How an 'angry' LaVine flipped Bulls' fortunes in comeback originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bulls were flat. Finished, it seemed.
Trailing by 61-43 at halftime of Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons -- who entered play 8-19 -- it looked like business as usual. Fresh off a thrilling overtime win over the Indiana Pacers, an opportunity to build momentum was fast slipping away in as frustrating of fashion as possible.
"Coming in at halftime, I was really disappointed," Billy Donovan said. "Especially with the way we competed."
But then, something funny happened. Two things, actually. There was the lineup adjustment made by Donovan to replace Coby White, Patrick Williams and Wendell Carter Jr. with Tomáš Satoranský, Denzel Valentine and Thad Young to open the third.
And, crucially, a different Zach LaVine walked out of the halftime tunnel.
"I’m a real likable guy. I don’t go out there and talk a lot of mess to guys," LaVine said after contributing 37 points in a 105-102 victory that saw the Bulls overcome a 25-point deficit. "I’m also not intimidated or scared of anybody."
That's in reference to LaVine trading, it appeared, expletive-laden words with Pistons forward Josh Jackson midway through the third quarter, after Jackson committed a hard foul after LaVine stripped him of possession. The exchange drew a double technical.
"The only person I’m scared of is God and my dad," LaVine emphasized.
He certainly wasn't wary of any of the Detroiters that jetted in for their impromptu Wednesday matchup.
It wasn't just the Jackson exchange, which LaVine called "friendly rivalry." LaVine scored 15 points in the third quarter and 24 in the second half as the hosts staged their comeback charge, shredding the Pistons' kitchen-sink defensive game plan to finish the game with 10 made field goals at the rim. He demanded defensive responsibilities on Jerami Grant, who rolled from 18 first-half points to a career-high 43 by evening's end. He pulled out two massive buckets late in the fourth, then showed trust to defer to White and Williams, who hit the biggest shots of the night in rapid succession, when the game demanded it.
"I guess we got the win, maybe I should play like that a little bit more," LaVine said. "I play angry. I just don’t talk a lot."
It wasn't perfect. That sour first half loomed large postgame. While LaVine demanding a defensive assignment at all marks a sign of his evolution, Grant scored 19 in the fourth, many on LaVine, after LaVine appeared to disrupt his rhythm at times in the third. And the Bulls very nearly could have let this one slip at multiple pivot points late. LaVine and White, for example, split two of four free throws in the game's waning seconds to open the door for the Pistons to find a clean look for the tie at the buzzer.
Still, a win is a win, and LaVine was masterful on the offensive end. "That's what superstar players do," Thad Young said of his impact.
Young has about as well-rounded a perspective on LaVine's path to this point as anyone in the Bulls' building. After all, he was seven-year vet with the Timberwolves when LaVine arrived to Minnesota a gangly, 19-year-old. "My rookie," Young says now. A lottery pick with all the promise in the world, but one Young recalled could hardly run a pick-and-roll.
"Now, he understands the game and he's doing things that he's supposed to be doing," Young said. "He's transitioning and making sure his presence his felt when he's out there. He's asking for assignments... He's going out there, he's saying, give me the ball, and he's gonna make the right reads and the right decisions.
"He's putting us on his back on most nights and taking care of business. He's doing everything that he needs to do."
LaVine has always been about contributing to winning in any way he can. Still, something feels different this season, in which he is averaging 28.5 points on 64.9 percent true shooting to lead the Bulls to the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
"It's definitely a different mentality than he's had in the past years," Young said. "He's being more vocal as a leader, because last year he wasn't as vocal. He's making sure his presence is felt."
Just ask Donovan, who's gone out of his way to praise LaVine's work ethic at every turn in their first months working together. He respected his embracing the challenge of guarding Grant and was pleased with the results, attributing a handful of Grant's buckets in the fourth to the Bulls intentionally leaving LaVine on Grant without help to mitigate the risk of open 3s popping up on the perimeter.
"I love when players come to me and say, ‘I want to be able to guard that guy," Donovan said. "I did it to show trust and belief in him."
LaVine has earned that much. In his last six games, he's averaging 35.5 points, shooting 56.8 percent from the floor and 58 percent from 3. The Bulls, without Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., are 4-2 in that span.
With his 37 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals (14-for-22 FG, 4-for-6 3P) on Wednesday, add another masterstroke to the resume. He now has 14 consecutive 20-point outings and 13 30-point games on the season.
"The list goes on of how many things he does for this team," Young said. "He's playing at a super high level."
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