Bulls follow a disturbing script even in a comeback win over Miami

Billy Donovan was hoping for an “Iron Mike’’ attitude.

Heck, at this point he’ll settle for brass.

Just something different from a soft roster that Donovan has been coaching.

The Mike Tyson attitude eventually showed up on Saturday, but even in the 102-97 win over Miami, there were still looming issues.

Following a very familiar script, the Bulls (5-9) came out of the locker room for the start of the game with the Heat and showed absolutely zero urgency falling behind 20-1 in less than six minutes of the first quarter. To make matters worse, they didn’t score their first field goal of the game until 4:49 left in that opening stanza thanks to a Zach LaVine basket.

This from the same group that scored just 33 points in back-to-back first halves against the Orlando Magic.

An explanation? Anyone?

“If we had the answer we’d fix it right away,’’ veteran forward DeMar DeRozan said. “Playing with a sense of urgency, playing like we want to win. Not easing into it. First half, first quarter, it’s like we’re easing into it. Thinking too much, and then it kind of steamrolls.’’

Donovan agreed with at least one of DeRozan’s points. If the coach knew how to fix it, it would have been fixed.

“What I see is a feeling out process of the game, however you want to say that,’’ Donovan said. “Either you’re going to come out in the ring like Mike Tyson or you’re going to come out just kind of bobbing and weaving. We have to come out (the Tyson) way, and we have to be able to sustain it. It’s not like we never do it, but we have to find a way internally to draw it out of ourselves.’’

Donovan has talked to this team about it ad nauseum, shown them film of what it looks like when they play with urgency compared to when they don’t, and continues to tinker with the lineup and rotations to try and ignite something.

That continued against Miami, until there was finally a sign of life.

Right out of the gate, down 7-1 after a Bam Adebayo alley-oop slam from Kyle Lowry. Five straight points from Duncan Robinson and then a Jimmy Butler step=back, and just like that it was 16-1. LaVine finally stopped the bleeding, but the Bulls were again forced to put all their energy into climbing out of a huge hole.

No way to live in the NBA.

“I don’t know if I’m frustrated with it,’’ Donovan said of trying to get this group to play aggressively right from the tip. “I’m more of the mindset of how can I help them do that? It’s obviously got to come from them, I get that. And it shouldn’t be the scoreboard. I really believe that when you’re playing the game, the possession in front of you should be dictating that spirit, energy, urgency we need to have.’’

To the Bulls’ credit, they do seem to notice the scoreboard at some point and flip a switch that it’s go-time. They outscored the Heat both in the second and third quarters, and then cut the lead to three in the fourth on a LaVine three, and then one on a DeRozan basket with just over three minutes left.

The comeback was complete when Alex Caruso nailed yet another clutch three, giving the Bulls the lead with 51.8 seconds left.

Butler had an answer with the clutch three to tie the game, but DeRozan did what he does best, hitting a 18-foot mid-range dagger. A shot that stood up when Butler missed a three-point attempt with 12 seconds left.

“I give our guys credit for competing and getting back into the game,’’ Donovan said. “You just can’t start the games like that. It’s a hard way to live doing that.’’

And the other damper to come out of the win?

LaVine was caught angrily pulling away from public relations director Beth Esler after the game when asked to do the post-game interview with the flagship television station.

LaVine said it was a “miscommunication,’’ but the team was already made aware of the incident and wasn’t happy about it.