Bulls gear up for final season push, have 27 games to prove themselves

DeMar DeRozan wanted one thing for himself and his teammates over the NBA All-Star break.

“Breathe a little,” the veteran forward said, knowing what’s in front of the Bulls starting Thursday.

DeRozan is well aware of the expectations in training camp last fall versus the under-achieving that has continued. The Bulls are still capable of making some noise heading toward the playoffs, but it will only come through an effort and push they haven’t shown the last few seasons.

“The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy for us with injuries, dealing with all the noise on the outside and the trade rumors,” DeRozan said. “Emotionally, physically, men-tally, we took on a tall task, and we pushed through it. Now we can kind of just breathe a little and gather our minds and emotions. Get some bodies back and get rejuvenated for the next 27 games. We’re going to need to put everything and more into those.”

It still may not be enough. The low-bar goal of the front office is to make it into the play-in tournament — the Bulls are currently 26-29 and ninth in the Eastern Conference — and then the playoffs.

DeRozan has said he feels the team is capable of beating anyone — the right thing for a vet to say. But it’s a hard sell.

“To go through everything we went through, it showed we’re right there,” he said. “With fatigue, being beat up, coming back with fresh minds and fresh legs and fresh bodies, we should be able to run off everything we need to run off.”

Key players

1. Coby White

The young guard’s emergence as a serious candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year has made things more manageable for the Bulls, given Zach LaVine’s season-ending foot surgery — and also has made LaVine expendable. In February, White is averaging 24.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 44.7% from three-point range.

2. Nikola Vucevic

Before the break, the big man was still getting his 17-plus points per game and was a double-double machine, but his 27.5 percentage from three-point range is his worst in almost a decade. If he can turn the outside shooting around, it will open the floor, allowing for more efficient scoring.

3. Alex Caruso

It will be a shock if the veteran guard isn’t first-team all-defense again at the end of the season, but the key is being available during the final push. In the eight games he has missed this season, the Bulls are 3-5.

Key Games

1. Thursday vs. Celtics: The Celtics became the third team in NBA history to have multiple 50-plus-point wins in a season, and the last time they saw the Bulls in late November, they hammered them by 27. That game was rock bottom for the Bulls. They need to at least be competitive this time.

2. April 7 at Magic: The Magic are currently eighth in the East, one spot ahead of the Bulls, and this will be the Bulls’ last crack at them after going 0-3 against them this season.

3. April 9 vs. Knicks: The Bulls have three matchups with coach Tom Thibodeau’s crew in the last nine days of the season. This is the last one at the United Center and a must-win. Thibodeau has a 12-5 record against the Bulls since he was fired in 2015.