On Brink of Elimination, Bulls Facing Not Only End of Season, but End of an Era
CHICAGO — It isn't often that a superstar, after playing at a level nearing perfection, heartily praises the person who was trying to strategize against him.
Yet that's what LeBron James did Tuesday night, following a 38-point, 12-rebound, six-assist, three-steal, three-block, no-turnover masterpiece in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, because that's how much he admires the adversary scowling and screaming and scheming on the other side of the scorer's table.
James glowed as he spoke of the Cavaliers making half of their shots against a "Thibs team," his pride in the accomplishment speaking, more than anything else could, to the identity Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has established in his relatively short time in prominent positions.
What is a "Thibs team"?
During most of Thibodeau's time with the Bulls—and even the three seasons prior, when he was Boston's defensive guru—that characterization hasn't required much explanation.
Stingy, stubborn, resilient, relentless.
And soon, likely representing some other city.
That was the bull elephant in the room Wednesday as Thibodeau addressed the media on a practice day for perhaps the last time in his current position. Rumors have swirled all season about the growing friction between coach and management.
How is he focusing, amid all of that noise?
"I don't get lost," he said. "It's easy to get distracted in this league. Just lock in to what you need to do each day."
Yet it's a virtual lock, a safer bet than an I-90 bottleneck, that the Bulls front office will make sure Thibodeau gets lost this offseason, with their separation coming as soon as the contractual details are settled. The franchise apparently no longer has interest in putting out a "Thibs team," even though he has typically done more with less, his players scrapping rather than moping, outworking opponents rather than embracing excuses.
Of course, this season has taken a slightly different turn. No one could argue that the Bulls have overachieved, not after the addition of Pau Gasol, the ascent of Jimmy Butler and the increased availability of Derrick Rose.
The reality is that, in spite—or because—of all their talent, they've resembled a "Thibs team" less than in the previous seasons, uncharacteristically uneven in their defensive intensity, posting by far the worst rating (104.3) of Thibodeau's tenure. While they've improved on that end in the postseason, they still allowed at least 25 points in every quarter Tuesday, which left them on the edge of elimination.
So that's the challenge facing the Bulls on Thursday at the United Center, trailing 3-2 in the series, getting perilously close to a period of tumult and turnover:
Can they turn back the clock and become a "Thibs team" for old times' sake?
Or will they leave another sort of lasting impression, a bitter taste that doesn't befit a reasonably sweet time in the franchise's history?
Even if you don't agree with all of Thibodeau's methods—specifically the minute burdens on Butler and departed predecessor Luol Deng—and even if you attribute some of the ailments to overtaxed bodies, and even if none of his efforts resulted in a Finals appearance, it's hard to stamp this era as anything other than a success.
Since he got his first shot at the top job, following six stops and 21 years as an NBA assistant, the Bulls have been relevant and respected. In his five regular seasons, they have recorded 255 wins, more than all but the Spurs (286), Thunder (266) and Heat (261) during that stretch, even with Rose missing 213 of 394 games.
They just haven't been especially fortunate. And while they've been a bit luckier in this series, with Kevin Love absent and Kyrie Irving hobbling for Cleveland, they caught their own bad break when Gasol strained his hamstring in Game 3. He's missed the past two games, and the Bulls have suffered at times without him, especially with Joakim Noah looking far less than his best, Nikola Mirotic looking overwhelmed and Taj Gibson looking for explanations Tuesday after a seemingly unfair ejection.
"Frustrating," Gasol said of his own situation. "It's frustrating. It's not easy, it's painful, it's hard, but things like this happen sometimes at the worst times. So you stay positive, you do what you can to get back on the floor. It's unfortunate that it happened this way, but other teams have had stuff that has happened to them in a variety of ways. So I try not to dwell on it."
Gasol did some running Wednesday, though no jumping, and the activity was enough for him to decide he would "be out there" Thursday, while not necessarily expecting to play the entire first and third quarters as he normally does. He planned to keep heat on his hamstring on the bench, and maybe even ride an exercise bike next to Rose.
"Whatever I can do to help, whichever way, I'm going to put myself out there to do that," Gasol said. "I hope that my presence is a positive out there."
He said if it's not, he'll stop and sit. At minimum, his appearance should be a boost in a psychological sense. Gasol is the most notable newcomer to this core group—with Rose, Noah and Gibson the only three remaining from Thibodeau's first season—and his positivity has been a plus.
At the same time, while Thibodeau has praised him frequently throughout the season, and spoke Thursday of all he can add ("great rebounder" and "you can throw the ball to him" and "you can pick-and-roll with him"), Gasol is more of a finesse type than those who have best fit the Thibodeau program. He's far better than the player he replaced, Carlos Boozer, but that makes him tougher to take off the floor, and that, combined with Noah's regression, has played a role in the Bulls' defensive slippage.
But by playing, Gasol sends a message.
He's fully committed to being part of a Thibs team, even if for just one more night.
"At this time of the year, whatever a guy can give you, you'd like him to give it to you," Thibodeau said.
In order to give you another game, another chance.
"We're in a tough position," Gasol said. "Our backs are against the wall. I think we're very much alive. I like our chances, to be honest with you. I love our team. I love our resiliency all season, we've reacted well to adversity."
Asked to explain, Gasol added, "I feel like it's been a very up-and-down year; we've had great stretches, we've had terrible stretches, we've been very inconsistent. So I feel like when we lost a couple games in a row, we've always reacted well and we always played our best. We seem to need that sense of urgency and desperation in order for us to have a great focus and great intensity. There's no bigger desperation and sense of urgency than we find ourselves in today, so that's why I envision and expect our guys to bring it all."
Will they bring it like a "Thibs team," the type of team that gets the attention, and maybe even the better, of the likes of LeBron James?
For old times' sake?
With time running short?
That would be the only appropriate tribute to a mostly terrific, albeit turbulent, tenure before this team is turned over to someone else.
Ethan Skolnick covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is a co-host of NBA Sunday Tip, 9-11 a.m. ET on SiriusXM Bleacher Report Radio. Follow him on Twitter, @EthanJSkolnick.
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