Blowout loss leaves Bulls to wonder what's next
The final landing was a resounding thud. With a chance to take Cleveland to the limit and force a Game 7 in this second-round series, the Bulls came up quiet on offense and ended their season with a 94-73 loss to the Cavaliers.
The Bulls regained the services of Pau Gasol on Thursday night, while Cavs guard Kyrie Irving sat out the second half with a leg injury. But Cleveland's supporting cast came through, hitting 12 of 27 shots from 3-point range and using a 20-4 run late in the second quarter to take control.
This season began with high expectations for the Bulls, but it makes no sense for anyone to argue that this playoff loss is the end of the road for this group of players.
The friction between coach Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls' front office has been well-documented and could fill a 1,000-word story. It's possible the team will try to make a coaching change, despite a successful five-year run under Thibodeau.
“Until they tell me I'm not, I expect to be here,” Thibodeau said after the game.
Derrick Rose gave his coach a strong endorsement in the locker room. “It's not my decision, but I love him as a coach,” Rose said. “If it was up to me, he'd be back.”
Setting the coach aside for now, this season was more of a beginning for the Bulls. Rose returned from nearly two years off with two knee injuries and he made it to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
The Bulls added Pau Gasol, who was good enough to be an all-star starter, but fitting him into the team chemistry was a challenge the team never quite accomplished. It obviously didn't help that the Bulls had so many injuries.
Jimmy Butler completed his first season as an all-star and 20-point scorer. Butler also was very good during the playoffs. He will be a restricted free agent this summer but is certain to re-sign with the Bulls.
There are a few question marks, like the future of Mike Dunleavy and Aaron Brooks, but also some promising young players, such as Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell and Doug McDermott.
A likely scenario for the Bulls next season is staying roughly the same, with McDermott stepping into a larger role and maybe providing that extra shooter the team needed on nights like this.
“We couldn't channel our best when we needed to, could never really could get this thing going,” Dunleavy said. “I thought our best was as good as anybody in the league's, but we just couldn't find it on a consistent basis.”
Joakim Noah, a first-team All-NBA player a year ago, struggled with off-season knee surgery and fitting in with Gasol. He looked forward with a sense of determination.
“We obviously have a lot of work to do,” Noah said. “I feel like I definitely have to play better than I did this year. I'm disappointed about that. This is a tough point right now, losing, with the caliber of players we had and the expectations we had. It's very disappointing, but I think it's going to make us stronger. It's going to make us work that much harder.”
Gasol expressed no regrets about choosing the Bulls as his free-agent destination. At 34, he should have at least a couple of good years left.
“I'm happy with, not the ending, but the season has been extremely positive,” Gasol said. “For me, I think the team at times has shown great potential and high quality, but we've got to find more consistency. Overall, very happy with my decision, very happy to be here with this group of guys, with this city, with this franchise and I look forward to the next one and I hope it's a better one.”
The biggest reason for optimism is the return of Rose. There were times when he played at an all-star level, and he's hoping to do that more often next season.
“I've got a baseline now,” Rose said. “I'm healthy. I'm going into this summer with a game plan, with certain things to work on. I'll push myself the hardest I've ever pushed myself in my career and just see where it takes me.”
3 keys to the game
1. Another big run: This game was going fine for the Bulls until they landed on the wrong end of a 20-4 run to end the first half and never made much of a push after halftime.
2. Long distance calls: Cleveland's stars were relatively quiet in Game 6, but the Cavs knocked down 12 of 27 shots from 3-point range. they outscored the Bulls from behind the arc 36-12.
3. No offense: The Bulls just couldn't score for most of this game. After recording 31 points in the first quarter, they added just 42 during the final three quarters.
— Mike McGraw