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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Stan Van Gundy said he knows his franchise player, Dwight Howard, has asked that he be fired as coach of the Orlando Magic, and get this: Van Gundy claimed his sources are better than any reporter's.

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It seems appropriate that Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, known as a defensive whiz, became the fastest head coach to 100 wins with a game that will live among the team’s best-ever defensive performances.

The Bulls set a regular-season team record for the fewest points allowed in a game, yielding only 59 to the Orlando Magic.

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose hasn't been able to run because of the groin injury that's kept him out of the three games, and while it doesn't appear he'll face the Orlando Magic on Monday night, coach Tom Thibodeau didn't officially rule him out.

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CHICAGO -- It is common knowledge around the National Basketball Association that the road to the NBA Finals will go through Miami and Chicago.

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Do the Chicago Bulls need Dwight Howard?

It's hard to say. Before their 99-94 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, the Bulls had the league's best record despite a season-long plague of injuries to key players.

Yet that loss illustrated the dangers of Chicago's one-star system. Derrick Rose was flat broke (6-for-22). Ditto for Joakim Noah (3-for-7) and Luol Deng (1-for-9). Carlos Boozer picked up some slack by scoring 26 points on 12-for-20 shooting, but he has always been the kind of player who provides numbers without controlling tempo or dictating outcome.

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CHICAGO -- It would be easy to blame the Miami Heat for all of this. Partly because it's fun to blame them for everything, but mostly because it really feels like it is largely their fault.

The Boston Celtics may have started the idea of the Big Three and legitimized it with domination of the league a few years ago. But the Miami Heat and their unique blend of player empowerment has turned it into something that has thrown the pursuit of winning out of whack.

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CHICAGO -- After missing his fifth wide-open 3-pointer of the fourth quarter in Thursday’s loss to the Orlando Magic, Kyle Korver slowly trudged back to center court in disbelief. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

The owner of one of the NBA's smoothest shots looked off in the distance with the countenance of a man who wished he could be anywhere other than where he was standing.

About 20 minutes later, that expression hadn't left his face. Korver, with a sizeable pack of ice wrapped around his elbow and knee, sat in front of his locker staring into space. He couldn't stomach the fact that he might have just cost his team the game because of the fact he was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the final 12 minutes.

"All right," he said in a tone that made no secret of the fact that he wasn’t looking forward to the forthcoming Q-and-A.

"A couple of them felt good," he said in a hushed voice. "A couple of them maybe not quite as good, but I thought at least three of them were at the bottom of the bucket. You've got one play where everyone falls down and you're left wide open for a corner 3 and it goes in and out. I need to come through in those [situations]."

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CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Orlando Magic pulled out a 99-94 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at the United Center.

How it happened: Dwight Howard had 29 points and 18 rebounds as the Magic snapped the Bulls' eight-game winning streak. Carlos Boozer tried to single-handedly lead the Bulls back on the offensive end, scoring 26 points and grabbing seven rebounds, but it wasn't to be. Derrick Rose had 17 points, Taj Gibson added 14, while Joakim Noah chipped in with nine points and 10 rebounds.

What it means: Tom Thibdoeau had a feeling this kind of game was coming. After Wednesday night's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Thibodeau said he didn't like the defense his team was playing. Those fears came to fruition in Thursday's loss. The Bulls had a hard time containing the Magic early and struggled to come up with big plays late. Yes, the Bulls deserve credit for coming back from an 18-point deficit, but what most fans will remember from this game is that Kyle Korver missed six 3-pointers down the stretch (including five wide-open looks) that would have extended Chicago leads.

Korver has struggled to find a rhythm the past year and a half in Chicago. Obviously, it wasn't his fault the Bulls lost the game, but those missed shots will loom large in fans' eyes. Derrick Rose was just 6-for-22 from the field, and aside from Boozer, the Bulls had a hard time putting together any kind of consistent offense. Luol Deng struggled terribly from the field, going just 1-for-9.

Stat of the night: The Magic outrebounded the Bulls 49-40.

Bold play of the game: With the game tied at 91 and just 1:29 left in the game, Magic forward Ryan Anderson knocked down a 3-pointer that would give his team a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

What's next: The Bulls have a day off before facing off against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

CHICAGO -- A local reporter unfamiliar with Stan Van Gundy, the perpetually grousing coach of the Orlando Magic, asked what made him happy with his team.

After all, the Magic came into the game 25-15, the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, despite the lingering questions about Dwight Howard’s future with the franchise. But here's the spoiler alert: Van Gundy is definitely not in love with his team. It sounds like he barely likes it.

