Bad habit, mad coach
Using a dominant fourth quarter to erase a sluggish start is something the Bulls have done well lately, but coach Tom Thibodeau called for a halt to the bad habit following Monday's 97-85 loss to Philadelphia at the United Center.
Their 14-game home winning streak came to a screeching halt when the Bulls (53-20) were badly outplayed by Philadelphia in the first half.
The visitors led by 23 on two occasions in the second quarter, and the Bulls' fourth-quarter rally never got closer than 4 points.
“This game was lost early,” Thibodeau said.
While Derrick Rose placed blame on himself for piling up 10 turnovers, Thibodeau stressed the need for the Bulls to find their defensive edge at the start of the contest and was unusually critical in his postgame comments.
“The one thing I do know is when you practice well, you play well,” he said. “If you're not putting a lot into practice, you're not going to have an edge in the game.
“If you don't have an edge in the game, you're putting yourself in a bad position.”
The Bulls haven't had much practice time lately, but in Thibodeau's mind, the morning shootaround counts as practice.
“Turnovers, big problem. Not making free throws, big problem. And not playing defense,” Thibodeau added. “We've got to make the necessary corrections real fast because things can change very quickly in this league.”
Rose did collect 10 turnovers, but he also hit 12 of 24 shots for 31 points. Thibodeau complained that Rose was hit on a number of drives to the basket and not given the foul calls.
Carlos Boozer was second on the team with 15 points, while the Bulls' bench had a rare off-night, getting outscored 31-14. Forward Thaddeus Young led the Sixers' balanced attack with 21 points.
“I think it was me,” Rose said. “I know there were some things I could have done different in that game. I think my turnovers definitely changed this game. Dribbling the ball off my foot, head, whatever.”
As he sat at his locker, Rose's right hand and wrist were wrapped in ice, but he shrugged off any suggestion of injury.
“I have some jammed fingers, but I'm fine,” he said.
Across the locker room, center Joakim Noah felt blame should be shared among the five starters.
“Derrick's that kind of guy. When things aren't going well, he wants to put the heat on himself,” Noah said. “But that's not the truth.
“The truth is, as a starting unit, we have to do a better job of coming out with the right edge. We didn't come with the right fight at the start of the game.”
Forward Luol Deng joined the rough-night club, hitting 3 of 11 shots for 10 points. Two days earlier in Milwaukee, he scored a season-low 6 points.
“Lu, I didn't think it was one of his better games,” Thibodeau said. “We've given him time off in practice. When Lu's practicing well, I think it translates into the games. We need to get back to practicing.”
Deng did not disagree with his coach's assessment and suggested the team as a whole would use this game as a wake-up call.
“Tomorrow we'll get a chance to practice,” Rose said. “Usually after we practice, we go on a run.”