That's the Bulls we know and love

The Bulls came home after a long road trip feeling good. They became the first team in NBA history to win five consecutive games over above .500 teams on the same road trip. They were over .500 for the first time since Nov. 17. A win against the struggling Clippers tonight would have given the Bulls their longest winning streak in over 3 years. The Clippers had lost 4 straight as part of their current 8-game road trip when they arrived in Chicago. To the untrained eye it would appear to be a mismatch and an easy win for upstart Bulls.
So, of course, the Clippers took the initial lead on a Chris Kaman jumper, their first lead in almost 3 games, and outplayed the Bulls the rest of the way winning 90-82 at the United Center.
What went wrong for the Bulls? The obvious answer is they didn't score enough points. They shot 38% from the field and committed 19 turnovers. They looked sluggish and unmotivated and got outplayed by an inferior team. Basically, they were the Bulls we've become accustomed to watching the past few years.
What I don't understand is how Luol Deng could score 16 points in the first quarter and just two more the rest of the way. Head Coach Vinny Del Negro offered this nugget of wisdom on that stat, "I thought Luol was real active in the first quarter. We should have gotten him the ball more."
Ya think! Obviously Deng was feeling good and yes, you should have gotten him the ball more. As the head coach you should have emphasized that point throughout the game. Instead you added one more example for why you won't be back next season.
Derrick Rose also had an off night going for 16 points on 7-for-20 shooting with just 4 dimes. He was averaging 24.6 points per game during the winning streak.
So, the Bulls are back to .500 and hold the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Derrick Rose is progressing and deserves major kudos for being the first Bulls player to make the All-Star team since Michael Jordan. Joakim Noah is averaging a double-double per game and they have shown some signs of life this season.
Unfortunately for all you die-hard Bulls fans out there, this season is going to play out like last year, only not as exciting. Expect another low-seeded playoff series that will result in another 1st round exit.
But look at the bright side... you won't have to deal with Vinny anymore.