With a 2-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the Chicago Bulls are proving doubters wrong.
It could be argued that the Chicago Bulls were the most frustrating team of 2016-17. After a productive summer, one that certainly got fans' hopes up, their season turned out to be lackluster. At best.
They only even made the postseason due to holding a tiebreaker over the Miami Heat, a ball club that also finished with a 41-41 record.
Between drama among players themselves, head coach Fred Hoiberg running an ill-suited offense on top of making questionable lineup decisions, and the front office quite obviously having no direction for the franchise…it's not hard to understand why Bulls fans were fed up all year long.
That despite the fact that Jimmy Butler continued to give the team his all, making a case for himself as one of the league's top players, while veterans Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade seemed determined to win, at any cost.
Really, there was not much to complain about regarding the roster itself. Sure, just about everyone grew tired of Nikola Mirotic's pump-fake efforts. And perhaps Michael Carter-Williams was not always the most consistent of cats. But the trouble Chicago faced had little to nothing to do with individual talents.
It all came from the front office, having then trickled down to the coaching staff.
So it makes sense that now, when the players have full control of their destiny, things are looking up. To say the least.
Currently up 2-0 against the No. 1 Boston Celtics, the Bulls are only the second 8-seed ever to win the first two games of a playoff series. And due to this, they are now said by some to be favored over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors to move onto the NBA Finals — both of which merely a month ago, no one would have ever thought possible.
Whether or not Chicago keeps winning and/or ultimately does make it to the Finals is still very much up in the air. After all, they still have a long playoff road ahead of them. However, no matter what happens from here on out, it is safe to say they certainly worked to prove many of their doubters wrong. Discouraged fans and haters alike.
"We had adversity as every team has, and that's the thing that's made us closer and stronger together," Wade explained, regarding the group's seemingly newfound chemistry. "The credit for this team sticking together through injuries, a trade, through everything, it goes to everyone, from the coaching staff to the leaders to the young guys. Everyone did it together."
An accomplishment through and through, but especially given that in January, the Three Alphas were feuding and the young bucks were turning against the veterans.
But just as #TNTBulls are a different breed, so are #PlayoffBulls.
"I'm not surprised because everybody's so locked in right now," said Butler. "Everybody's putting in extra work right now, watching film, working on their game, and that's where your confidence always comes from."
Chicago is locked in all right.
While Butler is averaging 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game so far this postseason, Rondo is at 11.5 points, 10.0 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per matchup. Wade has also made quite a comeback from his elbow injury, averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steal a contest.
It is not just the Three Alphas though.
Robin Lopez is playing exceptional ball too, having averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Bobby Portis also put up 19 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out three assists in Game 1, and Paul Zipser finished Game 2 with 16 points.
The 2016-17 Bulls might have been a letdown, but it just may be time to start believing in them once more.
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