Billy Donovan was still working from an unknown.
The Bulls coach insisted that his team had shown resiliency since the All-Star Break, that there had been no let-up in their practice and gameday habits. But then again, it had been quite some time since they were physically and mentally dismantled like they were Monday in a one-sided contest in Oklahoma City.
So yes, Donovan wanted to know what the response would be.
It was what he hoped.
And thanks to the 137-118 win over the hapless Toronto Raptors, the Bulls not only secured a spot in the play-in tournament but pulled to within a half game of idle Miami for the No. 9 seed.
An impressive win – even against the tanking Raptors – but one that also came with a warning from Donovan.
The Bulls (34-42) have six regular-season games left, including two against Eastern Conference teams fighting for something. That included a game in Cleveland next Tuesday and then hosting the Heat. The losses to Dallas and Oklahoma were wake-up calls on what needs to be expected.
“For us we’ve been so good in transition and playing fast that our guys have to realize that teams are going to adjust or make that an incredibly high level of emphasis,” Donovan said. “The next iteration for us is that, yeah, on the (4-2) West Coast (trip) we were going downhill, getting to the rim, getting to the basket, and you saw Coby (White) getting fouled, Josh Giddey getting fouled. Teams are watching that. They’re not going to continue to let those guys do that night after night after night.
“Now, we’ve got to adjust. ‘That’s not there now. Now what’s open, what’s available?’ “
The film didn’t just show Donovan that, but the numbers did. That’s why he pointed out the 39 combined turnovers in the losses to the Mavs and Thunder.
“Transition has been a huge strength,” Donovan continued. “The game against Denver (last week) we scored I think 31 (fast-break) points against them in their place. Teams are looking at that. ‘Gotta get back, build a wall, show your hands, put your hands up. Coby White’s taken seven free throws, Giddey is getting seven, eight, nine free throws … ‘ Now, we can’t keep just barreling into people when guys are showing hands and we’re not getting calls. We’ve got to adjust.”
Just not much against a team like the Raptors (28-48), who have seemingly been more occupied with positioning themselves for a high draft pick throughout the year than making a late-season push for the play-in tournament. The loss to the Bulls eliminated Toronto.
“Obviously we want to make a run and get into the playoffs, but like I always say we’re going to take it one game at a time,” White said of the win and accomplishment. “We clinched a spot, but obviously we want to make a run to the playoffs.”
White has been a big reason why, not only winning Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March but tipping off April the right way with 28 points and six assists against the Raptors.
A much better showing than the tail-kicking that occurred 24 hours earlier.
“We got back to being who we are,” White said. “Sharing the ball, getting it side-to-side, and everyone was getting the love (Tuesday).
“Obviously we got embarrassed (in Oklahoma City) and we took it to heart. We wanted to bounce back. We had attention to detail, and we were very locked into the game plan, control the controllables. (Monday) didn’t go the way we wanted it to, and it was very embarrassing to this organization.”