© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Billy Donovan encourages the Chicago Bulls to grit their teeth and power through poor shooting nights
The Chicago Bulls had one of those nights in the NBA when the ball wouldn't fall in the basket. They made only nine of their 32 attempts from the long-range, which appeared to impact their energy level on defense and the glass, resulting in a deflating 109-91 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite the loss, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan implored the team not to let their shooting struggles affect their overall performance. He reminded them of the importance of staying mentally tough and grinding through adversity, a message that has been a staple of Donovan's coaching style.
Work their way through adversity
As the Bulls’ long-distance shots clanged off the rim, Donovan urged his players to focus on the controllable aspects of the game, reminding them to continue competing on both ends of the court.
“We shot it really poorly again, and we've got to be able to work our way through that when shots aren't going,” Donovan said.
“If we had cleaned up the defensive rebounding, the blocking out, and some of it was rotations, we wouldn't have had such a hole.”
The hole that Donovan was referring to was the 40-21 lead the Cavs built at the end of the first quarter as they waxed hot from rainbow country, making eight three-point bombs in that searing stretch.
Have to compete better
That sluggish start set the Bulls back a long way, prompting point guard Coby White to acknowledge the need to “compete better.” The Cavs were quicker to the 50-50 balls and more assertive on the offensive glass, giving their team extra looks at the basket.
“We’ve got to compete better,” White said.
“We knew they are a team that goes to the boards a lot. A lot of their threes came off offensive rebounds and kick-outs. Those are the daggers. We’ve got to be more locked in when the game starts.”
