Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
After reeling down the end of the regular season, the Chicago Bulls came away with a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night to close out their record at 46-36.
In a game where the Bulls didn’t play Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso or Coby White, this was a moral victory, over anything else. The Bulls were up big in the first half, but the game narrowed in the second. Still, Chicago wound up pulling it off, 124-120.
Now that the regular season is done, the Bulls have found out their fate. In the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Chicago will take on the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bulls will begin their playoff journey this next Sunday on Easter, April 17, beginning their 7-game series in Milwaukee. The time specifics have yet to be hammered out.
Mark that calendar ?
Game 1 dates for the First Round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel ?
More information will be provided as it is finalized. pic.twitter.com/qyqgbI2Bcl
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 11, 2022
If the Chicago Bulls want to make any noise against the Milwaukee Bucks, they’ll have to figure it out in a hurry.
This isn’t exactly an inspiring first-round matchup. The Bulls went 0-4 against the Bucks during the regular season, with each loss getting worse as time went on.
Their first matchup came back on January 21, where the Bulls lost by just four points in a game that was played without LaVine. It was DeRozan’s 35 points that kept Chicago in it until the end.
In their second matchup of the year, back in early March, the Bulls lost by six points in another close game. LaVine’s 30 points led the Bulls, who ultimately fell short as the Bucks out-scored them by 13 in the fourth quarter.
From there, it gets ugly. The Bulls’ final two matchups with the Bucks were losses by 28 and 21 points, and came in the midst of this late-season downfall for Chicago.
For about two months, the Bulls have not played inspired basketball, and it’s showed. If they are to hang with the Bucks and even win one or two games in this series, the Bulls need a leader to step up. It has to happen.
Whether it’s Billy Donovan — which is unlikely — or a player like LaVine — more likely — the Bulls have to have someone be more vocal on the floor. This team is severely lacking a vocal leader who can inspire, motivate and bring this team back to playing its best basketball.