CHICAGO -- Entering Thursday night's fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a seven-point lead and Russell Westbrook, the man who has defined the Weird Cyborg style of basketball.
The Chicago Bulls had E'Twaun Moore. You know, from Purdue.
After a 19-point third quarter from Westbrook, Moore said, "I'll show you who's the real MVP." Or something like that.
In one of those "you had to be there to believe it" games, Moore didn't miss a shot in the fourth and hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the Bulls' 108-105 victory over the Thunder at the United Center.
When the ball came to Moore with the game on the line, he wasn't thinking about being a rarely used bench player, or about Westbrook charging at him. He got the touch pass from Pau Gasol in the left corner and buried a triple to put the Bulls ahead by two points.
"It's just a natural instinct," Moore said. "I've been playing basketball for a long time. It's not brand-new to me. So I'm always ready."
Moore, a native of East Chicago, Indiana, scored a career-high 19 points, and crouching on defense like Lance Briggs in his No. 55 jersey, he helped hold Westbrook, the people's favorite for league MVP, to a measly 43.
On his final two possessions, Westbrook shot an airball and had a turnover.
Hero Ball, thy name is E'Twaun.
When Moore hit his shot, the United Center got so loud you would've thought the Bulls just beat LeBron James in the Eastern Conference finals or Cuppy Coffee won another Dunkin' Donuts race.
Moore, who is averaging 7.6 minutes in his 40 games, hit all six of his field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points.
Fast-rising rookie forward Nikola Mirotic, who scored a team-high 26, hit both of his field-goal attempts and eight of 10 free throws in the fourth. Each played all 12 minutes and they combined for 27 of the team's 36 points in the quarter.
Moore and Mirotic dominating the fourth quarter? Tom Thibodeau, that rascal, has done it again.
Yes, with Derrick Rose (knee surgery), Jimmy Butler (hyperextended elbow) and Taj Gibson (ankle problems) all out, the Bulls found a way against the Thunder and Westbrook, who scores 40 points like Thibodeau acts on the sidelines -- with little regard for society's standards.
Thibodeau's bosses didn't want to sign a veteran guard after Butler went down with his elbow injury Sunday because they want to see Moore play. The same reasoning worked with Tony Snell earlier in the season.
Both are turning into legitimate rotation players for a team that still holds legitimate hope for a deep playoff run.
I think that's why Thibodeau and his front office, whose relationship is best described as "at loggerheads," actually work quite well together. The front office gives him the players and he makes them work.
Isn't that how it's supposed to go?
But let's not focus on the messiness of what's coming later, because the right now is actually pretty good place to be, if you're into team-building and trust and all that good stuff. The Bulls, now 39-23, aren't on any kind of win streak, but in victories over Washington and Oklahoma City, you can see this team's once-battered confidence starting to heal.
Joakim Noah (four points, 12 rebounds and nine assists) talked about trust and sacrifice, important intangibles for a championship contender, but also said the Bulls have to "enjoy the process, too."
"This is fun," he said. "You seeing the way the young boy [Moore, who's actually 26 and playing in his fourth NBA season] stepping up, the way Niko is stepping up, the way Snelly Cat is stepping up. It's everybody. It's someone every night that's stepping up and that's the way we gotta see it. We got to be a strong unit, a strong team, and winning is bigger than anything."
The final shot came off an inbounds play designed for Gasol to read the defense. Mike Dunleavy (21 points) passed it to him in the post, and Gasol saw the double-team coming from Westbrook and executed a perfect touch pass to Moore in the corner. No hesitation from Gasol, who also scored 21 on a team-high 19 shots.
"A lot of guys probably would have shot that," Thibodeau said. "And he had the presence of mind to hit the open man and trust the pass. You can't say enough about E'Twaun."
"It was just the right basketball play," said Gasol, who credited Moore's "readiness to play and play at that level."
Moore likely won't get that look in April and May. Those looks will be designed for Rose and Butler, who should be back from their respective injuries in the next month.
But that's not important right now.
For the Bulls to be ready for the future, Moore, Mirotic, Snelly Cat and all the rest have to matter in March.