Close to six months ago, the Bulls trudged off the Celtics’ famed parquet floor, losers in a Game 7 that closed one of the most epic playoff series in NBA history.
Since that May 2 game, the Bulls have lost Ben Gordon to free agency, drafted forwards James Johnson and Taj Gibson and promised to build on the promise they showed during that series.
Their chance begins Thursday night at the United Center, when the Bulls begin the 44th season in franchise history against the Spurs. One night later, the Bulls travel to, ahem, Boston.
This time, Kevin Garnett won’t be injured.
“He’ll be pretty excited,” Joakim Noah said, smiling. “But we will be too.”
In a nod to that seven-game series, which featured three Bulls’ thumbs-ups and four Bulls thumbs-downs, here are three things that need to happen for the Bulls to beat last season’s 41-41 mark — and four things that might if they don’t.
The Bulls must …
Play better defense: The mantra has been chanted since last season ended — “Defense will be our focus.” All 30 NBA teams repeat it, then just as quickly seem to forget it.
But it is encouraging — even if it’s preseason — the Bulls led the league in allowing just 40.3 percent shooting.
“We’re better defensively,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “The trust factor takes time to build. The communication and rotations have gotten sharper. Now it’s a matter of putting that in games that matter and trusting your teammates. Guys are putting in the effort. Usually, when you do that, good things happen.”
Added Noah: “We understand our rotations better. Guys are more committed to it.”
Find fourth-quarter go-to guy: Gordon is gone. Derrick Rose is ascending. And John Salmons’ cool and calm demeanor lends itself perfectly to crunch time.
But let’s face it: Gordon will be missed. His ability to score in bunches, particularly down the stretch, sometimes was taken for granted.
Even Rose admits he didn’t produce often enough in clutch moments last season but sounds eager to assume that responsibility.
“I love to have the ball in my hands then,” Rose said. “But we have a lot of weapons on this team. It doesn’t have to be one guy to carry the load.”
Get consistency from Noah and Tyrus Thomas: Noah has bulked up, turned completely serious and continued to exhibit the ability to pass, rebound and run the floor that attracted the Bulls to him in the first place.
The question, of course, is whether he can do so for an entire 82-game season.
“Playing in the playoffs gave me a taste,” Noah said. “I loved how much more competitive it is than the regular season and how you have to focus in all 48 minutes.”
Thomas played well in the preseason when not injured or coming off the bench for Gibson, a move the fourth-year forward didn’t like. If he can channel aggression and athleticism into focus and consistency, the Bulls should thrive.
The Bulls must avoid …
Injuries: The Bulls are deeper this season and actually weathered last season’s injuries fairly well. But with a brutal early schedule that features 10 of the first 15 games on the road — including visits to the Celtics, Cavaliers and Lakers — a lack of cohesion caused from massive preseason injuries could play a role.
“It’s a concern,” guard Kirk Hinrich said.
Luol Deng fails to recapture form: The good news about Deng’s first preseason since missing last season’s final 29 games is that he didn’t miss a practice or game. The bad news is he did miss shots, finishing at just 38 percent.
“I’m not worried about it,” Deng said. “I feel very confident going into this season.”
Coaching stumbles: Del Negro has raised this issue himself, agreeing all coaches need to improve each season.
“I did some good things last season and there are areas in which I need to improve,” he said.
Del Negro rode a very tight rotation down the stretch last season and how the second-year coach handles having more depth, as well as late-game situations, will be scrutinized closely.
Poor rebounding: The Bulls finished 15th — middle of the pack — in defensive rebounding last season. That’s not good enough for a team whose best offensive attack is an outlet pass to Rose.
The Bulls have more positional size, a big man’s coach in Sidney Green and a wily veteran in Brad Miller. It’s time to get after it.
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kcjohnson@tribune.com
