Boos began to echo through the United Center with nine minutes and 58 seconds left on the clock for the first half.
It was only natural. The groans started early as the Chicago Bulls whiffed on shots and tossed passes into the arms of opposing defenders, stumbling and bumbling through a cartoonish series of turnovers. The noise grew into a frustrated cacophony as the Pistons rumbled to a 25-0 run in the second quarter.
By the time the Bulls staggered to a 132-92 loss, the dismay had dulled into apathy as fans trudged homeward early in the fourth quarter.
“It’s embarrassing,” coach Billy Donovan said. “There’s no question about it.”
Twelve miserable minutes defined the loss — and the current status quo — for the Bulls. They shot 4-for-27 from the floor and turned the ball over six times. The Pistons threw down dunks in transition and pirouetted around defenders on their way to the basket. Donovan tapped 11 different players, but there wasn’t an antidote or an answer on this roster.
The rest of the game played out as a comedy of errors. Kevin Huerter tossed a pass out of bounds without a teammate in sight. Patrick Williams pulled up for an unguarded jumper at the elbow only to miss the rim entirely. Dalen Terry stepped under Dennis Schröder to give up a four-point play.
This was a new low point, even for a 22-32 team that has won only 10 games on their home court this season. Losing 132-92 is different. This was the worst loss of a bad year. It was the kind of scoreline that typically crops up in a lopsided Division III beatdown, not a game played by professionals allegedly competing for a spot in the play-in tournament.
But for Bulls fans, there’s really only one way to respond to Tuesday’s loss: Get used to it.
The Bulls clearly benefit from losing as many games as possible in this final 28-game stretch of the season. A lower spot in the standings translates directly into a higher draft pick and a better shot at improving the future of the franchise. And the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t making that effort any easier, losing another game on Tuesday to keep the Bulls in play-in tournament position.
But this isn’t simply a tank job. The Bulls aren’t trying to get blown out by 40 points. They opened the game with their best available starters. Coby White and Nikola Vučević went 6-for-28 from the floor and missed all 13 of their combined 3-point attempts. Donovan threw every available player onto the court.
There’s no Zach LaVine left to patch up the glaring holes in this roster. No DeMar DeRozan to rally a late comeback. This is all the Bulls have left to offer this season.
Welcome to the new normal at the United Center — and bring on the boos.
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