The season that belonged to the Bulls was officially over.
In the first round of G5, the Bulls lost 100-116 to the Bucks, the big score was 1-4 to the opponents suffered a elimination, this game, the Bulls fell behind the Bucks by 16 points in the first quarter, and then the point difference has been in double digits, at most the Bulls were once behind by 29 points, it can be said that the Bulls lost without suspense.
In the last game, DeRozan's performance was still not good, the whole game, he played a total of 43 minutes, shooting 5 of 10, 1 of 2 free throws, only 11 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists, with a plus-minus of -15 on the field, of which the Bulls were crushed in the first quarter, DeRozan played a full 12 minutes, only 1 shot, scored 0 points.
Throughout this series, DeRozan played unsatisfactory:
- G1, 6 of 25, 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists
- G2, 16 of 31, 41 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists
- G3, 4 of 9, 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists
- G4, 8 of 20, 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
- G5, 5 of 10, 11 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists
In five games, he scored less than 20 points in three games, averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 41.1% from the field, 0 of 9 from three-point range, shooting 41.1% effectively, and only 48.1% from the field.
For comparison, in this year's regular season, DeRozan's average per game is 27.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists, 50.4%/35.2%/87.7% of the three shots, 52.1% of effective shooting, and 59.0% of the true shooting rate.
In the first year of the transfer to the Bulls, DeRozan played the best performance of his career in the regular season, his scoring was a career high, returning to the All-Star after many years, during which there were 8 consecutive games to score 30+50% shooting rate, New Year's Eve back-to-back whistle three-point kills, 50 points per game such impressive performance, MVP list once entered the top four.
Under DeRozan' leadership, the Bulls were once ranked first in the East, and despite some slippage in injuries at the end of the season, they eventually returned to the playoffs after many years.
As for the playoffs, to be honest, the results are not too many surprises - the Bucks are the defending champions, the outside line has Holliday, the inside line has the alphabet brother, the Bulls have struggled with the strong teams all season, the ball brother has been reimbursed for the season, Caruso has missed most of the season, even LaVine triggered a safety and health agreement before the life and death battle, the strength gap, injury troubles and luck factors, the Bulls have not been swept has been unexpected by many people.
Back to DeRozan, deRozan of this round of the game, pulled, did pull, but tried his best, and really tried.
Take this G5, Lavine is absent, DeRozan enjoys the highest level of defensive treatment, as long as he catches the ball, what awaits him must be a double, triple or even four-man bag, look at the defense that DeRozan encountered in the first quarter, you can probably know why he only shot once in a single quarter.
After the game, Bulls coach Donovan also said: "DeRozan attracted a lot of attention, so he chose to pass more in the game, he played the game his own way, he felt that today's game should be played like this. ”
Whether to face a multiplayer hit or pass, DeRozan chose the latter, and if the ball brother and Lavin can play in the series, perhaps DeRozan's pressure will be much less.
Of course, this is not an excuse for DeRozan's "pull", on the contrary, on the big stage, scoring-oriented stars like DeRozan are rarely not caught up, but this year's playoffs may once again illustrate the point, DeRozan is very strong, 41 points in a single game is proof, but he is indeed not a superstar of that level.
It is worth mentioning that DeRozan also summed up his first season with the Bulls after the game, saying: "Perfect, couldn't be better, at least a great season, with management, teammates and the city, everything is beyond my imagination, I look forward to next season, playing to do this again." ”
DeRozan is true, although the first round was swept by gentlemen, but the comprehensive Bulls lineup and everything that has been experienced this season, this is definitely not a failed season, as for DeRozan himself, you know, his annual salary this year is only 26 million, but the performance played is definitely the top salary level, 32 years old, hope to continue next year.