Bulls have earned some rest and recreation
After finishing their "ice show" road trip with 5 straight wins against Western Conference playoff contenders, the first thing the Bulls should do is enjoy the rest.
They have three days off before returning to the United Center for the first time since Jan. 15 on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 5-2 road trip seemed to defy logic, but last year the Bulls also played well on the ice show trek, going 4-3 with a couple of 1-point overtime losses.
"We're not surprised at our turnaround," all-star guard Derrick Rose said after Friday's 108-106 overtime win at New Orleans. "We're playing good basketball, hanging in there throughout the whole game. We're sticking with tough teams that are usually over .500."
The Clippers game kicks off a stretch of four games in five days. There's a great opportunity to stretch the streak to seven against the Clippers and Philadelphia. But the first home game after a long road trip is traditionally a dangerous scenario in the NBA, while the Sixers will be rested and playing at home.
Later in the week, the Bulls will get a tough road test against Atlanta on Friday, then return home Saturday to face Miami, which doesn't have a game the previous night.
Needless to say, momentum can expire at any time in the NBA, so the Bulls need to be careful. But here's a look at what went so well during the five-game winning streak:
Pass it around: Don't forget, this turnaround started on Dec. 26 when Kirk Hinrich replaced John Salmons in the starting lineup, among other changes. The Bulls are 13-5 since that date.
Hinrich is a better defender and can relieve Rose of some ballhandling duties. But the biggest difference is this: Hinrich is averaging 5.6 assists as the starter, more than double Salmons' total of 2.5 assists as a starter.
One could argue Hinrich has taken some assists away from Rose, but the numbers don't support it. Rose's assists increased in January.
Sweet shooting: What benefit can better ball movement bring? During the five-game winning streak, the Bulls shot 49.4 percent from the field overall and 43.2 percent from 3-point range.
The offensive woes from early in the season have basically disappeared. Salmons is shooting a remarkable 56.4 percent (31-for-55) from 3-point range since Dec. 26
A star is reborn: Derrick Rose's slow start had some whispering, "sophomore slump." Turns out he was just hobbled by that preseason ankle injury.
Rose has stepped into the role of a bona fide superstar since getting healthy. He averaged 24.6 points and shot 55 percent from the field during the streak.
Front of the line: The Bulls' inside game has probably been underrated all season, at least defensively. They lead the league in rebounds per game (45.7) and blocked shots (6.5).
During the winning streak, the Bulls averaged 9 blocks per game. Look back over the past 10 games and the Bulls have the league's best defensive field-goal percentage at .418. Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Tyrus Thomas probably deserve more credit for their defense.
More from Miller: Veteran center Brad Miller has virtually disappeared for long stretches of the season but showed how valuable he can be last week. Miller averaged 13.4 points and knocked down 7 of 15 shots from 3-point range during the winning streak. His performance helped hide the fact that Hinrich didn't shoot well and Salmons' scoring was down.