Zach LaVine Dropped A Bombshell Quote After Bulls Clinch Play-In Tournament Berth

Last night the Chicago Bulls were met with a bit of a consolation prize following their crucial home loss against the short-handed Atlanta Hawks. They’ve clinched a Play-In Tournament appearance with the Orlando Magic loss last night and are guaranteed to have at least one more game following the regular season. The loss against the Hawks means the Bulls are all but guaranteed to stay in the tenth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. It’s a shame considering a win would have catapulted them to eighth in the conference and could have saved them from needing to win two games, which they’ll need to accomplish if they want to qualify for the NBA Playoffs with a ninth or tenth place finish in the standings. Zach LaVine did not hold back following the crushing defeat.

“They Wanted It More Than Us”

Oh boy, this one will not go over well. Anybody who has followed Chicago this season is not surprised by this outcome. Given the insanely inconsistent product on the floor for the Bulls and the lackluster effort every few games, this loss was easy to foresee. With Trae Young ruled out just hours before the game, the Bulls’ clearly did not take this team as seriously as they needed to. Atlanta jumped out to a 13-2 lead to begin the game and never looked back despite Chicago’s several attempts to create a run in the second half. A combination of poor three-point shooting and abysmal paint defense buried the Bulls in the must-win game.

Asked what the difference was during his post-game media availability, Zach LaVine pointed to the effort being the main driver of why the team fell short. This is a huge red flag considering the Play-In game is a win-or-go-home scenario, and a failure to show up for 48 minutes in each of their remaining games will fast-track this team to the couch. Since the Bulls are one of the league’s worst three-point shooting teams and their rim protection is well beneath league average, falling behind early and crawling out of deficits is not what this club is built for.

Where To Next?

Following last night’s disappointing loss, the Bulls have virtually locked themselves into the tenth seed when the season ends. Standing two games behind the eighth and ninth seeds and not holding a tie-breaker against either club means that the Bulls would need to win their three remaining games while Toronto or Atlanta loses all three of their respective games remaining. Barring a spectacular turn of events, the main storyline to watch now is who they’ll face in their first Play-In game.

The most likely scenario is that the Bulls will visit the Toronto Raptors. Since Toronto’s final three games come against the Eastern Conference’s top two seeds, and Atlanta’s slate is slightly easier, Toronto will likely fall beneath them and host the Chicago Bulls in the first Play-In Tournament game.

There’s Still A Chance

A little over a month ago, the Bulls were only given a 15% chance to make the Play-In Tournament. Today, they’re officially in, and the players know that an opportunity is all they need to take and run with. The Bulls’ big man was displeased with last night’s loss but still reflected on the fact that they’ll be playing beyond the regular season.

If this season has been any indication, only time will tell if the Bulls can pull off a few wins in a row to make the playoff pool. Since they will be either the ninth or tenth seed at the season’s close, they will need to win two games in a row and will be instantly met with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks should they make the playoffs.

The Bulls are 1-2 against the Raptors this season, with both teams holding serve at home, but both losses were under ten points and came down to the wire. Chicago is 2-1 against the Bucks this year, with their series finale tonight on ESPN. It could very well be a first-round preview if the Play-In Tournament goes according to plan for a Bulls squad that has won nine of their last fourteen.