Latest loss means Bulls likely out of playoffs
Whatever happens to the Bulls these days seems to be a head-scratching development.
For a while on Thursday, they were in position to beat Miami, giving one more example of, "How is this team managing to miss the playoffs?"
But then with a total collapse down the stretch in the fourth quarter, the Bulls lost 106-98 at American Airlines Arena, leaving just another round of, "What the heck happened out there?"
Needless to say, this just about locks the door on the Bulls' postseason aspirations. The only way they could make the playoffs now is if they win their final three games, Indiana loses their final four and they don't end up in a three-way tie with Detroit or Washington.
The Bulls (39-40) led this one 86-85 when Jimmy Butler hit 2 free throws with 4:43 remaining. Over the next two minutes, Miami outscored the Bulls 10-2 to take command.
This result was somewhat reminiscent of the last time these teams played at the United Center on Mar. 11. The Bulls trailed by 3 points with 8:26 remaining and ended up losing by 22.
Butler vowed to have a bounce-back game and delivered, leading the Bulls with 25 points. Pau Gasol finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Derrick Rose scored 17. Some of the bench guys did OK, but it wasn't enough.
The Bulls had a hard time keeping Miami center Hassan Whiteside off the boards in the fourth quarter. He had 5 offensive rebounds in the final five minutes, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out. This was a night the Bulls missed Taj Gibson, who is still out with a broken rib.
Late in the third quarter, Doug McDermott earned a flagrant foul against Whiteside. McDermott tried to wrap up the Heat center to prevent a layup, but seemed to lose his balance and ended up slamming Whiteside to the floor in an ideal football tackle.
What's left on the Bulls' regular season slate is a home date with Cleveland on Saturday, a trip to New Orleans, then Philadelphia at home on Wednesday. Barring a miracle, the Bulls will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and just the second time since 2005.
Miami (46-32) joined Atlanta as the second team to sweep the Bulls 4-0 this season. The Bulls hadn't been swept in a four-game season series since the 2007-08 season, when Boston and Orlando did it.
On Thursday, Butler talked about the perception he and Rose don't have good chemistry on the court.
"We're not winning right now like everyone expected us to," Butler said, according to bulls.com. "So there (must) a problem with me and him. Just like it was at the end of last year - there's no problem. I didn't play well (in Tuesday's loss at Memphis). I didn't play like I'm capable of playing. It has nothing to do with him. It has nothing to do with my coaches. It has everything to do with me.
"So it's not if we can coexist. It's Jimmy Butler has to play better, Jimmy Butler has to do whatever it takes to help this team win."
Butler played much better in Miami, but a win didn't follow.
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