The Chicago Bulls desperately need to stop their four-game losing streak.
Chuck Noll, Hall of Fame coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, once said “In order to win the game, you must first not lose it.” Chicago Bulls fans have seen those words come to life over the last four games. The four-game skid couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the team hopes to remain among the top 10 seeds in the Eastern Conference in order to gain a birth in the post-season play-in tournament.
Watching the Bulls lose four games in a row while they struggle to remain in the playoff hunt has been frustrating for fans in the Windy City. That frustration deepens with the realization that the team cost itself those games. When Chicago lives up to it’s potential, they’re capable of winning each of those games.
If the Bulls are going to recapture the excitement surrounding the team when they landed All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, they’re going to have to stop being their own worst enemy. Head Coach Billy Donovan knew this would be an uphill battle when he took the job this past off-season. The following are the changes he must get his young roster to make if they’re going to come of age and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Key No. 1 to stop the bleeding for the Chicago Bulls: A renewed focus on rebounding
Dennis Rodman once said, “I want to do for rebounds what Michael Jordan did for dunks.” Chicago Bulls fans desperately wish a current player would adopt that mentality.
During their recent four-game losing streak, the team was out-rebounded in every game except one. It’s not a coincidence that the lone game in which they didn’t lose the battle of the boards saw them suffer their slimmest margin of defeat. The team’s lack of interior toughness remained their Achilles heel during the game as Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns was able to pull down 12 rebounds and get Chicago’s frontline in foul trouble. His activity on the glass is part of the reason he was able to go eight for eight from the charity stripe.
No matter how the game of basketball evolves, winning the battle of the boards remains one of the keys to winning games. Chicago was out-hustled to the tune of a 20 rebound deficit over the course of losses to the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic. That type of dominance by the other team will have coach Billy Donovan pulling his hair out in frustration. If the Bulls want to right the ship and give themselves a shot at the playoffs they are going to have to make a concerted effort to do better on the glass.