LeBron James visited the United Center last night to take on the Chicago Bulls for the 63rd time in his illustrious career. For those wondering, he owns a 34-29 record against the Bulls after last night’s 124-108 loss in the Windy City. While he’s been on the celebratory end more than not, last night was a rare chance at a historic moment for the King, but he was stopped short behind a 29-point, 9-assist, and 7-rebound effort from DeMar DeRozan. This marks Chicago’s seventh win in their last ten, all without Zach LaVine, who is sidelined due to a foot injury.
20th Anniversary In Chicago
December 20th, 2003, was LeBron James’s first visit to the historic United Center. The Cleveland Cavaliers would take that decision 95-87 behind his incredible 32-point, 10-assist, and 6-rebound outing in his rookie campaign. Little did anyone know that he’d go on to be one of the greatest players ever to step foot on an NBA court and constantly be rivaled by Chicago’s most prized athlete, Michael Jordan. There was always a noticeably larger chip on his shoulder when playing the Bulls, fueled by this all-time debate between him and the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan.
Over his 63 career games versus Chicago, James has averaged 28.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game en route to his 54% winning clip when facing them.
Unlike his first time visiting Chicago, James could not pull off the victory 20 years later. While he still had an impressive stat line of 25 points, ten rebounds, and nine assists, the three-point shooting down the stretch from the Bulls was too much to overcome. Los Angeles is fresh off of winning the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament, fueled by James’s Tournament MVP performances throughout their victorious run.
Red-Hot Chicago Bulls Without LaVine
The eerily strange trend without LaVine in the lineup continued against the Lakers. Looking like a completely new team led by Coby White’s three-point shooting, Nikola Vucevic’s inside presence, DeMar DeRozan’s playmaking and fourth-quarter scoring, and increased contributions from Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams, the Bulls are one of the hottest teams leaguewide. They are tied for the third-best record across the NBA over their last ten, and their only losses have come via overtime to the Milwaukee Bucks, a buzzer-beating effort by Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, and the reigning NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.
The improvement doesn’t end in the record department or the individual output category. The team’s stats in offensive efficiency, defensive rating, assist percentage, three-point percentage, and rebounding have all improved in LaVine’s absence. While a few games might be sighted as lightning in a bottle, a 7-3 record including five wins against playoff opponents above .500 is undeniable. Billy Donovan is proving that he’s been a solid coach throughout the entirety of Chicago’s struggles and that LaVine may have been the issue all along.
How many more impressive outings from the new-look Bulls does the front office need to validate moving on from LaVine and his terrible contract for good? Building around 23-year-old Coby White and 22-year-old Patrick Williams is the growing reality unfolding in Chicago.
