As the shot clock ran out and the violation was called against the visiting team, Alex Caruso pumped his fist and started screaming and flexing for the United Center crowd.
The Bulls guard turned to find his newest partner in crime, as the two high-fived and bumped chests in the primal celebration.
For the first time maybe all season long, the Bulls suddenly had some defensive pride, and more importantly, an edge.
Amazing what some homegrown Chicago toughness can do for a roster. Not a bad debut for former John Marshall Metropolitan High School standout Patrick Beverley at all.
Was Beverley the sole reason for the 131-87 blowout of the Nets on Friday? Absolutely not. But with just two days of practice under his belt and one morning shootaround, coach Billy Donovan thought enough of Beverley to change his starting lineup and rotation for the newest addition.
In were Beverley and Caruso, out were Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams, with both youngsters relegated to the second team.
The buzz of that change was felt immediately, as Beverley was announced with “From Chicago … ‘’ in the pregame introductions, and then helped the Bulls jump out to the quick 11-2 start once the ball was tipped up.
What the veteran instantly added to the starting group was defensive communication and energy. Two areas in which the 27-33 Bulls have lacked all year.
“I believe that communication is the biggest thing to be a human,’’ Beverley said of his debut. “If you’re in a relationship, married, whatever the case may be, communication or the wife will get mad. You got a friend, he feels some type of way, communication or the friend gets mad, so it’s the same thing in basketball.
“It comes natural.’’
Not that his coach was surprised.
“Him being himself is really important, but the idea that he’s yelling and screaming at guys, that’s not really what he does,’’ Donovan said of Beverley. “He’s very inspiring and uplifting, and very positive, but the one thing I respect about him is he comes into everything with great energy. After every practice, where we had a legitimate practice, you get the load sheets. And his loads the first two days were as high as anybody. So you feel his energy.
“And then his voice has been really positive in terms of trying to uplift guys, give guys confidence and belief, that type of stuff. There’s no question you can feel his presence.’’
Brooklyn sure did, having one of their worst offensive showings of the season. The Beverley Effect? Not entirely, but it didn’t hurt.
In holding the Nets (34-25) to just 29 first-half points, it was the fewest points allowed in the first half since the Bulls locked down Washington for 26 points back on April 5, 2014.
By the end of the third, the Bulls were up 97-51, with Brooklyn shooting 28.8% from the field and just 19.4% (6-for-31) from three. The 44-point loss was the fourth-largest margin of defeat in Nets history.
Not bad for a Bulls team that entered the All-Star Break on a six-game losing streak and had trouble holding leads all season long.
As for Beverley’s numbers, he finished with eight points on 2-for-4 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists, and was a plus-24 in plus/minus in his 22 minutes of work.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 32 points, while Williams scored 17 points in his new role off the bench.
“I have a cold one after the game, after a win, a convincing win,’’ Beverley said of his feelings in the wake of his homecoming. “Everything was great. Going to enjoy this win.’’