BOSTON _ The Bulls' rotation this season has been about as predictable as Chicago's spring weather. Little has gone to form.
So when Isaiah Canaan starts for an injured Rajon Rondo and over the ineffective Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams, nobody bats an eye. Or when Anthony Morrow _ the throw-in from last month's trade with the Thunder _ gets dusted off for crucial reserve minutes, there's a collective shrug.
Unpredictability has been predictable.
So has shrinking in the face of adversity, a habit the Bulls overcame with more frequency down the stretch of the regular season and in taking a 2-0 series lead against the Celtics. But bad habits die hard, and the Bulls will be replaying the final quarter of their 108-97 loss Wednesday night at TD Garden for a while.
Or at least until Friday's Game 6 at the United Center.
A home team held serve for the first time this series thanks to 24 points from Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas scoring 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
That's also when the Bulls lost the game and their cool after taking a two-point lead into the final period.
The Bulls endured a brutal stretch after taking an 85-84 lead on two free throws by Dwyane Wade with 10 minutes, 8 seconds remaining. The Celtics ripped off a game-changing _ and game-clinching _ 20-4 run as the Bulls featured empty possession after empty possession filled with bad turnovers and questionable shots.
Also in this stretch, Canaan lost a contact lens as Thomas scored on a fast break and Wade and Robin Lopez drew technical fouls. The Bulls were outscored 29-16 in the fourth while committing six turnovers.
Wade's 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists led the Bulls, who wasted a 50 percent shooting night. Jimmy Butler finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But too often, the Bulls didn't feature Butler in aggressive offensive sets, and he did not score in the fourth quarter.
Give Canaan and Morrow credit. The latter scored eight second-quarter points in his first meaningful minutes since an April 4 regular-season game. And Canaan, who finished with 13 points, played defensively about as well as one can against the All-Star Thomas, who shot 3-for-11 through three quarters.
"We've both got a low center of gravity," the 6-foot Canaan said. "As quick as he can move, I can move just as quick as him. And I'm just as strong, so it works in my advantage just knowing we play the same position. I try and estimate what move he's going to do and try and beat him to the spots, make every shot tough."
That's exactly why he got the starting nod.
"Well, obviously, Isaiah Thomas was having his way with us," Hoiberg said. "We wanted to put somebody on him that could apply pressure and pick up full-court. We felt comfortable with Dwyane or Jimmy getting us in an offense. But we felt Jimmy is playing so many minutes that we didn't want to have him chase (Thomas) around for 48 minutes. Isaiah was our best option to try to slow him down."
The playoffs are about daily survival. Think Stevens starting Gerald Green after the Celtics fell into an 0-2 hole over Amir Johnson, who made 77 starts during the regular season. It's why Stevens didn't bat an eye when Canaan started.
"He torched a team I coached in 2010 when he was 18 years old, so I know all about (him)," said Stevens, referring to a Butler win against Murray State in the NCAA Tournament. "When he became active the other day, we threw that into the pregame edit right away because we thought maybe we'd see him in that game. He came in here and played really well last year when he was with Philadelphia. He's played well against us when he was with Houston."
Now the Bulls face an elimination game.
"Talk is cheap, man," Butler said. "We've been doing too much talking all year. You've just to go out there and play basketball. It's the postseason."
