Boylen praises Markkanen for being selfless down stretch vs. OKC
Bulls coach Jim Boylen compared Ryan Arcidiacono's sliding chase-down steal in Friday's win over Oklahoma City to Lauri Markkanen's two game-winning plays.
Arcidiacono's hustle play was impressive by even his standards. He chased down Thunder guard Dennis Schroder from behind, knocked the ball lose, dove to the ground and managed to pass it to Jabari Parker before sliding out of bounds.
"That's a 'for your team play' and I loved it," Boylen said before Saturday's game against Boston. Those are the kind of plays when you're an old guy that loved basketball, that makes you want to put the uniform on.
"I also thought Lauri's plays at the end were 'for the team.' A lot of guys think they have to shoot the ball at the end because you call their number. He made the correct play, (I) trust him with that decision and that was wonderful."
That second part was interesting, since Zach LaVine, for one, has pulled up for long jumpers in late-game situations. During the final 30 seconds on Friday, Markkanen dished it to Justin Hamilton for a 3-pointer, then spun on Paul George and hit a driving lay in with 4.9 seconds left for the winning basket.
"I was 100 percent going to Justin, I thought, because he made the 3 on the last play," said Markkanen, who took a dribble handoff from LaVine to start the sequence. "So I thought he was going to get a good look when I handed it off to him, but I saw George jumping on my other side a little bit, so I thought I had my spin open."
Locker room loss:
Less than a week since the Bulls made a coaching change, Jim Boylen has been asked plenty of questions about Fred Hoiberg. On Saturday, Boylen commented on the notion Hoiberg was let go in part because he "lost" the Bulls' locker room.
"I don't think he lost the locker room," Boylen said. "I just think we're different people. He was going to do it his way and I was going to support him in the way he wanted to do it. Now I'm going to do it my way and my staff's going to support me in the way I want to do it.
"So I approach the locker room different than Fred. Doesn't mean better, worse, whatever. We're different people. Fred and I are very close and we spent a lot of time together and I'm going to miss that relationship. But I've got a job to do. I think Fred understands that."
A more accurate critique would be the Bulls' attention to detail had started to slide under Hoiberg. Players weren't always giving their best defensive effort and often departed from a team concept to get their own shots. That's a constant challenge in a league where the high scorers get the biggest contracts.
Parker checks in:
Jabari Parker played just under 3 minutes in the fourth quarter on Friday, giving way to Lauri Markkanen. Head coach Jim Boylen said he checked on Parker's state of mind right away Saturday.
"I worked for (Houston Rockets coach) Rudy Tomjanovich. He told me, 'You've got to always pull your guys in,'" Boylen said. "Jabari's back home, he's in Chicago, he's a talented, dynamic player. So yeah, I hit him today as he walked in the locker room, he had his coat on.
"That's what you do. I thought he was just in a place last night where his poise, he just played the game so easily. That's what great players do. Hopefully he can keep that going."
Celebrate with a Feud:
Nothing like a game show to celebrate your first official victory as an NBA head coach. At least, that's how Jim Boylen followed Friday's victory over OKC.
"Yeah, I had my family here. Yeah, I celebrated," Boylen said. "I was here a little bit later maybe than I usually would be after a game. We drove home and we sat on the couch and had a bowl of cereal with my kids and we watched the 'Family Feud.' That's what we do. It was really cool. I thought it was a cool night."
Why not grab the family and be contestants on "Family Feud?" Is that something Boylen would do?
"No, I would not," he said. "When somebody asks me a question sometimes I have to think too long. I couldn't hit the buzzer. I'm not that bright on my feet."