Monday 10 December 2018 07:34, UK
The Chicago Bulls held a two-hour players-only meeting following their 133-77 thrashing by the Boston Celtics which was their worst loss in franchise history.
The players reportedly held the meeting on Sunday instead of taking part in a scheduled practice after back-to-back games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Celtics.
Chicago held on for a two-point upset win over the Thunder before making history with a worst-ever 56-point franchise loss against Boston.
The Bulls are 1-2 under Jim Boylen, who replaced Fred Hoiberg as head coach earlier this week. Hoiberg was considered to be a players' coach, while Boylen has not disguised his plans to be a more confrontational and more intense taskmaster on the Bulls' sidelines.
Boylen made five-player substitutions in a historic loss against the Celtics and said he benched his starters because he wanted them to be fresh for a Sunday practice.
Instead, the players stayed off the court to chat with their new head coach.
"We were very honest with one another; very direct," Bulls rookie forward Wendell Carter Jr. said to ESPN.com.
Zach LaVine said he and his teammates wanted an explanation from Boylen regarding their effort level and their amount of conditioning.
"We understand what he says in the media, and you can take it good or bad,
"But I think the main thing is how we're going to respond to it tomorrow."
"We're still learning about each other," Boylen said. "I've moved over the 18 inches [from one chair on the bench to the next]. They're still learning how I want it.
"There's been a little shock and awe here in the last seven days. And there's an adjustment to that."
Sky Sports is the home of the NBA in the UK with live coverage throughout the week, including selected live games free to all Sky subscribers via Sky Sports Mix.
And www.skysports.com/nba will be your home for news, reports, video and features throughout the season while you can follow us @SkySportsNBA
