An annual sporting rite of spring, right up there with irreparable NCAA tournament brackets and thoughts of a Subway Series, is a Bulls late-season surge.

Two straight victories over teams that pass themselves off as playoff contenders in the weak Eastern Conference may signify this season's start.

Given the colossal step backward following last season's strong finish, the big question is: Will a surge mean anything?

"That depends on who you ask," veteran forward Antonio Davis said. "To me, [the victories] count for something. To me, they signify that we understand we went through hard times and we aren't a very good team. But we didn't give up. We continued to try to learn until they told us to stop. And we go into the summer feeling like we did try to accomplish something."