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Zach LaVine admits Chicago Bulls' recent form has been "embarrassing" and is well aware they need to improve if they are to make any kind of impact in the playoffs.
Chicago are 50/1 to win the NBA Championship outright, while defending champions Milwaukee Bucks can be backed at 5/1.
The Bulls were battling for the top seed in the East during the first half of the campaign but since the All-Star break their form has nosedived, with Chicago 7-15 over their last 22 games, and they are now locked in a fight for the sixth seed with one regular season game remaining.
Chicago have managed to end a four-year absence from the postseason, but recent performances have been poor and on Friday they slumped to a disappointing 133-117 defeat at home to Charlotte Hornets.
That was the Bulls' fourth successive defeat, all of those losses have been by at least 16 points and all have come against teams in the playoff spots in the East.
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Chicago were booed by their own fans during the defeat but LaVine says the crowd were right to voice their displeasure and he hopes the Bulls can rediscover their form during the playoffs.
"They should," LaVine said of the reaction from the fans after the game, via ESPN. "It's embarrassing. We're a really good basketball team, and we're not playing like it. They know that. We know that. It's understandable. We understand that they have our back, but we got to play better."
He added: "I always try to be very uplifting and try to see the bright side, but I'm tired of talking. We say a lot of words and we say the right thing, but we got to figure it out. We're not doing that, plain and simple."
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