How do the Chicago Bulls lose? Well, if you ask ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy, it’s because they foul too much and they turn the ball over. “If they can clean that up and stop beating themselves,” he said, “they can have a darn good team.” Now, to call Chicago a “darn good team” after defeating a shorthanded Celtics squad tonight, 121-99, might be a stretch. To say the Celtics beat themselves? That’s not nearly as bullish to suggest.
The game didn’t necessarily begin feeling like anything remotely close to a possible implosion. Evan Fournier, who’s finally looking like the player Boston traded for, started the evening perfect from the field, knocking down a silky pull-up jumper, a deep three off of a screen from Marcus Smart, and a leaning floater in the lane.