Bulls HC Billy Donovan Calls Team Out After Play-In Loss to Heat

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Play-In Tournament on April 16, ending the 2024-25 season at home on the United Center floor. After the game, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan did not mince words about his team’s shortcomings.

Donovan made sure to credit the Heat for their efforts, and he noted his previous warnings about a younger (than the start of the season) Bulls.

However, Donovan’s disappointment with the Bulls’ effort was clear.

“You get to this point in time of this season, these games are going to be grind-out games. And I think I mentioned before the game, there’s going to be experiences that these guys are going to have to go through, quite honestly,” Donovan told reporters on April 16. “The disappointing part was we didn’t play to our identity. We just didn’t.

“Talked before the game about the turnovers. We had, I don’t know, we had 10 of them – or 11 in the first half. And you give up 23 points at this point in time? This – you can’t win like that. It’s hard.”

TYLER HERRO TAKES OVER, HEAT KEEP SEASON ALIVE 🙌

🔥 38 PTS (23 in 1st half)
🔥 68.4 FG% (13-19 from field)

Miami will take on Atlanta Friday at 7pm/et on TNT... winner gets the 8 seed in the East! pic.twitter.com/oPARGl6N81

— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025

“I thought the recognition of how they were guarding and what they were doing – and not that they necessarily changed a lot,” Donovan said of the Heat’s approach with the Bulls. “Just have the awareness of just how they’re guarding, what they’re doing. And I think that we had this mentality of just – we didn’t work the game. Didn’t read the game well enough, and I’m hopeful for some of our guys that this can be a real good growth opportunity.

“It’s unfortunate because I thought, with … all the uncertainty at the trade deadline, and then getting a team together, the group really did a great job for the trade deadline on, you know what I mean? And you just – when you lose a game, you don’t want to lose where … you’re not playing to your identity how you want to. That was the disappointing part.”

Billy Donovan Spreads Blame for Defensive Breakdowns

The Bulls end the season with a loss to the Heat for the third straight season. Despite that familiarity, Donovan’s bunch was unable to slow down Heat star Tyler Herro, who finished with 38 points on 68.4% shooting.

Donovan was asked multiple times about the Heat targeting perceived weaker defenders in Josh Giddey and Coby White.

The Bulls head coach noted that it was an all-around failure on defense.

“There’s going to be breakdowns to the point of screens, right? You don’t – We’re not talking about the fact that our low man is not protecting the rim, and there’s no sign of anybody there. That’s not all on Josh, or Coby, or the perimeter – and vice versa. Sometimes you gotta be able to manage and control the ball a little bit at the point of screen so you don’t have to come over there,” Donovan said.

“Herro, off the dribble, got wherever he wanted to. [Davion] Mitchell got wherever he wanted to. [Andrew] Wiggins got wherever he wanted to. They all got where they wanted to. And we need to be better, collectively, in that area.”

“I didn’t think we played good enough team defense,” Donovan said of the Bulls.

“I’m looking at it through where we needed to be better in order to play better. We needed to be much better at the point of the screen, but that was for everybody.”

Billy Donovan on Bulls’ Offseason Plans

The Bulls have several roster questions to answer this offseason, but Donovan was in to do so following such a significant game and result.

He also reiterated regret over their defensive effort against the Heat.

“It’s hard for me right now. When the season ends, they’ve always been great about including me and stuff, and they’ve always tried to just give me space, with all the games that are coming, just to coach and to focus on the guys. And we talk about the team and the guys. But there’ll be a time for all that stuff where we’ll all sit down at some point and talk,” Donovan said.

“They like everybody kind of decompressing for a couple of weeks and then kind of regathering to talk about it. So we’ll see. I think we were better defensively than what we showed tonight; I definitely feel that. I feel like our guys made … some growth. And not that we were this stellar defensive team. But I felt like we got better, and the numbers showed that over the course of the year.”

The Bulls entered the contest allowing opponents to connect on threes at the second-lowest clip during the regular season. Miami shot over 37% from beyond the arc in the game. They were over 65% in the paint and 66% in the restricted area.

Whatever changes the Bulls make this offseason, defense must be a driving factor in the decision-making process.