Published: March 31, 2009
The last time the Chicago Bulls were seen in the playoffs, they suffered a 4-2 second round series defeat at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. They had gotten themselves in a 0-3 hole, then fought valiantly to win two consecutive games, before finally dropping game six. Despite that loss, the Bulls finished 49-33 during the regular season and they won their first playoff series since the departure of Michael Jordan.
The makeup of the team was much different back then, with Scott Skiles as head coach, P.J. Brown and Ben Wallace leading the frontcourt, Tyrus Thomas and Chris Duhon coming off the bench, Luol Deng manning the small forward positions, and Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon in the backcourt.
After a year hiatus, the Bulls are again marching towards the playoffs with a different look. Vinny Del Negro is the first year head coach, trying to determine what lineups to use and what buttons to push. Tyrus Thomas is a more seasoned player and has started 54 games. Veterans Wallace and Brown are gone, having been replaced with veterans like Lindsey Hunter, Brad Miller and Tim Thomas. Deng is still around but has battled injuries the second half of the season. Young players like Rookie of the Year candidate Derrick Rose and second year center Joakim Noah are making significant contributions and seem to be building blocks for the future.
But the two constants remain from that last playoff team: Hinrich and Gordon.
On that 2007 playoff team, Hinrich was the starting point guard and averaged 16 points and seven assists a game. Now, Rose and injuries have relegated him to coming off the bench, where he averages nine points and four assists a game.
Still, Hinrich feels like he’s just as much of a leader now, as he was then.
“I feel like being a point on that old team, I probably did more by leading by example,” Hinrich told Hoops Addict. “Now I’m a bit more vocal, I’m seeing a whole lot more, and I am definitely much more wiser than I was then.”
Hinrich was both wise and candid when Hoops Addict asked him to assess and compare that 2007 playoff team with his current Bulls’ squad, who is still in a fight to clinch a spot.
“It’s just completely different personnel, different system. I mean, that year I felt like we had a good year, ” Hinrich said after his pre-game shootaround. “This year we’ve had a little more bumps and bruises, and we’re just trying to get in[ the playoffs] right now. I think we’ve been playing well lately, but I feel like that year we had home court [in the first round], we were the fourth seed, and we had a pretty solid season all year, and more consistent. This year, we’re a little more of a rollercoaster and like I said, we’re playing well lately, but we gotta’ keep it going.”
Gordon’s numbers this season are basically identical to what they were during the Bulls’ 2007 playoff run. He still averages 20 points and 35 minutes a game, and he is still asked to be a scorer.
But much like Hinrich, Gordon told Hoops Addict that his changes have come in the leadership category.
“I would say just being around for so long, I’ve become more vocal also, ” Gordon said outside of the Bulls locker room. “As far as my job or my role, it’s pretty much the same. I have to be an offensive threat each and every night. But I think with more experience, I’m able to direct some of the younger players on what they have to do, and how they can help us win.”
Gordon also observed that the major difference between that ‘07 team and the current Bulls team lies in attitude.
“I think the last time we were going towards the playoffs, we pretty much already knew we were definitely going to make the playoffs, because we just had that kind of attitude,” Gordon recalled. “Now there is more pressure because, unlike that team, we are inconsistent and more predictable. Plus this team will win a couple games, then drop a few, and we can’t get a real rhythm.”
One of the other challenges the Bulls have been facing during the last month or so of the season is facing the pressure of having to win every night in the Eastern Conference. With just nine games left, there are only six games that separate Detroit at the seventh position and the New Jersey Nets at the 12th spot. Any sort of a losing streak or slump could mean not advancing to the second season at all.
“It’s challenging but ultimately, that’s [winning] what you always try to do; it’s just a little more pressure to do it now, since every game, as we move on, gets more and more magnified, ” Hinrich said. “I think we’ve been doing a good job of it lately. We just have to keep that mind set. We feel like we kind have our fate in our own hands, we just have to take care of business.”
Gordon echoed Hinrich’s sentiments.
“It’s like every game is big because we have so many teams bunched up around us man. It’s crazy like the West was last year, ” Gordon said while chuckling. “Right now it feels like it’s the playoffs already because every game is a must win.”
When I asked Gordon about the dreaded issue of scoreboard watching, he didn’t even attempt to mask that he’s doing it…and often.
“Oh man, I definitely do that. I do it during timeouts. At halftime, I’m looking up at the scores and we’re always cognizant of what’s going on with other teams. It’s impossible not to be.”
Considering five of the Bulls last seven games are against the very teams they are bunched up against, Coach Vinny Del Negro may step and curtail that a bit. If the result is the Bulls winning a playoff spot, I doubt Gordon, Hinrich or any of his teammates will mind.
