Chicago began a "bull market." This season, the Bulls are expected to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017, stepping on the doubts of all walks of life before the start of the season. If the Bulls can achieve this goal (which seems quite likely at present), the backcourt combination of Lavin and DeRozan should be the first to play.
Before the start of the season, even if the Bulls formed a rather interesting lineup, the team's prospects for winning the championship were still not optimistic, and O'Neal had asserted: "This Bulls can't win the championship." "Even, there are many people who think that getting playoff tickets through the playoffs will be a more tangible prospect for this Bulls." But now, at least in the Windy City, when people talk about the bulls' prospects for winning the title, you don't think he's a pipe dream.
With the Nets and 76ers undergoing drastic changes, pulling the Bucks off the horse is still a common goal of all the giants in the East End, and whether the Bulls can complete this goal is doubtful. This is not surprising. After all, before the start of the season, under the prediction of some experts, the Heat, Eagles, Celtics and even the Knicks ranked above the Bulls, and "The Athletic" even predicted that the Bulls would only be ranked 11th in the East Side, unfortunately blocked at the play-offs. One has not yet been played, and the outside world has set a pessimistic tone for the bulls.
When he learned that he and Lavin would lead the Bulls to a 50% win rate, DeRozan angrily threw out the phrase "bullshit expert". "That's right, they say you can't turn a blind eye, they're saying that our lineup can't play results, saying this and that, full of negative energy. As a competitive player, you're sure to hear what they say," DeRozan said, "and that's what I said when I first chatted with Zach. I said to him, 'We can definitely play it,' and Zach nodded and said yes. ”
So there were nine consecutive wins from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the Bulls once became one of the hottest teams in the league, and DeRozan also staged back-to-back whistles to write himself into the history of the NBA. The Bulls lost just 10 of their first 36 games and topped the East Side, leaving the Nets and Bucks apart by 2.5 wins. DeRozan and LaVine also find a spot in the top 8 of the league's scoring list.
DeRozan was overjoyed when he found out that the fans had awarded him the crown of "King of the Last Quarter", and he did not know what an All-Star was since 2018, and he also ranked first in the East Side guard in the first round of fan voting in early January.
Lavin was not surprised by this. As early as last year, when he went to Tokyo to win the Olympic gold medal with the U.S. men's basketball team, he heard that the Bulls had introduced DeRozan. Lavin's reaction at the time was one sentence: "I have never partnered with a player of this class." As the "big brother" of the bulls today, LaVine only realized his dream of an All-Star for the first time last season. The Bulls are also in dire need of rescue, with the story-telling team never winning more than 31 games in a single season since LaVine's arrival, and their highest ranking in the East End since 2015 is only 8th.
With Raven and DeRozan in the helm, assisted by Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and Caruso, and Billy Donovan strategizing, the Bulls played the league's top 5 offensive efficiency, achieving a win-win situation and a win-win situation. Coming to the age of 27, LaVine can finally glimpse the dawn of the first playoff game of his career.
Talking about how the bull completed the run-in so quickly, DeRozan confessed that if he wasn't equally surprised by this, he was lying. He thinks it depends first and foremost on the players. On his first day in the Bulls, he found that the players here respected and loved each other, everyone behaved rationally, there was no arrogant guy, and they all wanted to win. If you can do this, everything else will come to fruition, "It's crazy to think that this bull still has potential to tap." ”
On December 20, 2021, deRozan scored 38 points to beat the Lakers at home after LaVine triggered a health and safety deal. According to him, after the game, he sent a text message to Lavin and wrote: "Man, damn it, how happy I would be if you could come back." Later, when he missed the game, LaVine did the same. According to DeRozan, every step he and Lavin took, they always wanted each other to be by their side, and never thought of going alone, "This is the beauty of our relationship." ”
After spending a long time with Lavin, DeRozan found that Lavin seemed to be the older one, after all, he seemed to be more mature. There's an old-school ethos in LaVine, and deRozan was drawn to him when He was still playing for UCLA, "and nobody really understands exactly how talented Zach is on and off the court," DeRozan said.
From the Raptors to the Spurs to the Bulls, DeRozan came for the championship. In an interview at the end of 2021, DeRozan also said on the show: "Reaching the Finals in Chicago and winning the championship? Just thinking about it can't stand it. ”
DeRozan admits that winning the title in Chicago means a lot to him, which is why he chose the Bulls. The Bulls are a team with a story and a deep tradition. Born in California, DeRozan grew up watching the Lakers play, the Bulls are the only team he pays attention to, and Chicago is also a pure sports city, "Playing in Chicago is wonderful," DeRozan said.
Bulls are on the rise this season, so what will they aim for this season? Lavin's answer was domineering, saying that if he did not aspire to win the championship, he would be treating himself badly. "It's not arrogance, it's self-confidence," Lavin said, "and if you don't even think you can win every game, if you don't think you can win the championship, then you just don't fight." The Bulls clearly have the ambition to win the championship, and we're building good habits. ”
Some NBA stars will be very conceited, and even if other superstars join, they will think that the other party has joined "my team." Lavin was dismissive of this. It's not that he pretends to be high, but that he's fed up with losing. In his first four seasons with the Bulls, LaVine was able to score high points but couldn't get too many wins. Recently, the Bulls have introduced stars one after another, and LaVine has finally found that the Bulls have become a complete team.
In this Bulls squad, Lavin, DeRozan and Vucevic were previously the top players of their respective teams, Bauer was from the top of the list, and Caruso was also from the championship team. But today's Bulls are not Lavine or DeRozan's team, nor Ball or Vucevic's team, they are all team leaders, each doing their part in order to win more, someone may come forward every night, and the atmosphere in the dressing room is harmonious.
The rise of the Bulls this season has also made Lavin invincible. In his view, there is no such thing as a "successful player in a failed team", and even if he does, he is the target of media criticism. This season's bulls have allowed him to regain the joy of playing, and he also described this season's bulls as filled with a group of "fighting dogs" that he had dreamed of for many years.
Lavin was upset with DeRozan. He revealed that when he was still playing for the Timberwolves, DeRozan and Lowry led the Raptors to become the powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, and played against James in the Eastern Conference playoffs for many years. "DeMar is a member of the Best Team, an All-Star, and has played MVP this season," Lavin said, "and I've been criticized for saying, 'Zach is a pure data brush, he just can't win.'" But now, the sunspots can shut up and advise them to check their basketball IQ." ”
Finally, Lavin directly pointed out his relationship with DeRozan in one sentence: "He is at the peak, I am at the peak, and we are a pair made in heaven." (Supine Brace/Mao Mao, compiled from SLAM magazine)