Bulls starting to rebound from dreadful start

PHILADELPHIA — The NBA season to date has featured teams that have dominated, surprised and disappointed. The Chicago Bulls have spent plenty of time in that third category, but, even though they are 9-15 at Christmas, few teams are currently happier.

The Bulls started the season 0-9 and became the butt of jokes throughout the NBA. Ben Gordon, the No. 3 player selected overall in the draft, was beaten out for a starting position by second-round choice Chris Duhon. Coach Scott Skiles was embroiled in daily dramas with his big men, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.

But wonder of wonders, the Bulls have won five games in a row, their longest such streak since 1998, Michael Jordan’s last season with the team. They are 9-6 since their horrendous start. The mix of young players, which includes four rookies and second-year guard Kirk Hinrich, is starting to click.

Even Curry and Chandler, former symbols of the Bulls’ discontent, are into it. Curry is shooting 59 percent during the win streak while averaging 18.2 points. Chandler is pulling down 8.8 rebounds per game in the same span.

So when did the light come on? What turned the Bulls from a laughingstock to the edge of playoff contention in the always wacky Eastern Conference?

The fingers point to a practice session Nov. 23 in Phoenix, where Skiles yanked Curry and Chandler out of the starting lineup. The Bulls won their first game of the season the next night.

But that might be a little too convenient. The Bulls have ratcheted up their defense sharply, especially during the winning streak. In their last five games, they have given up 81 points per contest and held opponents to 37.9 percent shooting. In their first nine games, those figures were 101.6 points and 45.1 percent.

The Bulls rank third in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense. At the time they were 0-9, they ranked 22nd.

Offensively, Chicago has gotten a big boost from Gordon, who was floundering around at a 34-percent shooting clip from the field and a 10-point average, and found himself on the bench most of the time.

However, during the streak, Gordon is hitting 55 percent of his attempts. He shot 17 of 26 in a two-game stretch, taking over in the fourth quarter in a win Wednesday night over Detroit.

Dud Rockets

While some teams entered the Christmas weekend with happy faces, the Houston Rockets matched the rumpled, grumpy countenance of their coach, Jeff Van Gundy.

The Rockets were the victims of a couple of dubious firsts. In losing at home Wednesday to the Charlotte Bobcats, they became the first road victim of the expansion Bobcats after an 0-11 start. They also were the first team to be swept in a season series by the Bobcats in the team’s short history.

Disaffected Dirk

Dirk Nowitzki is getting fed up with the inconsistency of the Dallas Mavericks, who, in two of their last four games, have lost to cellar-dwellers Golden State and Atlanta.

The Mavs’ 113-100 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday was particularly infuriating, dropping the Mavericks to 17-10.

“Maybe it’s good to sit down and see that we have to play a lot harder than this,” Nowitzki told the Dallas Morning News. “We all know we’re not where we want to be. We weren’t ready to play. Now we have to try to have a merry Christmas with this on our backs.”