It was an exceptional showing for the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night as they beat the Atlanta Hawks as they are now one win away from being inserted into the NBA Playoffs. Off the back from a superb showing from Bulls star Coby White, he and his team spoke about their next challenge in the Miami Heat who will likely be without Jimmy Butler.
Butler was injured towards the end of the first quarter in the Heat's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday that is believed to be an MCL injury that could have the star sit out multiple weeks according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. However, it is important to mention that the report is what the fear is rather than the official results as Butler will undergo an MRI Thursday at 3:30 according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
White talks about the Heat's “culture”
Either way, Bulls fans should not get too excited about their teams chances of beating Miami since they have had their backs against the walls before and prevailed. White would say the same thing when talking about their upcoming opponents, talking about the team's famed “culture” and how without Butler, they will “play hard” and how “they always keep coming and bringing energy” according to NBC Sports Chicago.
“They have a culture,” White said. “Whoever steps up in his spot, they’re not going to bring everything he does because he’s an All-Star. But Miami is one of those teams that when you play them, you know what to expect. They play hard. They play physical. They don’t quit. They always keep coming and bringing energy.”
White was not the only player that talked highly of the Heat as Bulls star Ayo Dosunmu brought up the style of play they embrace which is mucking up the game and making it physical. He scored 19 points in the win as he brought up the potential full circle moment as Miami beat Chicago last season in the second play-in game.
“We know what they do,” Dosunmu said. “We know how physical the play. Both teams are hungry for a spot in the playoffs. We know last year we came up short. Now we have another opportunity. We’re going to embrace that and try to make that happen.”
There's no doubt that Butler is a highly respected player in the NBA as even Bulls star DeMar DeRozan said that “it sucks to see anybody get hurt.” The 34-year old scored 22 points, recorded nine assists, and collected six rebounds in the play-in game win where the team is trying to get the eighth seed.
Bulls have their own injury problem with Alex Caruso
As the Heat deal with their own injury problems with Butler and even with point guard Terry Rozier who has missed the last five games, the Bulls also are dealing with the potential absence of Alex Caruso. Being in about the same boat, Caruso praised Butler and his competitiveness after the game.
“He's one of the great competitors this league has,” Caruso said. “He turns this time of year into his time. If he can't go, that would be a big loss for them because he's kind of the head of the snake, the heartbeat for them. But they still have plenty of talented and capable guys who can play. Obviously, whether he's in or out will change a little bit for us what we do. But still respect the Miami Heat and what they bring.”
Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN said that Caruso has a “significant left ankle sprain and his availability vs. Miami on Friday with the 8th-seed on the line is in doubt.” When asking the man himself about his availability, every ounce of him wants to play, but his body will be the ultimate decider according to Scotty White, ClutchPoints' Bulls reporter.
“I do (expect to play) until I can't,” Caruso said. “We'll see how it goes in the next couple of days. My mindset is to play until my body tells me that I can't. Hopefully we can use a little bit of that experience and go in, take care of business,” Caruso said. “We've played close games with them just about every year I've been here at their place. We know what to expect.”
Looking at White's electric performance for Chicago
White is coming off of a career-night as he led the Bulls by scoring 42 points off of making 15 out of 21 shots from the field to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Having been selected with the seventh overall pick in 2019 out of the University of North Carolina, he's had an interesting postseason career so far which was a motivation for White according to CBS Sports.
“I'm just grateful to be where I'm at,” White said. “That first playoff series I ever had in my career didn't go how I wanted it to go, and then last year I played better in the play-in, and then this year — I just wanted to be aggressive and take what the defense gave me, and just try to lead. Coming into the game, I want to impact winning on both ends of the ball, and that's what I focus on. And tonight, I was just aggressive and things were going my way.”
Billy Donovan said White played a “complete game”
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talked about White after his masterful performance and said besides the high scoring number, he had a “really complete game.” He would focus on his defense, his passing, his energy, among other aspects that White helped Chicago to victory.
“I thought he played a really complete game, I know the number, 42 [points] is a huge number, and it's phenomenal, but I thought he played a really complete game,” Donovan said. “I thought he defended, I thought he assisted, I thought he got downhill, made the game easy for the guys, I thought it was a great performance by him.”
As Caruso mentioned, the Bulls and Heat have had close games throughout the regular season leading the series record deadlocked at 2-2. Something has to give as this time as it's a “win or go home” situation where the winner gets the eighth seed and the Boston Celtics and the loser is sent home as the contest will be Friday in Miami.
Follow Us
Subscribe