“I haven’t been real happy, I’ll be honest,” Van Gundy said before the game. “ ’ll say what’s pleased me the most is we’re a pretty resilient group. We’ll have bad nights, we’ll have bad periods in games and we will bounce back. We just have not established that we will play real hard and play together on a consistent basis.

“We’re real up and down in the way we’ve played,” he continued. “I think we’re a group that’s satisfied with where we are and not making the big push to really get better. While the record is fine and there’s been some good things, but it’s hard for me to be real happy with where we are right now.”

On the other hand, Van Gundy had glowing words for the Chicago Bulls, who came into the game on an eight-game winning streak and with the best record in the NBA. It sounded like he was envious of their situation.

“[Tom Thibodeau's] team plays hard every single night,” he said. “And they play very well together every single night. I think everybody over there deserves a lot of credit, but I think Tom obviously and the coaching job he’s done over two years, there’s been nobody in the league that’s done a better job. There just hasn’t.”

While there has been questions about Howard’s willingness to want to play with Rose, Van Gundy sounds like he’d love to make a straight trade of adidas pitchmen. After all, what coach wouldn't want Rose, an MVP who barely talks and never complains.

“And I think the other thing is they’ve got a great player in Derrick Rose, with a great attitude,” Van Gundy said. “He’s a guy who’s just all about winning and making his teammates better. It’s not about him, it’s not about gaining publicity and attention, it’s not about his numbers. It’s just about winning games.”

CHICAGO -- As the March 15 trade deadline nears, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard did not dispute the perception that he wants to be "the guy" on whatever team he ends up on.

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard are the faces of adidas basketball and the company wants to make it clear that it would have no issue if the pair teamed up together in Chicago if Howard decided to join the Bulls at some point down the line.

There have been reports recently that adidas did not want Rose and Howard, their top two basketball endorsers, playing on the same team in the same market, but adidas' Vice President of Global Basketball, Lawrence Norman, who has been in Orlando for All-Star Weekend, made it clear that wasn't the case. He and his team have represented the pair since both came into the league, and he said adidas would have no issue with Howard playing wherever he wanted.

"We support Dwight no matter where he plays," Norman told ESPNChicago.com during a phone conversation on Sunday afternoon. "He's playing in Orlando right now and he's number two in the MVP voting. He's number one in All-Star votes. He's incredibly popular every year when we bring him to China. He's got worldwide appeal. He's doing just fine in Orlando. But we would support him in any decision that he makes."

The rumors about Howard's desire to play elsewhere have accelerated since he made it clear before the season started that he wanted to be traded from the Magic. Howard, who has spent a lot of time with Rose over the past few years working on adidas promotional events, has only acknowledged through his agent, Dan Fegan, that he would like to be dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks or New Jersey Nets.

The 26-year-old Howard seemed open in January to the idea of playing with the Bulls, expressing his "love" for Rose and calling him his "brother" in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, but up to this date he has made no other indication that he would like to be dealt to the Bulls and would sign an extension to stay long-term. He can opt out of his contract and the end of the season and has deflected almost every question about his precarious situation throughout the weekend.

When asked about the prospect of playing with Howard during Friday's media session, Rose admitted that it would be 'crazy' to play with Howard.

"I'm cool with the teammates that I have," Rose said. "But if you want to make up your own fantasy and say 'Would it be crazy if we played together?' Yeah ..."

The 23-year-old Rose, who has said repeatedly that he doesn't want to recruit players, said he hasn't spoken to Howard about the situation and that the Chicago market “speaks for itself.”

"I try not to think about it because he's not with us," Rose said. "But just knowing what type of player he is and how he is playing with his team right now, I think we will be pretty good if he chooses to come."

Norman understands that he has two superstars just entering the prime of their respective careers and he wants to do whatever he can to make them happy, whether they end up playing together or not.

"We've been around a lot of athletes and loyalty is important to all of them," Norman said. "Whether it's Derrick or Dwight, these are very loyal, great athletes and we're lucky to be with the best center and the best point guard in the game."

The Chicago Bulls have won more regular-season games than any other team since the beginning of last season. Their core is young and ascending. The chemistry on the court and in the locker room is impeccable -- the kind of environment coaches dream about. But the problem is that there is an awfully big hurdle perched in the sands of South Beach. Every transaction the Bulls make has to be a response to this question: Will this help us beat the Miami Heat?

The Howard-to-the-Bulls chatter certainly falls under the heading of "soft news," but nevertheless, the notion is interesting from a basketball perspective. Howard is the best center in the game, but Chicago is already a championship-level team. Do you dare mess with that?

