CHICAGO -- After watching the Chicago Bulls lose three straight games, six of their last eight and get booed off the floor after another embarrassing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, Fred Hoiberg has simplified his message to his frustrated players in recent days.

Get back to having fun.

The mild-mannered coach offered a rare honest assessment of where his team stands after a "training camp-style practice" that lasted more than two hours Sunday.

“The big thing we had early was just the swagger we were playing with, the confidence we were going out and playing with, getting down the floor and throwing lobs. It was fun," Hoiberg said. "I talked to them about this -- right now, it’s a drag. You look out there, our body language, our inability to fight through adversity these last couple games -- going back to what made us successful early in the season, that was a confident basketball team that was having fun out there. This game is hard to play when it’s a drag. You wake up this morning and it was 25-below, you get your butts handed to you a couple days in a row, you got to come in here and find a way to reverse that."

Fred Hoiberg says if the Bulls can compete in a game like they have in practice, then they will be fine. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Hoiberg offered a familiar refrain Monday, saying that if his group can "compete" in a game like it has in practice, then the Bulls will be fine. But in listening to the comments of players in recent days, some subtle differences may be apparent when the Bulls face off against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Bulls small forward Doug McDermott said Hoiberg and the coaching staff tried to put in more sets at Sunday's practice to get the ball moving and get more long-range opportunities for a Bulls team that has struggled to shoot from distance all season. McDermott also said that Dwyane Wade spoke to his teammates Sunday and wants them to try and stay positive in the wake of all the recent losses.

But in what was arguably the most important revelation, Taj Gibson noted that the Bulls' coaching staff has been even more forthcoming with their criticism during film sessions.

"Film doesn't lie," Gibson said. "We had a lot of miscues. The coaching staff, mostly [assistant coach] Jim Boylen, he mostly dug into guys, mostly challenged guys. And he held guys accountable. That's one thing about this league, you really can't baby pros. You have to just go in there and keep challenging day by day. I think Fred and Jim has been doing that a lot lately. I'm hoping we can respond better."

Hoiberg knows his team will face an emotional Pistons group after Detroit organized its own players only meeting after another loss Saturday night. But from a Bulls' perspective, it sounds as if both players and coaches understand how important these next few games are. If the underachieving younger players within the group don't start playing better, the Bulls' recent slide will become more of the rule, not the exception.

"Sometimes players kind of don't know what to do," Gibson said. "Everybody knows how to play the game but when the game comes down to so many small details, sometimes players need to be told how to accept their roles, how they can help the team. And I've been a part of some good teams here in Chicago where everybody knew their role and rolled with it. Because they know the more games you win, the more the team gets success, everybody gets a big piece of the pie. That's what we're trying to teach these guys still."

Aside from the losing, the Bulls come into Monday's game with a distinction that no team wants. They are ranked last in the league in points per game in the fourth quarter this season with 22.9, according to ESPN Stats and Information. They are also last in field goal percentage in the fourth quarter at 37.5 percent and last in 3-point field goal percentage in the fourth quarter at 26.5 percent.

As much as Hoiberg talks about having fun again, his veteran players know that talk is cheap in that regard. What will bring the fun back is action, not words.

"Winning," Gibson said. "And bringing it in practice. It's a number of things. You got to be appreciative of the job, going there, knowing that you're doing something you love to [do]. Sometimes when you're not making shots and things aren't going your way, which every team and every player in this league is going to go through at times, adversity, you got to just keep putting the work in and overcoming it. At times, it's frustrating, it's a tough job, but like Fred said, you got to overcome it. Just keep doing your job, just go in and be a pro."