Written by K.C. Johnson at Chicago Tribune.com
When the Bulls morning shootaround concluded at a small college, several players took to throwing around a football that Jimmy Butler brought.
Several hours later at the Barclays Center, Rajon Rondo quarterbacked one of those fast breaks coaches dream about: Rondo passed ahead to Dwyane Wade, who sent an alley-oop to Butler for a dunk, all without the ball touching the floor.
Three games into a surprisingly dominant offensive start, the completions continue for the Bulls, no matter the sport.
After their 118-88 dissection of the rebuilding Nets, the Bulls are 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 1996-97.
“A lot of togetherness,” Butler said. “The game’s easy when you’re out there having fun. Everybody’s smiling. Everybody wants the next guy to get a bucket. That’s what you’re seeing.”
Once again, pace, passing and sizzling outside shooting defined the victory. The Bulls shot 50.6 percent, including 40.7 percent from 3-point range. They placed seven players in double figures, led by Butler’s 22 points, and assisted on 26 of 45 field goals.
With 38 points, they posted their highest-scoring first quarter since January 2012 and recorded 60-point first halves in back-to-back games for the first time since February 2012. They also led by at least 29 points for the second straight game, at one point topping the Nets by 33.
Three games or not, this is serious stuff.
“It’s a fun way to play when you’re sharing the ball like we are,” coach Fred Hoiberg said.
The Bulls are shooting 42.5 percent from 3-point range, quieting, at least for now, the concerns about outside shooting and floor spacing. One game after not playing the starters in the fourth quarter, only Wade logged garbage time.
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