DeRozan speaks softly, but has plenty to say
The Bulls had an all-star moment Sunday they hadn't experienced in a long time, if ever.
First of all, it's tough to remember any sort of competitive moment in an NBA All-Star Game until the target-score ending began in 2020.
Late in the contest, when Steph Curry cooled off after an epic run of 3-point shooting, LeBron James got the ball and seemed to say, "Showtime is over." James threw the ball to Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who utilized some of his precision footwork to drain an 18-foot turnaround over Devin Booker and get Team LeBron within a basket of winning the game.
Bulls teammate Zach LaVine scored the last 5 points for Team Durant to ramp up the drama, before James ended the game.
DeRozan took a back seat to Curry, James, Joel Embiid, Michael Jordan and others on Sunday, but he did get a chance to demonstrate what he's done best for the Bulls - hit a clutch shot in the fourth quarter.
Between making NBA history with his seven-game streak of scoring 35 points while shooting at least 50 percent in every contest, and the all-star appearance, DeRozan has spread plenty of interesting details about his comeback season with the Bulls.
That makes it a good time for sort of a "DeRozan in his own words" type of feature. The following quotes were spoken over the past week, either after the games against San Antonio and Sacramento, or during his all-star availability in Cleveland.
On what he remembers about watching Jordan:
"Vividly where I could probably, from '97 on, I remember his last two championships for sure. Being a kid, my dad made me watch every single game. I used to hate Utah, because everybody who was rooting for the Chicago Bulls. So as a kid I said, 'Well I hate Utah too.' So I remember those days, I think I was like 9 or 10 years old, so I do remember those vividly, those championship runs for sure."
On how he's been such an efficient scorer this season:
"It's definitely concentration. I try to make a conscious effort of understanding, not just going up there and shooting shots. I always analyze myself early in my career and I used to shoot a lot. Volume shooter. And I used to always wonder why I had that label, how you get that label and how you can get away from that level.
"That's just understanding shot selection, what you work on, rhythm, and extreme concentration out there. There's so much that goes into play for me when I'm in those moments. Every shot that I take is a shot that I work on. I'm just not shooting a shot just to be shooting it. I just lock in every time it's time to score."
On hitting peak performance in his 13th season:
"Throughout my career, I've done a lot of learning personally. Just trying to understand a lot of dynamics of just being a man first - looking in the mirror moments and understanding a lot things - this moment now, it's just me being in my complete balance of life. It's just me understanding the most I've understood at this point in my life to be able to be balanced."
On describing how it feels to be so locked in:
"I can't. I'll be honest with you, I can't describe it. It's one of those things, I'm just completely locked in as soon as I come to work, understanding I want to be able to leave work with a win by any means necessary. I stand on that and I try to challenge myself every single day I come to work. No mater how I feel, no matter if I'm having personal good day or bad day, the only thing that matters when I'm at work is getting a victory. I just try to lock in to the best of my abilities and do whatever I've got to do."
On his journey from Compton, Calif., to multiple NBA all-star:
"It's always a struggle. Being a kid in Compton, every step of my life was a new dynamic that I never could imagine. You get caught in being seesawed so much emotionally, with things you're trying to figure out that you just don't have the answers for. And the answers don't come in a day, in a week, you've kind of got to go through it. So for me, I've been through a lot, where I can look back and assess a lot of things and take a step back if I need to and face it full force if I need to."
On his decision to join the Bulls last summer:
"Going to Chicago, I knew I wasn't going just to wear a Chicago Bulls jersey and try to get some free Jordans. We were going to try to make something happen. So I think even if it's not said, it was understood.
"I told Zach when I came: You win, everything comes. The only thing that matters is winning. Everything else you can dream of or ask for will come. You don't even got to worry about it. (So) let's go out here and compete at the highest level. It's going to be hard. I stress that every single day - win."
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