Before the game against the Wizards, the Bulls had won eight straight, arguably the hottest team in the league at the moment, and the momentum had overshadowed the Warriors and Suns, who were currently in a declining state. With this wave of consecutive wins, the Bulls have also surpassed the Nets, which occupied the first place in the East for a long time, and jumped to the first place in the East. The game against the Wizards is also very critical for them, on the one hand, the Bulls need to further widen the gap with the Nets. The Wizards, on the other hand, have a good chance of being their potential first-round opponents in the playoffs.
In the last game between the two sides, the Bulls won with DeRozan's streak, so even if there is a certain gap in strength between the two sides, the Bulls still can't take it lightly. The two sides continued to play hard, alternating between the two sides in the first half until the end of the half, when the Bulls were only seven points ahead. As He fought again, LaVine went into attacking form, scoring 12 points in a single quarter to help the team extend the lead to double digits. In the final final game, although the Wizards chased after it and were once close to the point difference, the Bulls finally saved the fruits of victory.
The Bulls have won nine straight after winning again in this game, and after winning the last game, they have won eight straight games since the 2011-2012 season, and are now expanding the number of consecutive games. The game was of great significance to the Bulls, who further cemented their first place in the East with this victory. After the Nets lost to the Bucks, the current win gap between the two sides has reached 2.5 games, which is significant for improving the overall morale of the team.
Looking at the Bulls' nine-game winning streak, it can be described as the result of the joint efforts of the whole team. First of all, the biggest contributor is undoubtedly DeRozan, who has been very good this season. In the first two games of the nine-game winning streak, LaVine missed the game because of a health and safety agreement, while DeRozan combined 64 points in both games to help the team win. In the following games against the Pacers and Wizards, DeRozan completed two consecutive three-point kills in back-to-back games, which was really amazing. Arguably, without DeRozan, there would have been no Bulls' nine-game winning streak.
Secondly, although he only participated in seven of them, the performance of the team boss Lavin was also indispensable. In these seven games, LaVine has scored 30+ points in 3 games and more than 20 points in 6 games, and all have very good offensive efficiency, providing important firepower support points for the team. And this game is also due to LaVine's 12 points in the third quarter, helping the team to open up the point difference in one fell swoop. So far this season, LaVine has averaged 26.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point range.
Again, the Bulls bench also made a huge contribution to the team. In the game against the Rockets, they scored a staggering 66 points, 39 points against the Eagles, and the Bulls scored a total of 52 points on the bench against the Wizards. In fact, the Bulls have been doing really well on the bench this season, especially during a nine-game winning streak, and when Kobe White comes on the bench, he can provide more energy for the team. As long as there is a good performance on the bench, the Bulls' main players can get better rest time.
In the end, a big part of the reason the Bulls have been able to win nine in a row is due to the fact that they currently have a very good team atmosphere. On the one hand, the two cores of the team played a good leading role, and when LaVine lifted the security agreement, he immediately threw himself into training. DeRozan, on the other hand, lost six free throws against the Magic and practiced for a long time after the game. In addition, the two cores are currently in a very good relationship. In Lavin's absence from the game, as long as DeRozan played a good performance, he would stand up for his teammates for the first time.
When Lavin returned, DeRozan showed an extremely selfless attitude. According to Acting Bulls coach Fleming, deRozan told the coach during the game against the Pacers to let him continue to lay out tactics for LaVine in the fourth quarter, and he himself would support LaVine. It can be seen that there is absolute trust between the two cores of the team at present. On the other hand, the other players of the Bulls have also shown a strong sense of winning and enthusiasm for the game, whether it is starters such as Vucevic or the team's newly signed short-term players, they have done their best to help the team win.
And you know, last season, the Bulls were a team that didn't even make the playoffs. In the offseason, they have successively traded and signed deRozan, Ball and Caruso, reinforcing the team's shortcomings. Despite the formation of the Big Four lineup and the optimism that they can re-enter the playoffs, no fan expected them to be able to play such a good record. After consistently holding the top three in the East at the beginning of the season, the Bulls were in poor shape for a while, falling out of the top three in the East, and now they are back in the top three position in the East through this nine-game winning streak, and gradually distance themselves from the team behind them.
Judging by the current trend of the season, this Bulls team is the strongest Bulls team since the 2011-2012 season, and they have even become the current favorite team in the league. In the East this season, Irving can only miss a long time at the beginning of the season, and can only play away games, as well as Harden's performance ups and downs, these factors have caused the Nets' strength to decline greatly, and Simmons's inability to play has made the 76ers directly become another class of teams. All in all, the Bulls currently have a good chance of impacting the Finals or even competing for the championship.
For the Bulls as a whole, they need to consolidate their first place in the East at the moment, while also ensuring the health of the players. Although they have achieved a very good record so far, they still have a long way to go if they want to achieve better results this season or even compete for the championship.