Bulls may need 9-2 finish to secure a spot in playoffs
The Bulls already had reason to rinse a nasty taste from their mouths at Saturday's home game against New Jersey.
The only other time these teams met this season, the Bulls managed to drop a 103-101 decision to the Nets, who were 1-19 at the time, at the United Center on Dec. 8.
But the bad memories are now doubled, thanks to Thursday's baffling home loss to Miami. With a playoff spot in the balance, the Bulls managed to fall behind by 30 points at halftime on the way to a putrid 103-74 defeat.
On Friday at the Berto Center, the Bulls shot the official team photo, then did more talking than practicing.
"Guys just voiced their opinions and the coaches just listened," forward Taj Gibson said. "It was real positive today after a tough loss. Guys have to regroup and get all the negativity out of the way."
Making the playoffs isn't out of the question, but the Bulls (33-38) probably have to win nine of their final 11 games to have a realistic chance. At the end of Thursday's action, they trailed eighth-place Toronto by 21/2 games. The Raptors played Denver at home on Friday.
"You've got to try to find a way to keep the confidence up for the guys," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Obviously, no one's happy with the way we played last night. We've got to come out with some more pride and some more energy."
The Bulls have a new injury to deal with. Rookie forward James Johnson, who has started seven of the last eight games in place of Luol Deng (right calf strain), suffered a foot sprain early in the Miami game. He returned to play a total of 20 minutes, but wore a walking boot on his right foot Friday.
He was expected to get an MRI exam in the afternoon and his status for Saturday's game is questionable at best. If Johnson can't play, the Bulls figure to start Flip Murray at small forward.
Against the Heat, the Bulls were badly outplayed on both ends of the court. In the first half, Miami shot 60.5 percent from the field, compared to 27.9 percent from the Bulls.
"We're not as healthy as we'd like to be, but guys have got to step up and play," Del Negro said. "The only way we've won this year is keeping teams to a low field-goal percentage, getting out in the open court."
When the Nets visited Chicago on Dec. 8, they had just completed the worst start in NBA history at 0-18 and fired coach Lawrence Frank a few days earlier.
Behind strong efforts from center Brook Lopez (25 points) and forward Chris Douglas-Roberts (20 points), New Jersey headed into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead.
The Bulls battled back and took a 1-point edge on Derrick Rose's runner with 19.5 seconds left. After guard Devin Harris tossed in an off-balance jumper with 14.5 seconds on the clock, the Bulls couldn't get the ball to Rose and John Salmons missed a quick 3-pointer that helped seal an embarrassing loss.
"You can't take anybody for granted. They came in and played an excellent game," Gibson said. "If we really want to make the playoffs, we're going to have to get ready for the next one and prepare. There's no pointing fingers at anybody, it's all about getting ready for the next game. It's coming down to the wire, every win is a must."
Nets @ BullsTime: 7 p.m. SaturdayTV: Channel 9Radio: WMVP 1000-AMUpdate: The Bulls should have no problem recalling what happened the last time they met the Nets. They lost 103-101 at the United Center on Dec. 8. New Jersey was 1-19 heading into the game and that was its first road win of the season. The Nets are still miserable, carrying an 8-63 record into Friday's game against Detroit. They still need two wins to avoid breaking or tying the NBA record for futility, set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. Second-year center Brook Lopez is a bright spot, averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 rebounds. He scored 25 against the Bulls in the first meeting.Next: Sunday vs. Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 5 p.m.