DeMar DeRozan has been a man reborn on the Chicago Bulls – This season, he’s started with a 37-point explosion against Jimmy Butler.
Advertisement
Last season was the first time in a while we saw DeMar wearing a red uniform. Something about him in a red jersey just clicks-be it in Toronto or Chicago. Playing for the team that Michael Jordan made famous, DeRozan had a huge chip on his shoulder to show the world he still had plenty left in his tank.
And that he did, because for the first half of the season, he played like a legitimate MVP candidate. His form trailed off slightly toward the end of last season, but he has picked it up again this season. The Bulls forward matched up well against Jimmy Butler, as the Bulls forward put on a show against the Heat and then some.
Scoring fashionably from the mid-range, Deebo seemed to be in his element, and his 37-point outing was the highest since MJ’s famous 45-point season opener back in 1995. The Bulls have had Butler himself on their team for 6 years, but it is his successor who now sits in second place for most points on an opening night.
The Bulls and DeMar DeRozan will look to build on this momentum – although it is just one game into the season
The Chicago Bulls have been barren since Michael Jordan left them in 1998. They have had some playoff success, but after winning 6 championships in 8 years, they’ve been blown about in the wind. Never replicating their 90s success, the Bulls finally have a roster that can challenge for the ultimate prize.
As long as they keep their core healthy, the Bulls have a shot at reaching the conference finals, although the title charge already seems to be over, with Golden State seeming as rampant as ever. Only time will tell who will raise the Larry O’Brien trophy, but the Bulls dream after their impressive performance against the Heat.
Jimmy Butler would have liked to come away with a win against the Bulls – after all, it is the team that his “father” built
Jimmy was good, scoring 24 points, and grabbing 8 rebounds. But it was no match because DeRozan decided to go for the jugular. The match seems close on paper, but the Bulls took the 3rd quarter by the scruff of the neck. That one quarter changed the tide of the game, and they never recovered in the fourth.
DeMar looked like a man straight from the 90s, because he played a game akin to the perfect player from the 90s. The midrange is often forgotten for the long-range shots, but given how he’s molded his game, the Bulls man looks like he would be perfect for that era. Fans seem to agree too because he’s automatic from 16 feet.
The Forward seemed to have taken things up a notch, and a little personal, because of how things transpired between him and the Lakers. After being an almost guaranteed starter for Kobe’s team, he got booted out to the windy city of Chicago, and he’s been playing his socks off.
