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Things may be picking up for the Chicago Bulls. On Friday, they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second consecutive game, 136-125. This comes two days after winning 127-111 at home.
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Afterward, veteran center Nikola Vucevic liked what he saw and what he’s been seeing, per Sam Smith of NBA.com. In essence, he is seeing a bit of a tide turn in how the Bulls have been playing.
“When we weren’t playing well, (we were) playing individual too much, forcing certain things, not something sustainable,” said Vučević. ”But we got back to playing together, shooting the ball, but not only that, more detail. (Our) timing was good, screens being set better, things like that we got away from a lot during that rough stretch. Now we are back doing those things and our defense has taken a step forward that has allowed us to run as well and the rebounding; we’ve done a better job with that. Throughout the season you are going to have ups and downs. Our down wasn’t great, went on a little too long. Hopefully we can sustain this now.”
Altogether, Vucevic finished with a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds. Certainly, a far cry from the pessimism Vucevic uttered to the Chicago Tribune recently as he contemplated his future.
Nikola Vucevic is the definition of a poised presence
Undoubtedly, the Bulls are a youthful team. Vucevic, 35, is the elder statesman, and during this first stretch of the season has expressed that.
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In November, after the Bulls eked out a one-point win over the Washington Wizards, Vucevic wasn’t all happy-go-lucky in his post-game interview. As Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith were joking around him in front of the camera, he wasn’t having it.
Essentially saying that while a win is a win, there is a right way to win.
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