It has been a seamless transition for the Bulls so far. The players went from summer pickup games to fall preseason games.
But now the intensity gets real. Welcome to ‘‘The Hunger Games.’’
That’s what awaits the Bulls on Wednesday, when they tip off their regular-season against the Heat in Miami.
Few with the Bulls know that more than guard Goran Dragic, who spent seven seasons with the Heat.
‘‘It’s way different,’’ Dragic said recently when describing life with the Heat. ‘‘I mean, they hold you accountable. You have to [have] body fat [measured] every week, have to come in and do pre-practice, practice. Every practice is basically ‘Hunger Games.’ You have to put the pads on, tape your ankles, and it’s basically like [regular-season] games. Iron sharpens iron, and that’s how they approach it.’’’
That’s the very formula the Bulls have struggled against in recent years, especially last season.
Teams with similar or better talent and more physicality gave the Bulls fits in 2021-22. Their 3-25 record (including the playoffs) against teams with .600 winning percentages or better wasn’t a coincidence; it was whom the Bulls were.
It’s an identity they have to change.
‘‘Against those [elite] teams a year ago, we weren’t really as competitive as we needed to be,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘Some of those games were close, but a lot of them it wasn’t. And we’ve got to be able to take another step as a team.’’
And quickly.
There will be no easing into the schedule for the Bulls. Besides dealing with the Heat in their season opener, their home opener is against the up-and-arrived Cavaliers. They also face the Celtics, Raptors and Pelicans twice each among their first 15 games, not to mention games against the 76ers and Nets.
Always a realist, Donovan knows what last season looked like and wants to see whether the players learned any lessons.
‘‘I do like the fact that we’re playing against Miami, we’ve got Boston several times, we’ve got Cleveland on a back-to-back,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re going to be against a lot of those [elite] teams because the East is so good.’’
The members of the starting core think the Bulls should be in the conversation of elite teams. That includes Patrick Williams, who officially was named the starting power forward Tuesday.
Then again, they’re supposed to feel that way. But there’s also a price to be paid to go with that confidence.
Few know that more than veteran forward DeMar DeRozan, who is embracing the rough schedule out of the gate and is eager to see how his teammates handle it.
‘‘I don’t want no cakewalk,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘I don’t want anything easy. Playing against the best should bring out the best in you. If you’re talking about anything like being a good team or the best, you’ve gotta compete against it. You can’t run from it.’’
The good news for the Bulls is that they will start the season relatively healthy. Sure, point guard Lonzo Ball — arguably the best two-way player on the team — will be absent indefinitely after having another surgery on his left knee at the start of camp, but the coaching staff and front office knew that was likely and had time to prepare for it.
Second-year man Ayo Dosunmu won the point-guard job and played well in all four preseason games, but he is about to be tested. In fact, the Heat will test the Bulls’ entire roster — starters and reserves.
‘‘This is what you work so hard in the summer for, for moments like this,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘You’ve gotta look at it from that standpoint. That’s the beauty in it.’’
