April 09--The Bulls dropped to 46-32 with their road loss at the Magic. Here are three observations.
The Bulls too often play loose with a lead.
This time, the Bulls led by as many as 15 and by eight in the fourth quarter. Too often this season, the Bulls have let their guard down while leading, allowing teams to beat them in the hustle areas.
The Magic had advantages in rebounding, second-chance points and points in the paint and also scored 26 points off 17 Bulls' turnovers.
"When we get leads in games, we tend to get a little too comfortable and allow the other team to outwork us," Gasol said.
That obviously can't happen come playoff time.
The Bulls have played down to their competition too often for a championship contender.
The Bulls have now lost to the Magic, Pistons and Hornets twice each. They also have multiple losses at home to teams with sub-.500 teams. This is not typically characteristic of a championship team.
The Bulls dropped to the fourth seed and just a game ahead of the Wizards for homecourt advantage in the first round. The Wizards would own the tiebreaker.
"We're in a position where we should be sharp and concentrating on each game like it's a playoff game, regardless of the opponent," Gasol said.
Derrick Rose looked sharp in his first stint and not as much thereafter.
In his first game after missing 20 to arthroscopic right knee surgery, Rose played with pace and thrust in his first roughly 6-minute first-quarter stint. He advanced the ball quickly upcourt, either by pass or dribble. He made good quick decisions with the ball.
Later, Rose reverted to hoisting 3-pointers -- he's taking a career-high attempts per game -- and the Bulls' offense stagnated at times. Two of Rose's four turnovers weren't really his fault; Joakim Noah dropped catchable passes.
The plan is for Rose to play another roughly 20 minutes versus the Heat on Thursday.
"I know that I'm feeling good," Rose said. "See how I feel (Thursday) and try to give it a go."
