Now, comes the hard part

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The Bulls' midseason record is five games better than it was last year.

But the expectations, though difficult to quantify, are so much higher.

So where do the Bulls stand with 41 games down and 41 to go in a season that can be termed a success only if a playoff series is won?

It's hard to say because the December sizzle has ceded to a January swoon.

Tribune