The 2011-12 Chicago Bulls season was marked by high expectations and heartbreaking setbacks. Coming off a successful 2010-11 season where they finished with the best record in the NBA, the Bulls entered the new campaign with aspirations for a championship run. Led by reigning MVP Derrick Rose, the team showcased a strong start, maintaining their dominance in the Eastern Conference under the guidance of head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Despite the lockout-shortened season reducing the schedule to 66 games, the Bulls finished with an impressive 50-16 record, again securing the best record in the league. The team’s success was built on a foundation of disciplined defense and a deep roster, featuring key players like Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and newcomer Richard Hamilton. The depth of the squad allowed them to weather injuries throughout the season, with Rose missing 27 games due to various ailments.
As the playoffs approached, optimism was high in Chicago. The Bulls entered the postseason as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, facing the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. However, their championship dreams were abruptly derailed in Game 1 when Derrick Rose suffered a devastating ACL injury in the final minutes, sidelining him for the rest of the playoffs and beyond. This injury was a massive blow, as Rose was the heart and soul of the team.
Without their star player, the Bulls struggled to maintain their elite performance level. They were ultimately upset by the 76ers in six games, ending their season prematurely. The 2011-12 Bulls season is remembered for the potential that was never fully realized, with Rose’s injury casting a long shadow over what could have been a championship-caliber campaign. This season marked a turning point, as the Bulls would spend the following years attempting to rebuild and recover from the loss of their star point guard.
- Regular Season Record: 50-16
- Playoff Result: Eastern Conference First Round: 2-4
Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats for 2011-12 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Derrick Rose | 39 | 21.8 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 31.2 | 1 | 23.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 50.0 |
| Luol Deng | 54 | 15.3 | 6.5 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 36.7 | 6 | 14.0 | 8.3 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 36.4 |
| Carlos Boozer | 66 | 15.0 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 6 | 13.5 | 9.8 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Richard Hamilton | 28 | 11.6 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 37.0 | 6 | 13.0 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 33.3 |
| Joakim Noah | 64 | 10.2 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 3 | 15.0 | 9.3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| C.J. Watson | 49 | 9.7 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 39.3 | 6 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 5.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 25.0 |
| Kyle Korver | 65 | 8.1 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 43.5 | 6 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 30.8 |
| Taj Gibson | 63 | 7.7 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 6 | 9.5 | 6.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| John Lucas III | 49 | 7.5 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 39.3 | 5 | 8.6 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 38.5 |
| Ronnie Brewer | 66 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 27.5 | 5 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Mike James | 11 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 60.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Ömer Aşık | 66 | 3.1 | 5.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 6 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Jimmy Butler | 42 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 18.2 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Brian Scalabrine | 28 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 14.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Chicago Bulls in the 2012 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Philadelphia 76ers
In the 2012 NBA Playoffs, the Chicago Bulls entered as the top seed in the Eastern Conference but faced a devastating setback in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Star point guard Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL in Game 1, a pivotal injury that shifted the series momentum. Without their leader, the Bulls struggled to maintain their dominance and were ultimately upset by the eighth-seeded 76ers in six games, marking a shocking early exit for a team with championship aspirations.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2012 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 103-91 | |
| May 01, 2012 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 109-92 | |
| May 04, 2012 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 79-74 | |
| May 06, 2012 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 89-82 | |
| May 08, 2012 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 77-69 | |
| May 10, 2012 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 79-78 |
Chicago Bulls 2011-12 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 2011-12 season for the Chicago Bulls.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 25, 2011 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 88-87 | |
| Dec 26, 2011 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 99-91 | |
| Dec 29, 2011 | @ Sacramento Kings | W 108-98 | |
| Dec 30, 2011 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 114-101 | |
| Jan 01, 2012 | vs. Memphis Grizzlies | W 104-64 | |
| Jan 03, 2012 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 76-74 | |
| Jan 04, 2012 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 99-83 | |
| Jan 06, 2012 | @ Orlando Magic | W 97-83 | |
| Jan 07, 2012 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 109-94 | |
| Jan 09, 2012 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 92-68 | |
| Jan 10, 2012 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | W 111-100 | |
| Jan 11, 2012 | vs. Washington Wizards | W 78-64 | |
| Jan 13, 2012 | @ Boston Celtics | W 88-79 | |
| Jan 14, 2012 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 77-64 | |
| Jan 16, 2012 | @ Memphis Grizzlies | L 102-86 | |
| Jan 17, 2012 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 118-97 | |
| Jan 20, 2012 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 114-75 | |
| Jan 21, 2012 | vs. Charlotte Bobcats | W 95-89 | |
| Jan 23, 2012 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 110-95 | |
| Jan 25, 2012 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 95-90 | |
| Jan 27, 2012 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 107-100 | |
| Jan 29, 2012 | @ Miami Heat | L 97-93 | |
| Jan 30, 2012 | @ Washington Wizards | W 98-88 | |
| Feb 01, 2012 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 98-82 | |
| Feb 02, 2012 | @ New York Knicks | W 105-102 | |
| Feb 04, 2012 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 113-90 | |
| Feb 06, 2012 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 108-87 | |
| Feb 08, 2012 | @ New Orleans Hornets | W 90-67 | |
| Feb 10, 2012 | @ Charlotte Bobcats | W 95-64 | |
| Feb 12, 2012 | @ Boston Celtics | L 95-91 | |
| Feb 14, 2012 | vs. Sacramento Kings | W 121-115 | |
| Feb 16, 2012 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 89-80 | |
| Feb 18, 2012 | vs. New Jersey Nets | L 97-85 | |
| Feb 20, 2012 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 90-79 | |
| Feb 22, 2012 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 110-91 | |
| Feb 28, 2012 | vs. New Orleans Hornets | W 99-95 | |
| Feb 29, 2012 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 96-89 | |
| Mar 02, 2012 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 112-91 | |
| Mar 04, 2012 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 96-91 | |
| Mar 05, 2012 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 92-72 | |
| Mar 07, 2012 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 106-104 | |
| Mar 08, 2012 | vs. Orlando Magic | L 99-94 | |
| Mar 10, 2012 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 111-97 | |
| Mar 12, 2012 | vs. New York Knicks | W 104-99 | |
| Mar 14, 2012 | vs. Miami Heat | W 106-102 | |
| Mar 16, 2012 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 100-89 | |
| Mar 17, 2012 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 89-80 | |
| Mar 19, 2012 | @ Orlando Magic | W 85-59 | |
| Mar 21, 2012 | @ Toronto Raptors | W 94-82 | |
| Mar 24, 2012 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 102-101 | |
| Mar 26, 2012 | vs. Denver Nuggets | L 108-91 | |
| Mar 28, 2012 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 98-77 | |
| Mar 30, 2012 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 83-71 | |
| Apr 01, 2012 | @ Oklahoma City Thunder | L 92-78 | |
| Apr 02, 2012 | vs. Houston Rockets | L 99-93 | |
| Apr 05, 2012 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 93-86 | |
| Apr 08, 2012 | @ New York Knicks | L 100-99 | |
| Apr 10, 2012 | vs. New York Knicks | W 98-86 | |
| Apr 12, 2012 | vs. Miami Heat | W 96-86 | |
| Apr 15, 2012 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 100-94 | |
| Apr 16, 2012 | vs. Washington Wizards | L 87-84 | |
| Apr 18, 2012 | @ Charlotte Bobcats | W 100-68 | |
| Apr 19, 2012 | @ Miami Heat | L 83-72 | |
| Apr 21, 2012 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 93-83 | |
| Apr 25, 2012 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 92-87 | |
| Apr 26, 2012 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 107-75 |