CHICAGO -- Tom Thibodeau wouldn't take the bait.

Fresh off the Minnesota Timberwolves' emotional 99-94 win over the Chicago Bulls, Thibodeau wasn't about to give the reporters in front of him the easy answer, that this game against his old team meant more to him.

"As you're probably aware, we need a win," Thibodeau said. "Getting the win was what we needed."

Thibodeau didn't just get a much needed victory for his struggling group on Tuesday night, he got a measure of revenge. Fired after the 2014-15 campaign -- after five successful years at the helm -- Thibodeau got the upper hand against his former bosses on this night by helping the Timberwolves overcome a 21-point first-half deficit.

Thibodeau tried to downplay just how much this game meant to him, but even the veteran coach couldn't suppress a smile after the final horn sounded. His players and coaches knew this game meant more to him, that's why there was a loud ovation coming from the Timberwolves' locker room after this game was over. No matter how Thibodeau tried to answer the questions, those closest to him knew this game was one of the sweeter victories of his career, given the circumstances.

"It's how you frame everything," Thibodeau said, shaking off a question about the satisfaction of the win. "As a person, you're in control of that. So when I look back on the time that I was here, I loved what we did. And there were far more great times than there were any problem times. In the end, it didn't end great, but most of the time it was great. So I'm proud of what our team did, I loved being here and that's the way I look at it."

Tom Thibodeau said he was focused on getting the win for Minnesota in his return to Chicago. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

For the Bulls, especially for executives Gar Forman and John Paxson, this loss has to sting even worse. Their divorce with Thibodeau has been well-documented, but this particular loss shines an even brighter light on the flaws of the roster they built. Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, who have carried the Bulls offensively all season, were a combined 13-for-35 against a Timberwolves team that came into the game with a 6-18 record.

The Bulls' defense was porous throughout the second half and the Bulls' beleaguered bench provided little assistance yet again. The only thing Fred Hoiberg's bunch has been able to prove throughout the first quarter of the season is that it is consistently inconsistent. The Bulls continue to find ways to beat good teams and lose to bad ones.

"It is a focus [issue], I guess," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. "It is a focus, because you understand we had a 21-point lead. We just got to build and learn to put them down more. In this league it's always hard to blow teams out, but we just got to build on it. We got to learn to just really put our foot on [a] team's neck and put them away."

The Bulls didn't do that once again and it cost them. Butler and Gibson, the two players who knew most how emotional this game against their former coach would be, were left to stare at the box score in front of them in the quiet Bulls' locker room wondering how such a big lead disappeared. Butler was so frustrated by the defeat that he didn't even want to address Thibodeau's return after it was over, even though the pair shared a congratulatory moment on the floor after the final buzzer.

Thibodeau has had plenty of big victories in his career, but few have likely felt sweeter given the circumstances. He received a nice ovation from fans after he was announced before the game, but there was only a 10- to 15-second gap before the Bulls started their usual starting introductions. The Bulls decided not to put together a short video tribute to Thibodeau much the same way they did for former players Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol when they came back to the United Center for the first time this season.

As bad as things were when Thibodeau and the Bulls split, the organization missed the mark by not giving Thibodeau more recognition and allowing fans another chance to voice their appreciation on Tuesday night. Gasol was only in Chicago for two years and didn't have close to the impact on the team that Thibodeau did, but even he got a nice highlight reel on the video board. Yes, Thibodeau was fired and no, he did not win a championship during his five-year tenure, but he helped create a culture for a team that had been searching for one since Michael Jordan retired. Along with his players, and the help of Forman and Paxson, the Bulls enjoyed a lot of great times during Thibodeau's tenure. Those were the memories that should have been celebrated by a short tribute. Instead, the Bulls continually flashed pictures of the LuvaBulls on the big screen during timeouts.

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Historically, the Bulls have been good about taking care of, and honoring, former coaches and players. But the organization once again came off looking petty in the Thibodeau divorce with their decision, a characteristic that dates back to Jerry Reinsdorf's harsh words in the release announcing Thibodeau's firing. A release that included Forman saying the Bulls had "some success" under Thibodeau, failing to mention the 255-139 regular-season record the coach and his players earned, on top of several other plaudits. As usual, as far as public perception goes, the Bulls made things more difficult on themselves than they had to be.

In the end, Thibodeau didn't care about videos or applause, although he appreciated the praise from fans. It won't be lost on him, or many others in the league, that the Bulls did not celebrate him like they did others. The only thing the 58-year-old basketball lifer truly cared about was getting a win.

"It's great to come back because when I think back to the experience I had here -- it wasn't just the games, it was the people," Thibodeau said. "I was very fortunate to be with that group. So I appreciated it. The city, it's a great city, it's a great sports town. And I loved my time here. So any time I do come back I look forward to it."

Thibodeau left his old professional home on Tuesday night with the only thing he came to town in search of in the first place -- a victory. In the meantime, the Bulls were left to pick up the pieces amidst the realization that comes after the most emotional defeat of the season. They lost the one game on the schedule their collective ego couldn't afford to lose.