Bulls coach Billy Donovan said on Friday he doesn’t need to stress to his team how important it is to play well over the final eight games and make sure they don’t fall to the No. 10 seed again.
Rick Bowmer/AP
NEW YORK – It’s not something Billy Donovan has had to draw up on the dry board as a reminder.
With eight regular-season games left and the Atlanta Hawks suddenly heating up right behind the Bulls in the standings, the coach said on Friday that his locker room knows exactly what’s at stake.
After all, the finished in the No. 10 spot last season, had to go on the road for both play-in games, losing the second one in Miami.
No. 9 – where the Bulls currently sit – might not mean much in the big picture, but it does at least give them the first game at home.
“I think our guys are very much aware of that,” Donovan said. “We’ve talked about how important … the guys have even messaged it at maybe 12 games remaining, guys were (made) aware of the importance of finishing strong, doing all those things. Obviously to be able to move up past that would be challenging. There’s a chance we can move below where we’re at, so the guys understand that. You get a home game and then obviously you would travel and have to go on the road, so our guys understand that.”
So do the Hawks, winners of four straight, including two of Boston in that time.
But the Bulls do have one major advantage over Atlanta: The schedule.
While nothing is really ever easy for the Bulls, they do have the ninth easiest schedule remaining, while the Hawks have the 12th hardest. That includes both teams playing each other one more time when the Bulls host Atlanta on Monday.
If it does come down to the last week, the Bulls play their last three games on the road in Detroit, Washington, and then a Knicks team that could be in rest mode. Atlanta’s last three are a home game with Charlotte, and then road games in Minnesota and Indiana.
What Donovan wants to avoid is a repeat of last season, having to play road warriors to try and get into the postseason.
“It’s like you’re in the NCAA Tournament,” Donovan said. “It’s a one-game elimination unless you’re in the upper end of (the play-in). There is a different element than you start off a playoff series and you lose game one on the road, you can regroup, make adjustments. You know it’s a seven-game series and you need to win four. This is a totally different experience.”
Rookie blues
Julian Phillips is starting to run out of runway if he hopes to come back from an injured right foot this season.
The rookie forward was still “in and out” of a walking boot, and no timetable has been given on when he’ll be re-evaluated or what his return process would be.
Phillips last played in a win against the Pacers over two weeks ago. Even if he gets out of the boot in the next few weeks, he would need a ramp-up period to get his conditioning back.
Donovan didn’t have a lot of answers, but also didn’t sound very optimistic.
“He hasn’t been on the court or done anything physical yet, so it’s hard to say whether or not he would be available, and when he is available when that would even be until I can at least know that he’s on the court.”
Contract talk
Javonte Green continued to give valuable minutes off the bench and is getting close to the front office deciding on giving him another 10-day contract.
“I have not talked to (executive VP) Arturas (Karnisovas) and (general manager) Marc (Eversley) about the re-signing of him,” Donovan said. “I would guess however those things work contractually, there’s no question we would look at that.”