When the Chicago Bulls acquired veteran star DeMar DeRozan last summer and teamed him up with exciting phenom Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic, it looked like several seasons of mediocrity were finally coming to an end for them.
When they put together a nine-game winning streak in late December and early January, their fans were probably starting to think the team could win the NBA championship this season.
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Now, the Bulls have sagged to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, and with just six games left in the regular season, the conference is shaping up to be a battle.
They have shown some flaws, but are they true championship contenders, or just pretenders?
The Bulls Were Impressive Early In The Season
On January 7, when Chicago won its ninth game in a row, it held a 26-10 record, which put it atop the Eastern Conference.
It got there on the strength of its defense, which was one of the best in pro basketball.
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The Bulls are a young team overall, and it’s rare for young teams to excel on the defensive end, but that’s what they were doing.
Off the strength of their defense, Chicago also had one of the league’s best fast breaks, aided by the athleticism of DeRozan, LaVine, point guard Lonzo Ball and forward Derrick Jones Jr.
The Bulls have also been one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooting teams.
They currently rank third in 3-point shooting accuracy at 37 percent, even though they are last in 3-point attempts.
DeRozan has been having a career season at age 32, averaging 27.7 points on 50.3 percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists per game.
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He was being talked about as an MVP candidate when the Bulls were at or near the top of the standings in the East.
DeRozan still has plenty of hops, which he has used to provide plenty of highlight plays this season.
But as well as their main guys have played, the team has proven it has some weaknesses.
Why Fans Should Be Concerned
Since starting 26-10, the Bulls have been just 18-22, which is a huge red flag for a team that is supposed to be ramping up towards a run at the world championship.
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True championship contenders don’t flame out like that in the second half of the season.
Chicago’s defense, which seemed so strong in the first half of the campaign, now ranks just 20th in the NBA in terms of defensive rating.
Another problem is the team’s inability to beat the league’s best teams with any consistency.
It is winless thus far against the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
That’s a total of 14 games the Bulls have lost against all of the aforementioned squads.
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That stat makes it very hard to believe that they can defeat any of them in a best-of-seven come playoff time.
The Bulls will have one more game each against the Heat, Bucks and Boston Celtics, which will give them a few more opportunities to prove they can beat the best teams head-to-head.
But until they do that often enough, they can only be considered pretenders and not true title contenders.
The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t just lose at home on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers — they got embarrassed by 23 points.
They took an early 6-0 lead as the Niners offense struggled in the first quarter, but that would do it as far as Philly’s competence in this game, as they got completely dominated the rest of the way.
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On “The Dan Patrick Show,” Dan Patrick questioned why head coach Nick Sirianni still had his starters in the game during the final minutes, particularly quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back D’Andre Swift.
Dan didn't understand why the #Eagles still had their starters in the game while they were getting blown out late into the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/0z2eR71CKl
Hurts had to leave the field at one point to get evaluated for a possible concussion, but afterward, he re-entered the game, even though the outcome was virtually decided at that point.
Hurts, who came into the contest as a front-running MVP candidate, had a weak outing, going 26 of 45, throwing just one touchdown pass, and only managing 20 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy continued his Cinderella story by completing 19 of 27 passes for 314 yards and four touchdown passes while not throwing a single interception.
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Philly is now 10-2 on the season, and they have a real shot at not finishing first in the NFC, which would mean they would likely have to win a playoff game on the road to return to the Super Bowl.
They will play the Dallas Cowboys, who, like the 49ers, are 9-3, this coming week, and a loss would truly sound the alarm bells throughout the Delaware Valley.
The Eagles came into Week 13 as perhaps the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but now, the 49ers have seemingly taken over that territory, at least for now.
Right now, the Boston Celtics appear to be the best team in the NBA, and true to their storied tradition, they’re especially getting it done on the defensive end.
But their offense isn’t too shabby, and Jayson Tatum, their best player, is leading the way by averaging 27.4 points a game so far this season.
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He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for October and November as the Celtics entered Monday tied for the best record in the league.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in October/November. pic.twitter.com/3ehktTebWp
Tatum isn’t the most exciting or dazzling scorer in the NBA today, but as Mazzulla pointed out, he is team-oriented and will also help make the game easier for his teammates.
Throughout their history, the Celtics have been known for the team taking precedence over a dominating superstar, but true basketball fans know just how capable Tatum is.
He considers himself a disciple of the late great Kobe Bryant, and he often bails his team out with contested 3-pointers that are reminiscent of the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
The knock against Tatum, at least at this point of his career, is that he has been lackluster in big playoff games, such as during the 2022 NBA Finals when Boston blew a 2-1 series lead and lost to the Golden State Warriors.
But this time around, he has more help than ever on offense with the offseason acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
The Phoenix Suns are starting to heat up, as they have won eight of their last 10 games and recently went on a seven-game winning streak.
Kevin Durant continues to play outstanding basketball despite all the wear and tear he has on his body, and co-star Devin Booker is blazing away in his own right as Phoenix has gotten out to a 12-8 record.
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The one notable name missing from their active roster has been Bradley Beal, who has played in just three games this year and is dealing with a back ailment.
According to head coach Frank Vogel, he will not play on Tuesday when Phoenix begins the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament on the road versus the Los Angeles Lakers, via Duane Rankin.
Frank Vogel on Bradley Beal (back):
"He's making progress, but still no timetable. He's out tomorrow."
Beal entering 3rd week of three-week rehab for low back strain.
Ruled out Tuesday's #NBA In-Season Tournament game at Lakers.
Beal was acquired this past summer in a big trade that gave the Suns arguably the best trio of stars in the entire league.
It led some to pick them to reach the NBA Finals, even over the defending world champion Denver Nuggets, but with Beal ailing, they haven’t reached anything close to their true potential.
Their bench is also a question mark — while guards Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen have been playing well, they lack any quality reserves in their frontcourt.
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Beal has historically been a very potent scorer, but it also looks like the Suns, who don’t have a true point guard, want him to masquerade as one once he’s healthy.
He has a career average of 4.3 assists a game, but he peaked at 6.6 dimes a contest as recently as the 2021-22 season.