NO PIQUE, JUST STREAK
Hoiberg’s Bulls top Celtics for sixth victory in a row
This easily could’ve gone bad less than three weeks ago.
The Bulls were on a three-game losing streak, Jimmy Butler was pulling no punches in criticizing coach Fred Hoiberg and there were questions about the team’s urgency.
Heck, even executive vice president John Paxson felt the need to step in and have a talk with the players.
After their 101-92 victory Thursday over the Boston Celtics, the major question facing the Bulls (2212) these days is what kind of legs this winning streak has? Right now it’s at six. “I guess the big thing is every team is going to hit adversity during the course of a season,’’ Hoiberg said. “That’s the time when you have to come together and talk things out. Sometimes it’s a tough conversation. We had some of those in those three days we had off before the Christmas Day game in Oklahoma City. I could sense that everybody was together. It wasn’t anything that splintered our group or our locker room. And that’s what it’s all about.
“That’s what you have to do as a coaching staff. That’s what players have to do. They have to look each other in the eye and hold each other accountable without taking something personal when you have to say something tough to a guy. I’ve been pleased with how our group has come together in that respect.’’
It has been made easier by Butler’s play.
Even on a night when he didn’t shoot the ball well — he went 5-for14 from the field and scored a teamhigh 19 points — Butler was still a major contributor, playing the role of facilitator. Following up his 10-assist game Tuesday, Butler handed out 10 more against the Celtics (19-17).
Derrick Rose had 18 points, and Pau Gasol chipped in 17 points and 18 rebounds as the offense contin- ued to play with more cohesion.
But possibly the biggest factor in the Bulls’ rise was Hoiberg’s handling of his players during that rough stretch.
“[Hoiberg] touched on it a little bit right when it was going on, and we haven’t heard anything since then,’’ Rose said. ‘‘Since then, Jimmy has been playing some great, great basketball. We’ve been finding our identity on the offensive side — who is getting the ball, who is shooting the ball at certain times of the game. And defensively, we always have room to improve.
“But, I don’t know, we got a good group here. It seems like guys are focused. They’re not worried about themselves. We’re just trying to give the team everything that we have to try to win a championship.’’
After a slow first quarter in which they trailed 27-21, the Bulls picked up their defense, and the offense woke up.
“The first 12 minutes, we weren’t doing anything as far as getting out and running,’’ Hoiberg said. “Our pace was beyond brutal.
“Once we started running a little bit, it got us going, got our legsmoving, and we finally got a little spurt of energy there to end the second quarter. I thought that carried over into the second half. We really picked it up.’’
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