Magic long gone from Bulls' season
If baby-stepping back toward the playoffs is an effective strategy, the Bulls should be in good shape, based on Sunday night's 104-84 loss to Orlando at the United Center.
The Bulls also were beaten by the Magic four days ago in Florida but managed to trim their margin of defeat from 32 to 20 points Sunday. They also limited Orlando center Dwight Howard to 19 points, compared to 30 in the previous game.
The success of the Bulls' interior defense was open to debate, however, after Howard finished the night with a very odd stat line. He made 3 of 4 field-goal attempts and 13 of 17 free throws, added 5 rebounds and sat out the entire fourth quarter.
"He's not the greatest of free-throw shooters (59.2 percent)," Bulls center Aaron Gray said. "We thought he's so powerful and strong down low, when he catches it that close, it's almost a guaranteed bucket. You figure you play the percentages and send him to the free-throw line."
After Howard threw down a couple of dunks in the first quarter and the Bulls' defense collapsed inside, Rashard Lewis, Keith Bogans and Hedo Turkoglu knocked down 3-pointers on four consecutive trips down the floor. The Magic went from a 7-7 tie to a 23-11 lead in less than three minutes.
The Bulls got back to within 3 points early in the third quarter and trailed by 8 at the end of three. But the home team managed to score just 10 points in the fourth quarter and Orlando pulled away.
The Bulls' four main guards -- Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha -- combined to hit 6 of 22 shots for 15 points. Hinrich, at least, collected 7 assists.
Asked why the guards had so much trouble scoring against a team known for its strong front line, Bulls coach Jim Boylan gave a terse response.
"You'd have to ask them that question," he said.
OK, then, why did the guards struggle? Gordon finished with a season-low 3 points, while Hughes had 4 points, no assists and no rebounds in 12 minutes.
"None of us were real aggressive for some reason," Hinrich said. "They were just better than us. They have been all year and they were tonight."
"I don't know," added Gordon. "I guess it was just one of those games. I thought guys were out there getting some decent looks."
When Hughes was asked if the younger players should be given more minutes in the season's final two games, he endorsed the idea.
"I think that's a good way to go, as far as having the guys who have put in the hard work, the guys who have been back and forth to the D-League," Hughes said, "just to let those guys get some feel-good about themselves and allow those guys to finish the season strong."
The young guys didn't do much Sunday. Second-year guard Shannon Brown played the final four minutes, while rookie Demetris Nichols was inactive.
Hughes, who played in the Finals with Cleveland last season, did express an optimistic view of the Bulls' future.
"It's not going to take a mass overhaul," he said. "We feel like we have guys here who can play. We just need to get that confidence going again."
Orlando won its 50th game for the first time since 1995-96. The only challenge left for the Bulls (31-49) with two games remaining is to avoid losing 50.
Tonight's tipoff
Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center, 7 p.m.
TV: Channel 9
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Update: The Bulls have gone 10-5 against Central Division opponents and are 2-1 vs. the Bucks (26-54), all three games decided by 5 points or fewer. Milwaukee's Michael Redd has averaged 31.3 points against the Bulls. Rookie Yi Jianlian is done for the season with a knee sprain.
Next: Toronto Raptors at the United Center, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday