After showing signs of real progress against the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls took a giant step backwards on Friday night.

The matchup in Boston gave this young squad a chance at quick revenge. It was only a handful of nights prior that the Celtics embarrassed the Bulls at TD Garden in a 134-99 victory. They knew exactly how to attack this inexperienced team, using their depth to run up the score. Friday was the Bulls' chance to show that they can learn from defeat and come back stronger.

They did the opposite.

Boston won the game 125-111, and things were a whole lot worse than that final score suggests. Let's go over three major concerns from that performance, starting with ... well ... the start.

Another Flat Start

Game after game, the Chicago Bulls come out looking lost. It's an awful way for any team to start the night, but especially one as immature as this one. Every night is already an uphill battle, and you're only making it a steeper climb with a sluggish first quarter.

To be sure, some of this is simply the talent disparity. Chicago is rarely going to have a better roster than their opponent this season. At the same time, there seems to be a lack of preparation and focus, and this was on full display in Boston.

The Celtics put up 44 points on the Bulls in the opening frame, winning the quarter by 19. The bench alone nearly outscored the Bulls with 22 points, as Boston shot 16-24 from the field and got a perfect 4-4 showing from Peyton Pritchard in his first 6 minutes of action.

The Bulls didn't help themselves with 7 early turnovers that led to 12 Celtics points. Boston's defense deserves credit, but it's also not as if the Bulls made them work too hard. Chicago shot 7-22 from the field and just 2-11 from downtown. They continued to get to the charity stripe at a decent rate, but that can't be their whole offensive identity.

To no surprise, the Bulls' first-quarter net rating is easily the worst in the NBA at -40.4. They are averaging a 34.8 percent clip from the field and just 24.3 points. Until they are able to get off to better starts, this downward spiral is only going to continue.

The Effort ...

In many ways, this is directly related to what we discussed above.

What made Friday night's performance so disappointing is just how unmotivated this group appeared from the jump. It wasn't until the second half that they looked to have a little extra pep in their step. All things considered, a team this young shouldn't have to face a big deficit or have their back against the wall to bring the energy. Heck, playing hard is what they should be better at than almost anyone else. That's typically the benefit of having a team full of guys with something to prove.

Nevertheless, whether it be the sluggish starts or the crippling third quarters, this group's effort and intensity shift quarter to quarter. Again, we all know that most nights the team on the other side of the ball will have the talent advantage, and this can lead to some sobering moments. But the Bulls can't hang their heads.

The Bulls' previous outing only made this meeting in Boston even worse. How do you go from giving the reigning champs a run for their money to looking so disconnected against the Celtics? Were the Bulls already demoralized after the 134-99 loss early in the week? If anything, that should have provided extra motivation to go out and impress.

The bad news for the Bulls is that if they need a win to pump some energy into this locker room, they may have to wait a long time. The schedule remains a gauntlet, with Philly, New York, and San Antonio making up their next four games. It's Tiago Splitter's job to get this group bought in regardless of what the scoreboard reads. And doing that is proving to be a challenge.

Paint Protection

Unfortunately for the Chicago Bulls, there are some major issues on both sides of the ball. Their offense has been the second-least efficient in the NBA to start the year. Meanwhile, their defensive rating sits behind only the Phoenix Suns for the worst in the league. The Celtics exploited both, but they especially made the most of the Bulls' lack of rim protection.

Boston finished with 58 points in the paint, which included a 22-30 performance in the restricted area. On top of that, they were able to force their way to the free throw line for 40 attempts, of which they made 31. The Bulls are now giving up 52.3 points in the paint per game, ranking fifth-most in the NBA. Teams have also shot nearly 48.0 percent from the field against Chicago and have shot 31.5 free throws a night (second most).

Aside from their outing with the Knicks, the Bulls have not been able to limit paint penetration or deter shots at the rim. And, to be honest, they got pretty lucky in that Knicks game with New York botching plenty of layups. This also doesn't feel like an issue that big man Nic Claxton is going to solve. Will he help clean things up a little? Sure. But this all starts with Chicago's iffy point-of-attack defense and absence of true strength in the frontcourt.

Unfortunately, it doesn't feel like there is much the Bulls can tweak in this department. This feels largely like a personnel issue that Bryson Graham will have to address in the offseason.