It falls tonite

needless to say, in 17 years I will still always think of Haywood getting the rebound w. 3.6 seconds remaining, clearing himself for the final shot, and, with the ball in the air, thinking 'Anything is possible, Anything is possible...' . Maybe

it falls tonite

can't wait.

Kobige or no ??

So, the word around lately- well, actually for the last few months- is that Kobe wants out of L.A. and is looking for a team- yes, we are only concerned with the Bulls part in this. No question: it would be great to get him- but is it worth taring up the team to just have him?

I will totally admidt that I love this Bulls team. But I also have to acknowledge that this team mite actually really need a superstar like Kobe to jump to Championship contender status. What is to be done?

For keeping the present team to-gether there are a lot of arguments. I always love when a team is assembled young and kept to-gether. The Bulls have followed this pattern the last 3-4 years. The core of Deng, Heinrich, Gordon, Nocioni, and Duhon have gotten better each year. They all have faults- Heinrich pushed around too much, Gordon streaky, Duhon maybe just a bit player in the future. But each year they have meshed to-gether a little but better and seem poised to do well in the conference. The last three years they have started out badly before rebounding in the latter half of the season to get into the plyoffs. Last year the sloppystart @ the beginning of the season was minimal. Here's saying that they get off to a great start this year and get the #1 seed in the conference.

I also like the addition of Smith and Noah. Neither is a Kobe like superstar- Smith will play his part and Noah will have his part defined for him by the end of the season (he'll do well)- but the Bulls will be improved by their additions. And the project that may yield the most in the future- Tyrus Thomas- I feel will contrib way more than he did in his rookie year. I like this prospect a lot.

Again, I see the Bulls with the best record and #1 seed in the east @ the end of the year. Yes they will. But is this good enough to win it all??

And there we have the difficulty of the whole matter. I don't think that this team is capable of winning it all- and they need someone like Kobe to push this team to the top. Defensively they are a great team, even though a bit weak @ center. However, it's the offense that could really use a giant scorer.

But to rip apart the whole team?? Along with draft picks, the Bulls would have to match Kobe's salary with a number of players. I don't see this team as the cohesive team if Deng, Gordon, and Heinrich go. It would be too much of a drastic makeover in such a short shive rof time. Now, don't get me wrong- a team built around Kobe would do just fine- but are we going to take the risk? Again, Is ee the Bulls winning the conference this year, but not it all. My thinking is is that if the trade can be done w/out destroying the makeup of this team- and, to tell you the truth, just adding Kobe will change (not destroy) the make up- then get it done.

However, I have faith that this team will be going places. Maybe next year, But I'm willing to let it all jell this year for next year.

Progression !!!

It was just a joy to watch. So exciting. And yes, I had them left for dead, but now I'm jumping on the bandwagon:

WE MUST DO IT!!

Several different thoughts, jumbled all over each other=

Shot after shot after shot went in. Until i checked the box score earlier, I though the Bulls shot 100%. Thank you Jesus for a hot hitting fool like Little Ben G., who will never miss another shot until the end of time.

Kirk!! Just loved the play where he midded a three from the left corner, ran for the daylight in the other corner while ignoring the ball bouncing out near him (he knew his teamate would get it and get it to him)and then drained the three. 13 assists for THAT fool.

He was invisible, right? Talking w/ Crankface, and we both were like "and we didn't even need a big game from Deng". Yet again, the box shows Luol with 20 points, seven boards, and four assists. Hopefully he'll have just as invisible a game Thursday.

Tyrus Thomas, SLAMMING !!! Just like the rest of the team, when we needed some play out of the ordinary, here was Double T two handing'm down. After Kirks three (above), my favourite was the alley-oop he put down from Ben Wallace in the third quarter. He was energy that the Pistons just couldn't deal withon top of the rest of the teams play.

P.J. Brown, hustling on the break, hitting the shots (15 points), and getting the boards (eight). Great game !!

So, Thursday. Yes, very obvious that they can pull it off @ home. Detroits gonna make some changes, but luckily there's only one day they can practice them. I suggest get in the faces of the Bulls shooters more; but then hopefully we can get inside more. The Bulls need to avoid cold shooting and keep the stifling D going.

Lets go Bulls!!

Survival !!

So, the Bulls didn’t look all that outmatched Sunday in their 102-87 defeat of the Detroit Pistons to stay alive and provide some hope in their forlorn playoff series. They played with a seriousness from beginning to end that seemed more real than any other time in this series. From the beginning, they got the ball inside with great passing and ball movement that the Pistons defense could not keep up with. At times the Bulls seemed to be playing the ballgame that beat Miami.

Although the Pistons would have some leads in the first half and the Bulls seemed in danger of collapsing as the fourth quarter rolled on, they held on and closed out Detroit with a youthful display of movement, crisp passing (although some passes were horribly forced and resulted in some buck -ugly turnovers), and tough D. Where in game # 3 the Bulls collapsed in the third quarter, this time they extended the lead and looked ready to really womp the mo-town crew. Although there was some unsteadiness in the fourth quarter that looked like another disastrous collapse in the making, they held on and gained a lot of confidence. There was no disaster: the Bulls held their own and won.

The list of contributors was great. Ben Wallace had a 17 boards and hit 5-8 ft’s. Kirk Heinrich had a great game on both offense and D. And Ben Gordon, after a nothing 1st half, had a solid 2d half on the way to 19 points that was highlighted by an incredibly important three point shot late in the game that helped stunt the Pistons comeback. And Luol Deng continued his outstanding and continually getting better play. Luol was the only player not to sit the entire game. However, it was the playing great as a team to-gether that won the game. I can guess that the practices the team had in preparing for this game had a huge effect: the Pistons were the same team- it‘s not like they had a bad game- but now the Bulls seemed to have answers. The biggest change was getting the ball inside and actually scoring. The Bulls tried that in the first three games, but only now did they succeed when the game was on the line and not hopeless over.

