even the defense has taken positive steps for both of them.
It’s almost a pick-your-poison situation from game-to-game, with White averaging 25.8 points per game since the All-Star Break and Giddey a fantasy basketball dream with 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists in that time. That’s why opposing backcourts need to proceed with caution, especially if the defense for both stays on point.
2. Pace-makers: Styles make the fight, and that’s what doesn’t bode well, especially for Miami and Orlando. The Bulls will enter the play-in second in pacing (102.7), while the Heat are 28th (96.1) and the Magic 29th (96).
Atlanta is third but doesn’t have the depth the Bulls do to make it a run-and-gun game for 48 minutes.
The game slows down in a best-of playoff series, but not in the one-and-done play-in tournament.
3. Hall of Famer: Donovan won’t get votes for the Coach of the Year honors, but considering what he’s done this season, and who he’s done it with, he should. Of the four coaches left in the play-in there’s no question that Miami’s Erik Spoelstra is the most proven, but for pushing the buttons for just one game — maybe two — Donovan seems to have the pulse of his team better than the other three right now.
THREE REASONS THE BULLS CAN STUMBLE IN THE PLAY-IN
1. Let’s get physical: If there’s an ongoing concern with the make-up of this roster it’s physical toughness. It’s gotten better this season, but Miami and Orlando can both take a game into a dark alley and come out the other side unscathed.
If the Bulls have an officiating crew that’s going to swallow the whistle and let it become a street fight, well, finesse only gets a team so far. There’s not a single player on the roster that is physically imposing and that has bothered Donovan since he got in that coaching seat.
2. Home sweet home: One of the changes executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas wanted to see play out was a better showing at the United Center this season. That has not been the case. There’s a good chance the Bulls could host a play-in game, and even with improved results there lately, they are still a dismal 17-23 in their own backyard.
3. Sink or swim: There are few in the rookie class that have been better than Matas Buzelis the last six weeks. But the first-year player has yet to be on this type of stage. A win-or-go-home game is a lot of pressure. If the Bulls were getting production from back-up Patrick Williams that would be one thing, but Williams is too hit-or-miss, and far too often more miss.
Wing forwards performing on both ends of the floor are a big deal in the NBA, especially this time of the season. It’s on Buzelis now — sink or swim.