Written by Elijah Doetsch at the Sports Quotient
Watching the Bull’s embrace each other following their hard-fought victory over the Toronto Raptors, I was taken aback. Sure, Jimmy Butler had just broken one of Michael Jordan’s unbreakable records by scoring 40 points in the second half, but it was the embrace that was surprising. Where was this chemistry all season? Was this the same team that seemed to fracturing mere weeks ago? As a new league hierarchy is beginning to come into focus, the Bulls remain an anomaly.
Some nights they look listless, barely showing up against inferior competition. Other nights, they look like contenders, mercilessly pillaging proud opponents on their home floors. Whilst the Bulls sport an impressive 73% winning percentage against theNBA’s top 12 teams, they simultaneously sport a lowly 52% winning percentage against the association’s other 18. So what gives? One guess is that the Bulls are closer to contenders than they are to also rans, but is that going to be enough for them to make some serious noise come the playoffs?
Let’s start with the idea that a better record against superior competition suggests a lack of effort against inferior competition. The Bulls, according to the eye test, clearly play with less intensity when the stakes are lower. Their cuts are less sharp, their rotations are more lackadaisical, and the 50-50 balls that often swing games seldom go their way. But how do you quantify effort?
A quick look at their splits show that the Bulls average significantly more rebounds, steals, and blocks in their wins vs. their losses, and their opponents average significantly less. These are hustle stats and show that is not simply a matter of not making buckets when the Bull’s are off their game. Additionally, the Bulls attempt more free throws and commit more personal fouls in wins than in losses, suggesting a heightened aggression.
Where does this lack of effort come from? Are the Bulls, like the Spurs have for the better part of the last decade, saving their bodies for the playoffs? One believes this to be the case. However, unlike the free-flowing Spurs, whose collective IQ and mastery of fundamentals make them a force to be reckoned with, even at half speed, the Bulls crumble when their effort wanes. The eye test, as well as statistics, bore out that this malaise in losses and against inferior competition starts at the top with Derrick Rose.
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