Bulls embark on pivotal road trip
Luol Deng managed to find one advantage to the Bulls playing their next four games on the road.
"Having some fans boo us, but not our own fans," he joked Thursday at the Berto Center.
The Bulls realize their season could hang in the balance as they hit the road.
On one hand, they own a disappointing 13-20 record. But on the other hand, they were just 3 games out of the last playoff spot in the East and 4 games behind No. 4 seed Washington as of Thursday morning.
During this trip, the Bulls will face two teams below them in the standings (Philadelphia and Miami), the team sitting in the No. 8 spot (Atlanta) and a team that plays far worse at home than it does on the road (Orlando).
So the Bulls appear capable of going 4-0 on this trip, or 0-4 or anything in between. They could return home next week ready to make a playoff push or feeling even more miserable than before about their chances.
"This is a big week for us," guard Ben Gordon said. "We can make a nice little run. We've got some games coming up against teams we can definitely beat. We just have to go out there and play with the right intensity and the right effort."
Added Deng: "I think we've got to sit down and talk that this could really be a turnaround time. I think we worked too hard to be losing so many games."
Tuesday's 105-100 loss to New York at the United Center was a game the Bulls should have won, without question. But it's probably not a good barometer for the state of the team.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulls were missing two of their top three scorers (Deng and Andres Nocioni), while another starter (Kirk Hinrich) was on the floor even though he was suffering from the flu.
Losing a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead against the Knicks wasn't pretty, but those things happen.
"When you lose, you expect to be criticized," coach Jim Boylan said. "We have not had the kind of season that everyone thought we would. We sit in a delicate position right now, because anytime things do go wrong and you lose a game like that, it's magnified."
The first sign that the Bulls weren't right at the start of the season came Nov. 2 at their home opener. What was supposed to be an automatic win over Philadelphia turned into a fairly decisive 96-85 defeat. The Bulls ended up losing their first four games and were 2-10 by the end of the November road trip.
Their upcoming journey begins with a rematch against the 76ers, who have lost five in a row. On Sunday, the Bulls will try to extend their dominance of the Atlanta Hawks, who have lost 12 straight in the series.
"We definitely need to get on a nice little win streak to get ourselves going, boost our morale a little bit," Gordon said. "We can definitely do that if we bring our game."
Turning point trip?
The Bulls' season may hang in the balance as they begin a four-game road trip tonight. On paper, all the games seem winnable. But then again, nothing has gone according to plan so far this season. Here's the itinerary:
Philadelphia, today
The Bulls can't lose two in a row to the Sixers, can they? A surprising 96-85 loss to Philadelphia in the home opener on Nov. 2 was the first sign of trouble.
Atlanta, Sunday
The Hawks are threatening to make the playoffs, but they have lost 12 straight to the Bulls. The formula for success has been to play aggressive, physical defense and Atlanta will surrender.
Orlando, Tuesday
Currently the No. 3 seed in the East, the Magic has somehow gone 16-6 on the road but just 7-8 at its outdated home arena.
Miami, Wednesday
Two years after winning the title, the Heat owns the NBA's second-worst record. Shaquille O'Neal hasn't been playing, and Dwyane Wade must be wondering where it all went wrong.
-- Mike McGraw