By: David Haugh
Source: Tribune
By tipoff of the Bulls’ 88-65 blowout loss to the Heat on Monday night, it became clear the United Center crowd would begin the game as short-handed as the team it came to watch.
Due to either low interest or heavy traffic related to Monday’s rare rush-hour start at 6 p.m., nearly half of the 21,990 seats stayed empty. The loudest thing in the arena was Craig Sager’s jacket. Those who fought the congested Chicago roads and arrived late had to wonder if it was worth the hassle.
Tom Thibodeau probably wishes he had driven to the game too.
His Bulls responded to the must-win situation with as little intensity on the floor as there was electricity in the building. As flat and lifeless as the atmosphere, the Bulls quickly fell behind 11-2 after missing 11 of their first 12 shots and never recovered in what likely was their home
farewell. It was anything but a fond one.
“I’m disappointed with how we played,” Joakim Noah said quietly. “But there’s still a lot of basketball left, and we’re not going to give up.”
Broadway Jo was in no position to guarantee anything else about Game 5 on Wednesday in Miami.
In a series in which the Bulls already established a franchise playoff low for the most lopsided loss, they set team playoff records for fewest points and poorest field-goal percentage (25.7 percent). Not since the 2004 Hornets has an NBA team shot worse in a playoff game.
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