NBA Fans Criticize Bulls After Play-In Loss to Heat, Discuss Offseason Rebuild

It's hard to keep your season alive when you give up 71 first-half points.

Such was the plight of the Chicago Bulls during Wednesday's Play-In Tournament matchup against the Miami Heat. The Bulls found themselves trailing by 24 points after the first half and couldn't bridge that gap, ultimately falling 109-90.

Tyler Herro was unstoppable for Miami, posting 38 points, while Bam Adebayo added 15 points and 12 boards. Josh Giddey (25 points, 10 rebounds) and Coby White (17 points, five assists) led the charge for Chicago.

And so the Heat will face the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday with the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs up for grabs, while Chicago's season is over.

In the aftermath, fans and pundits discussed the Bulls' disappointing showing:

The Bulls have some big decisions on the horizon.

Giddey is a restricted free agent. Tre Jones and Talen Horton-Tucker are unrestricted free agents. Bulls' fans might riot if the team doesn't find a way to ditch Nikola Vučević. White will be extension eligible.

At some point, Chicago needs to pick a lane. Keeping a so-so roster that fails to advance past the Play-In Tournament in three straight seasons is a miserable experience for fans. The Bulls need to either tear it all down and rebuild around younger players like Giddey, White, Matas Buzelis and Ayo Dosunmu, or they need to find a way to get some established star power to Chicago and build a contender.

The in-between game they are playing, at this point, has to be hugely frustrating for Chicago fans.