Chicago Bulls refuse to second-guess Wednesday's rough ending
The ending of Wednesday's game at the United Center left plenty of opportunities to second guess.
The Chicago Bulls led Denver by 1 point late in overtime and wisely took the foul they had to give with 3.5 seconds on the clock.
Off the ensuing inbound pass, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic missed a jumper, but teammate Paul Millsap got the offensive rebound and banked in the game-winner with 0.1 seconds on the clock.
Should Justin Holiday have done a better job of boxing out? Should Millsap have been called for a foul? Should the Bulls have had different players on the floor?
All three points have merit, but in a 1-point overtime decision, a thousand little things could have made a difference. Inside the locker room, Holiday stood up and accepted blame.
"I didn't make the play I was supposed to make," Holiday said. "That's on me. I just didn't make the right decision at the right time. I should have been a little more into his body. Obviously, if I were a little closer it would have been tougher for him to get it. Didn't matter who. I've got to make the right play to win the game."
Holiday tried to box out Millsap but probably gives up close to 100 pounds and was sent stumbling across the lane while the shot was in the air. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg decided to sub Chandler Hutchison for Jabari Parker on the last possession, giving the Bulls more defensive quickness.
"They scored 23 second-chance points," Hoiberg said. "You cut that in half and it doesn't come down to that last play."
Zach LaVine, who led the Bulls with 28 points, took a long-term view.
"You don't blame anybody; they just made a good play," he said. "They won the game, you've got to give them credit. Obviously if we had all our guys back, Justin wouldn't be guarding Paul Millsap, he'll be guarding a wing. Lauri (Markkanen) or Bobby (Portis) would be guarding him and I don't think he gets that tip. But we have what we have right now. We have to deal with it."
Sweet home uniforms:
Most NBA teams unveiled their alternative "city" uniforms Thursday. The Bulls' version is another design inspired by the Chicago flag.
The jersey is black, with red stars and light blue bars across the chest, mimicking the Chicago flag, with a red number. There is no writing on the front of the jersey, other than the words "Sweet Home" just above the tag. The phrase would not be visible if the jersey is tucked in.
The Bulls will wear the city uniforms several times this season.
Windy City on the air:
The G-League's Windy City Bulls will have 17 home games air on NBC Sports Chicago this season - 12 live and five on delay.
Friday's season opener at the Sears Centre will air Sunday at 7 p.m. The first live broadcast will be the Nov. 25 afternoon game against Fort Wayne.