DeMar DeRozan says Chicago Bulls are learning from the painful lessons of last season

As successful as last season was for the Chicago Bulls, All-Star wingman DeMar DeRozan is well aware of their shortcomings, especially against the league's elite. Wednesday's night matchup against one of the top teams in the East — the Miami Heat — offered the Bulls a chance to show how much they've grown since then, and they delivered.

A tough win against a highly-touted opponent

The pundits didn't give the Bulls much chance in their season-opener for good reasons. Chicago was on the road against a team that swept them in all four regular-season matchups by an average of 15 points. And by the way, the Bulls were also missing All-Star wingman Zach LaVine and starting point guard Lonzo Ball due to injuries. Miami took an early nine-point lead, and things did not look good for the Bulls.

Unlike last season, though, Chicago did not fold. They kept fighting and eventually took the lead in the second half. The game came down to the wire, but the Bulls held on for a 116-108 victory. It was an impressive win against a very good team, showing that this year's Chicago squad is different from last year's.

"So called experts, look for another job to do or something like that," asserted a defiant DeRozan after putting up 37 points — 28 of which came in the second half.

"They can say what they want. I learn never to get caught up in that, never going to change the way I approach the game, my passion for the game, the things I put in. Let everyone say what they want; everyone got freedom of speech, right?" added DeRozan.

Every bucket from DeMar DeRozan’s epic season opener 🏀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ScGQObDbnm
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) October 20, 2022

Stayed focused despite the adversity

The Bulls could have easily folded when they trailed early or when the Heat pulled to within five after trailing by 15 late in the third quarter. Instead, they kept their composure and found a way to win. That's a sign of a good team, and it's something that DeRozan believes the Bulls have learned from their experiences last season.

"Everybody stayed locked in. When they hit a big shot or we made a mistake, we didn't get down on ourselves, made it up on the next play and the one after that. Last year we used to let other teams steamroll and we'd lose a lead and let mistakes affect the rest of the game. Tonight, we stayed the course when they made big shots; we made big plays when we needed them," said DeRozan.

The man deserves RESPECT. 😲 pic.twitter.com/ukpS6us5SP
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) October 20, 2022