Dec. 10--Wednesday started with Jimmy Butler basically calling the Bulls soft and Fred Hoiberg inserting Taj Gibson for Nikola Mirotic in the lineup.
It ended with more of the same -- Hoiberg answering questions about a clunky offense, players trying to put their fingers on another fourth-quarter collapse and yet another loss, the Bulls' third straight for the first time this season.
The Celtics ran away and hid with a 30-point fourth quarter for their 105-100 victory at TD Garden, 12 fewer than the Suns dropped on the Bulls in Monday's final period but no less painful.
"There's no excuse for the way we're playing," said Butler, who scored 17 of his career-high 36 points in the fourth.
Butler sat for his brief rest as the Celtics opened the fourth with a 12-2 run that featured the Bulls missing 8 of 9 shots with two turnovers, Derrick Rose missing two free throws and Doug McDermott failing to corral a defensive rebound with nobody around, kicking it out-of-bounds.
The Celtics scored 25 points off 18 Bulls' turnovers.
"Sometimes we forget how hard we have to play and guys let up. One guy does it and it's contagious," Butler said. "We have to go hard on both ends. We have to learn to guard late in the game.
"On paper, we're really good. Really good. But you have to make it happen. We get caught up in the hype and the freedom that we have on offense. We have to learn to get stops and let defense lead the offense."
Ah, yes, that offense. Hoiberg praised improved pace overall but cited another stagnant stretch during that decisive fourth quarter. Overall, the Bulls shot 42.9 percent and again played too much isolation.
"I don't think it has anything to do with fighting the system or anything," Rose said. "It's just that we have to get used to running that way. I know I'm trying my hardest to push the ball, even on dead balls, just to get it up quicker so that we have a couple more seconds for our offense."
Butler said the Bulls' margin of error is "very small because the people we have on this team are good at a lot of things and then bad at some things. So you have to learn to cover those things up."
Butler also said Hoiberg can do only so much.
"It's not just on him. It's on us," Butler said. "He can do all the rah-rahing and talking he wants to do. He's not out there playing. That's on us to bring ourselves together. We're supposed to be a team full of leaders. We know what we're supposed to do. We know the common goal."
Joakim Noah was asked to respond to Butler's claim that the Bulls get "out-toughed" and are soft and said they need to get back to playing "Chicago Bulls basketball." Asked what that is now, Noah paused.
"What is Chicago Bulls basketball?" he said. "We're still trying to find who we are. Usually, you find out when things get tough."
Things are tough.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
