Ahh playing not to lose

In yet another display of what can only be considered the weakest playoff push in recent memory, the Bulls squeaked by the Wizards by two points last night. The great part of the game was the way the Bulls let the dominant Wizards build a double digit lead in the first half, playing without any energy or focus. It appeared as though they were content to let the first half end without any semblance of a fight. Ben Gordon did a nice 0-for in the first quarter, leading to his second quarter benching. Conveniently, Vinny did his typical confused pacing and magically the Bulls came to play in the second half. We built a healthy lead going into the fourth quarter, but rather than play with a killer instinct and put away the lowly Bullets, we decided to just try and hold them off. And if not for Gordon splitting a pair of free throws with a few seconds left on the clock, we could have actually lost. After the game, John Salmons, ever the floor leader, said, "We don't worry about how bad we played in a time like this. We just got to keep trying and getting wins." While the second part of his statement is true, if I were Vinny Del Negro, I would start to worry about how we're playing. I mean it's entirely possible for us to back our way into the playoffs given the way the rest of the Eastern conference is playing. But without a sense of urgency or accountability, we might actually have the most embarrassing first round exit in recent memory.

As we come to the last stretch of the season, it would be really nice to see the Bulls get their act together and bring energy every quarter, every game. Hopefully it will start tonight against Detroit and the bipolar Pistons. If not, don't expect much from the Bulls heading into the playoffs, if anything at all.