Chicago Bulls: The 10 Things to Remember from the Dream Season
The Chicago Bulls dream season ended after a crushing loss to the hated Miami Heat. However, even though this team came short of the final goal, it was easily the most successful season in Bulls history that did not involve the Greatest of All Time.
While right now the agony of defeat is fresh on Bulls fans' minds, we need to remember just how great of a season this was. These are the 10 most memorable things about the Bulls season.
The Most Likable Team in Bulls History
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This was a team that was impossible not to love, from Derrick Rose to Brian Scalabrine. This team was scrappy, fighting hard for every loose ball. This team wore their emotions on their sleeve. This team showed that they cared by buying into a first-year coach defensively and letting a quiet 22-year-old be their superstar.
On top of all of that, Derrick Rose showed himself to be perhaps the most humble MVP in history. I don't live in Chicago, but even my friends who aren't Bulls fans love Rose, and I personally can't wait for next year to start so we can continue to talk about this remarkable team.
The Bulls 13-Game Winning Streak Against the 50-Win Teams
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Until the Bulls untimely end in the Eastern Conference finals against the Heat, this season was characterized by dominating the best teams in the NBA. In fact, until their four straight against the Heat, the Bulls had won 13 straight games against the 50-plus win teams in the NBA this season.
This incredible run included one win against the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, two wins against the Boston Celtics, three against the Orlando Magic and four against the Miami Heat.
Not only that, but as far as I can tell, the Bulls are the only team in the NBA that beat every team during the regular season, an incredible accomplishment.
Omer Asik Became a Contributor
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When the Bulls signed Turkish big man Omer Asik over the summer, Bulls fans weren't quite sure what to think. I had heard that he was a defensive big and a block machine, but that he was a poor free-throw shooter.
After seeing him play in person, Asik has far surpassed my expectations. After starting the season as a foul machine, he figured out how to accomplish plays like this one without fouling, an incredible development for a player in his first year in the league.
Even if the Bulls choose to trade him, it's incredible that they could potentially trade a second-round pick for a starting shooting guard.
Defending Our House
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The Bulls have made sure that if we come out to cheer for them at the United Center, they deliver to the best of their abilities. The Bulls finished out the season 36-5 at home and only lost one game to an elite team.
Derrick Rose also averaged 25 points per game, eight assists and almost 36 percent from the three-point line.
The ability of this team to reward Bulls fans for coming out to watch them was incredible and created the huge buzz in the city of Chicago, even among casual fans.
Bench Mob
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The unit coming off the bench for Chicago has been one of the most solid lineups in the whole league throughout this whole year and have been dubbed the "bench mob."
The bench unit has come up huge for the Bulls all year. According to an NBA stat, the Bulls lineup of Watson, Brewer, Deng, Gibson and Asik is the best defensive lineup in the whole NBA. Switch Watson out for Derrick Rose and you have the second best defensive lineup in the league.
To show support for your Chicago Bulls #benchmob, click on this link to be directed to their official website and buy a Bench Mob shirt to support the C.J Watson Foundation.
All This Despite Injuries
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The Bulls finished with their best season since the Jordan-era, and this might have not even been their best shot. The Bulls frontcourt combined to miss 57 games this year. The responsibility of picking up that load fell on second-year player Taj Gibson and on second oldest player in the NBA Kurt Thomas, both of whom did an admirable job picking up the load.
The extra load put on by injuries was a huge burden for any team but especially a young and inexperienced team like Chicago. However, the resiliency of this team was huge and gave fans something to be proud of.
An Eastern Conference Finals Run
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Even though we are reminded that the Bulls have been eliminated from the playoffs, we have to remember the incredible run that this really is. The Bulls were one of the last four teams left in the playoffs in the whole NBA. Twenty-six teams would have given anything to be at the point that Chicago got to.
Not only this, but Chicago was one of the most inexperienced teams in the playoffs, having only advanced past the first round one time in the last decade. However, the Bulls still overtook their two opponents in the first and second round and played a series against Miami that was much closer than the five games that the series actually went.
