The Bulls have had some bad losses this season, but off the top of my head I can’t think of any worse than Friday night’s home loss to the short-handed Washington Wizards at the United Center.
After a solid first half, the Bulls completely fell apart at the start of the second half and once again showed they simply aren’t a mentally tough bunch. After a couple of turnovers and bad shots, they just seemed to lose confidence and their problems snowballed from there.
They let the Wizards who were playing without All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler start the second half with a 22-1 run to turn a 52-34 Bulls halftime lead into 56-53 Washington lead with five minutes left in the third quarter. The Bulls made just 4 of 15 field goals and had 10 turnovers in the third quarter as they were outscored 35-14.
They weren’t much better in the fourth quarter and couldn’t make enough plays in the 97-91 loss.
To make matters worse, the Wizards are one of the teams the Bulls are trailing as they try to make a late-season playoff push. At 23-35, the Bulls need a remarkable finish to make the postseason for a fourth straight year. I seriously doubt this bunch is up to it.
John Jackson
