The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls last Friday night in the NBA play-in tournament, capping off yet another forgettable season for the team. It was only right that the season would conclude in a dismal way because it had been a bad one. The Bulls had a strong start in Miami, going up 11-6 early on with a few three-pointers, but from that point on, it was all Heat. With a 112-91 victory, Miami advanced to the postseason, where they will face the Boston Celtics.
The Bulls led 11–6 at the half, but gave up a big run and lost by 20 points in the second quarter. It was actually quite good work by the Bulls to weather the storm when they fell behind by 20 points. After Chicago rallied and cut the lead to seven points in the third quarter, the Heat regained momentum and won handily.
The Bulls had a 39-43 record at the end of the regular season. In their first play-in tournament game, they did manage to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, but they were once again eliminated from the postseason. Chicago could have advanced to the playoffs with only one more win if they had prevailed at Miami on Friday night, but they were unable to complete the task.
So, the Bulls will play for another season. Things went rather well after they started 5-14, but they are still far from appeasing this demanding fan base. Making it this far was an accomplishment, as nobody really thought this club would make it to the postseason in the early going, but the fan base is demanding more. Chicago is likely to make several trade-related moves throughout the summer. One player needs to leave at this point.
Zach LaVine is a fantastic player, but the Bulls can’t seem to find a place for him at the moment, thus this offseason, he needs to be traded. That he has survived this whole year without being traded is astonishing. Throughout the first half of the season, there were whispers that a move may occur, but it never materialized. LaVine struggled with numerous ailments, which undoubtedly contributed to his decision to remain with the Bulls.
The Bulls’ fan base was furious as the trade deadline passed without any action being taken by the franchise, since it appeared quite likely that Zach LaVine would be traded. The inaction during the trade deadline only served to confirm Chicago fans’ perception that the front staff is happy with mediocrity.