Here are three trade scenarios that make sense for both teams:

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ORLANDO -- Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard sidestepped questions pertaining to the Chicago Bulls and the possibility of him playing for them in the future after Friday night's game.

When asked specifically if he would be willing to sign an extension with the Bulls if they were to trade for him, Howard was non-committal.

"We're not talking about trades," he said. "That has nothing to do with the position I'm in right now. At this point, my concern is helping my team get better. That's it."

When asked specifically about whether he wanted to play with Derrick Rose at some point in his career, Howard also played coy.

"We can play in the All-Star Game together," he said. "It will be fun. Come February [26th], me and Derrick will [be on] the same team so I'm looking forward to All-Star Weekend."

Howard did manage to give the Bulls one of their highest compliments of the young season.

"They just played hard," Howard said. "Everybody knew what they had to do. Guys came off the bench and they know what to do when they come into the game. They didn't step outside their boundaries. They did exactly what their coaches asked them to do. And we have to be the same way."

The last word: Carlos Boozer on Rose:

"You really can't describe Derrick. You really have to watch him play. I'll put it like this. If I was a fan and I'm enjoying basketball in a different country and I came to America to watch a couple of games, I would make sure I came to Chicago to see him play. I'm saying personally, I would spend money to watch him play. Like when I retire, and he's still playing, I'm going to come back and watch him play."

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau looked and sounded the way his team felt after Friday night's impressive 97-83 win over the Orlando Magic. The veteran coach happily made his way through a small scrum of reporters in front of the Bulls' locker room, but he looked like a guy who could use a nap.

When it was mentioned to Thibodeau that the Bulls had just played their third game in a stretch of seven games in nine nights, the exasperated coach rolled his eyes and answered bluntly.

"Hell, I have no idea," Thibodeau said in his familiar hoarse baritone. "I'm worried about Atlanta. That's it. If you start looking that far ahead, it becomes overwhelming. But that's the way it is; everyone's dealing with it. Sometimes it's in your favor, sometimes it's against you, you just got to be ready for them as they come."

The Bulls were ready Friday night. They battled from beginning to end despite the fact that the team was exhausted. Derrick Rose dragged his heavily padded left elbow up and down the court, and still managed to drop in 21 points. Luol Deng, who looks like he already leads the world in minutes, managed to drop in 21 points of his own in between wearing heating pads on his thighs to keep his tired body warm. It was the type of game Thibodeau and his players take pride in. It was the type of game they always talk about grinding out. It was the type of contest they knew was coming, and they managed to find a way to win.

"Anything to win," Rose said. "That was the whole mindset. Just try to come out aggressive. We tend in the past to come out kind of sluggish. Try to get guys going early, and that was the whole game plan."

The Bulls, as they have done throughout the season, got contributions from everybody. Carlos Boozer came in and scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Joakim Noah pulled down 10 rebounds. Kyle Korver finally found his shot, scoring 18 points. It was exactly the way Thibodeau drew things up before the season. He knew he had the deepest team in the league, and the Bulls proved it again when they had to.

"Everyone came in and contributed," Noah said. "[John] Lucas coming in ready. Kyle Korver hitting huge shots. Omer [Asik] took a couple in the face. For the team. It's for the team. Guys are playing for one another. We're not distracted. We're just all about trying to get better."

The Bulls dug deep into their DNA, and did what Thibodeau, Rose and everyone else in the Bulls' locker room always talk about. They grinded this game out.

"I think we definitely did that tonight," Rose said. "I think we held our composure. Where they made a couple of shots, made a run, the crowd got into it, but we stayed together. That's just playing with each other and going through a lot of things with each other, experience. And we held it out."

Isn't that the mark of championship team?

"I hope so," Rose said with a laugh. "I know that in the past couple years back, that [if] we were in this game and the same situation happened, I don't know what would have happened. Just knowing that we know what to do in certain situations is definitely going to calm everybody down, and Thibs is a great coach so he knows what to do."

That's why Thibodeau was so chipper after it was over. Like his players, he was tired, but he would never use that as an excuse. Like his players, he wasn't even sure what city he was in. But like his players, Thibodeau wanted to win so badly that all those things didn't matter. It's on to the next city and on to the next game. When you want to win a championship in a crazy, condensed season such as this one, the next game is the only one that matters.

"We want to keep grinding every day, every game," Thibodeau said. "I don't think you can ever relax. I don't think you can ever let your guard down. And you've got to keep fighting. And that's what this team does. This whole season will be a grind, so each and every day we've just got to get ourselves ready to play, and then when the ball goes up, I think your preparation gives you confidence and poise."