CHICAGO — “We’ve got to decide what we want to be.”
In the past, the answer to Tom Thibodeau’s question was easy. The Chicago Bulls teams he's coached have always been defensive juggernauts, teams that grind out wins no matter the personnel by slowing down the pace and taking opponents out of their flow.
Part of that has been by necessity—you have to find other ways to win games when Derrick Rose misses most of two years. But now that Rose is back and other players have stepped up offensively, the Bulls have hit a wall on the other end of the floor. They’re taking defense for granted after putting in so much work on that end for four years. They’re relying on their offense to carry them, and it’s not working.
“If we’re going to come in and just try to outscore people, we’re not going anywhere,” said Thibodeau. “I know that’s not gonna work.”
Just a week ago, the Bulls looked like world-beaters. Coming off a stretch of 13 wins in 15 games, they rattled off victories against the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers ...
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Article written by Sean Highkin
Chicago Bulls Need to Rediscover Their Defensive Identity
January 13th, 2015 by Sean Highkin Leave a reply »
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