Bulls' season ends with a thud in blowout Game 6 loss
The last look at the Bulls during the 2016-17 season was rough on the eyes. And ears.
While the Bulls were getting clobbered by the Boston Celtics in a season-ending 105-83 loss, fans at the United Center booed frequently and began a loud, “Fire Hoiberg,” chant late in the game.
Asked about it later, Hoiberg took the criticism in stride.
“Sure, I understand the frustration. It was a frustrating game, there's no doubt about that, to go out this way,” Hoiberg said. “Again, the high note to start the series, the way we got off to a 2-0 lead, we couldn't finish it off. I thought we fought and battled, especially in Game 5 in Boston. We didn't have it tonight. So yes, I do understand.”
The Bulls hung around in the first half, but trailing 54-41 at intermission, they needed to make a move in the third quarter. Instead, the hot-shooting Celtics pushed the lead to 30 points and the entire fourth quarter was essentially garbage time.
The real question moving forward is if the Bulls' 7-2 finish to the regular season, followed by twin victories at Boston to open the playoff series, is an actual sign of progress.
Bulls management basically decided to ride with the young guys all season. Some of them showed promise, though the performances usually varied from game to game. When Rajon Rondo broke his thumb after Game 2 of this series, the Bulls had three young point guards on the roster and none of them answered the call. Isaiah Canaan, signed as more of a 3-point specialist, finished the series at point guard and fared better than anyone else.
Clearly, some changes are needed. When Wade fell into their laps last summer, the Bulls used all their cap space to sign him. This summer, they're not likely to chase any big fish, but they will have roughly $30 million available to improve the roster.
Wade has an option for next season worth $23.8 million. He's not likely to approach that kind of salary anywhere else, so a return to the Bulls appears to be a probable scenario. After Friday's game, Wade offered no definitive plans.
“I have a lot of time. I'm far away from that now,” Wade said. “Just got through this, fourteenth NBA season. It's, for me, identified with championships. If I'm not winning a championship, I'm never satisfied from that standpoint, but you take things out of it, you go back and look at the season and see what you could have done better individually.
“I am not worried about my future because I know it's basketball; I'm not really concerned with it now.”
Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 23 points, but center Robin Lopez with 10 points was the only other player to score in double figures. Wade hit just 1 of 10 shots for 2 points, after scoring 26 in Game 5.
Butler, Lopez, Bobby Portis, Paul Zipser, Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant and Cameron Payne are under contract for next season. The Bulls have an option to bring back Rondo.
“It was a weird season,” Wade said. “At the end of the day we wanted to make the playoffs, we did that. Injuries are part of the game. It always (stinks) when you don't get to see the full potential of the team from that standpoint.
“When training camp started, we weren't a team talking championship, we were talking steps, steps to get to the playoffs. We were able to do that; so we took a step in the right direction.”
The Bulls were literally beaten up in this game. Boston cranked up its physical defense another notch, yet the Bulls shot just 7 free throws during the first three quarters.
After the first quarter, Butler was on the ground in front of the Bulls bench getting his back stretched by a trainer. Wade seemed to hurt his right hand or wrist in the second quarter, then turned his left ankle in the third.
“People don't realize how banged up Jimmy was,” Hoiberg said. “He felt a little bit better today. He even went back in the back to get worked on when we subbed him out that first time. I'm telling you, Jimmy's a warrior. He battled, he fought all the way through, even though he wasn't 100 percent.
The Bulls didn't get many calls in Game 6, but that's not why they lost. The Bulls just could never build any momentum after losing Rondo to a broken thumb. They took a surprising 2-0 lead in this series, but were clobbered three times at the United Center. Their best chance to win without Rondo was Game 5 in Boston, where they actually led in the fourth quarter.
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