With this experience under their belt, the Bulls are poised for an even longer playoff run next year and beyond.
Continued Flexibility
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One of the things that no one remembers is that Chicago has many options left this offseason.
If the Collective Bargaining Agreement does not change drastically this offseason, the Bulls will have the midlevel exception to work with, a contract of about $6 million a year. While this is not the kind of money that can be used to sign a star, it is an adequate amount of money to sign a perimeter scorer or even potentially a starting shooting guard.
In addition to this, the Bulls have two extremely valuable big men in Omer Asik and Taj Gibson, the No. 28 and 30 picks overall in the first round and three unguaranteed contracts that add up to over $3 million to use as assets in a potential trade.
Finally, the Bulls have their draft picks available as well. While there does not appear to be any superstar potential in this draft outside of the top two picks, the Bulls aren't necessarily looking for a star. What they could look for is a solid role playing scorer like Marshon Brooks out of Providence. He'll never been an All-Star, but there's no reason he couldn't be a Ben Gordon, which could put the Bulls over the top.
Don't worry, the Bulls aren't locked into anything definitive as things stand, and they can very easily improve.
A Rookie Coach Became the Coach of the Year
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Tom Thibodeau was applauded as the coach that should have been hired two years ago instead of the failure that was the Vinny del Negro hire. After one season of work, we saw what could be accomplished when a competent coach is at the helm.
Thibs miraculously got a team of young talent to buy into his complex defensive system and run it to near perfection for 82 games. Partially because of coaching and partially because of player improvements, the Bulls were able to increase their win total by an astounding 21 games this year and finished with a league leading 62 wins.
Coach Thibs proved to us that he is more than worthy of the job because of his hard work, his determination, and his ability to get through to the players. We can only expect improvement after his exceptional first year.
Derrick Rose Became the MVP
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This one is easy. A 22-year-old kid from the South Side of Chicago, a kid young enough to still be in college, emerged from the rough to be the Most Valuable Player in the NBA. In some ways, that doesn't even do him justice.
Flashback to last year. Derrick was coming off his first All-Star appearance, but he wasn't exactly a lock for the game. If he had been snubbed, it wouldn't have been ridiculous. Derrick also received less votes for the MVP than Steven Jackson. That's right, Steven Jackson received a vote and Derrick Rose didn't. Game wise, Derrick didn't have a reliable jumpshot, seemed to be playing out of control at times, and there were questions about whether he was a true point guard.
Fast forward to this year. Derrick not only made the All-Star Game but was voted in as a starter by the fans. After going two years with a flat and unreliable jump shot, Rose completely retooled his shot, finishing with a higher release point and more of an arc now. At times, Derrick even showed a reliable three-point shot.
Derrick's passing also improved tremendously. Despite not getting any "easy assist" players like a Ray Allen or Kevin Durant, Rose improved his assists per game by almost two and improved his assist to turnover ratio despite his increased role in the offense. This also showed that Rose's ball handling has finally reached a level where it can keep up with his incredible speed.
Derrick also became perhaps the best finisher at the rim during the year despite his diminutive stature. He also showed he can singlehandedly win a game for you on any given night, an ability very few in NBA history had. Perhaps most importantly was his defensive transformation, where he regularly shut down the class of the NBA at his position and improved his steals and blocks per game by 50 percent each.
With another summer to work, there's no telling what skills Derrick Rose will come back with next year. One thing is certain, as long as Derrick Rose is the best player on my favorite team, I'll never feel out of the championship chase.
About the Author
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Shehan Jeyarajah is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist for the Chicago Bulls.
You can also find his work in the new publication: Chicago Sports Authority: The Mag. Act now to receive a free trial issue of The Mag, only good through the end of May. Find us at www.chicagosportsauthority.com/magazine.
Follow him on Twitter @ twitter.com/shehanjeyarajah for article releases, contact, and commentary.