The future? Methinks it ends Tuesday nite. We got what every team wants in a series down 0-3: that first win. But Detroit has such a good team and they so dominated the Bulls in The Palace that I have little hope for a game six. But one never knows: as I stated above, there was no collapse and the Pistons were beaten. If they can somehow survive another game in Michigan, maybe…………………

I am seeing the comparisons betwixt the Bulls-Pistons from now vs. the way back rivalry of the late '80's and 90's. It's not that it's these two teams, Chicago and Detroit. The uniforms may be the same, but the personnel and focus of both sets of teams are radically different from way back. It's not that the Bulls are the up and coming team that has to learn and live another year or two before they can successfully challenge the giants. The comparison I see is that these Bulls are getting their asses kicked by the Pistons.

That's just the way it is. Detroit, in their first two home games, have never even looked sweaty. As Rosario said, I'm tired of seeing these guys smile. The playoff series in '88, '89, and '90 all ended with the Bulls getting a little closer each year, but beinbg dominated when it really counted. As these series went on, the Bulls were able to get some wins @ home. Eventually they superseeded the Pistons, but those early series seemed just as this- a championship caliber team pushing around youngsters.

Thursday nite the Bulls have to respond with a big game, but the team seems utterly demoralised on the road court. Detroit moved the ball well, played d, and shot well. The Bulls were the absolute opposite. Again, the body language says it all- smiles -v- downcast grimaces.

I can't see the Bulls even winning one game they have been so outplayed. Thursday nite the series comes to Chicago, and the Bulls have to win. If they can control home court for the next two games, then they will only lose this series 4-3.

Lets go Bulls.

Just Finish !!

After giving fans a chillingly bad vibe in the N.J. loss to end the regular season, the Bulls punished the Miami heat 4-0 to complete only the second opening round playoff sweep of defending champions in N.B.A. history. And they looked good doing it. A lot has been written about how this Bulls team resembles the early 90’s model in being built slowly while being allowed to grow. They are a hugely different from the Frankenstein model Miami sports: Shaq, ‘Zo, Payton, Williams, and sundry other parts assembled from afar. A healthy Dwayne Wade last year allowed Miami to win it all, but the collection of yesterdays stars and Dwayne Wade could not keep up with the Bulls in any facet of the game this year. This team has been allowed to mesh to-gether well, and the addition of Ben Wallace to the core has been a major plus this series.

It was good to see the Bulls respond to the season ending N.J. loss which dropped them from #2 to #5 in the important playoff seedings. Losing the opportunity to play two straight series against weak opposition to open the playoffs and instead pairing them first against the champs and then the #1 seeded Detroit Pistons could have crushed a teams psyche. But, these was no way even close that these guys were effected.

The Bulls are a talented, deep, young, defensive minded team that used all of these things to overwhelm the Heat. The truth was out the first quarter of game #3. Down 2 games to none, the Heat had to respond by coming out all championship style- but instead it was Luol ‘denging down shots, Wallace boxing out, and the Bulls hustling everywhere. To me, the Heats championship ran out unofficially early in the third quarter of this game when the Bulls survived a furious quarter and a half surge* and put the game away. Shaq had gotten some baskets with his inside immovable positioning, but the defense tightened up and frustrated the Heat, and Ben Gordon started to hit shots.

In Sundays game I just saw a beaten Miami side from the get go, despite the few scattered heroics of what was essentially the rear guard of the championship. Again, the Bulls were able do what they wished almost the whole game. The 4-0 series win was fairly indicitive of how both teams were paying.

Now Detroit. They also are coming off a 4-0 sweep, and seem to be a bigger problem for the Bulls then the somewhat injured and old Heat. However, I have the same good feeling about this team, and the 1st round only strenghtened it. This teams should be going to the finals, if they can get past the Pistons. And they will.



*=funny-I hesitated to use this word.

16 divided by two

So now officialy the Love Jones part of the NCAA's has ended. On Thursday SIU lost to Kansas and on friday Butler lost to Florida. With the demise of these teams tourney's in the round of 16, my strong roting interest has ended. This tournement has been wild in a way I haven't appreciated: three of the regional finals feature #1 -v- #2, and the other one features #1 -v- #3. Jeeze! Could throw the romantics a fricking bone, could ya?

SIU looked good. They looked better than Kansas, I thought. Whatever that magic that makes up the chemistry in a team, SIU just didn't have enough of it Thursday to put it over the edge. It was a winnable game for sure, and I was hugely dissapointed. I actually turned off basketball I was so struck, but relented and put on a thrilling Bulls win over Denver. Rebraced, I returned to the NCAA's.

On Friday, it was another time to be dissapointed. Butler played well, but the whole game was an exercise in containing Florida. This was true even in the first half where butler led for long streches. The champs were obviously the better team,with great players all ove the court.

Butler did exactly what they had to do: keep the gameclose so that in the last minute anything can happen . With about four minutes left, I thought that Butler mite be able to grab the momentum: Florida had finally missed two shots in a row and Butler got a key score. That tide change was an illusion, and Florida took what they deserved. Florida is good.

I had invested in both games a lot in spirit and time. I watched both games intently. A lot of disapointment in being a sports fan.

I'm now down with Ohio State and Georgetown. Despite the prevelence of high seeds left(seven of the eight teams left are #1 or #2)to my personal enjoyment of the tournement, it has been great so far. So many well played close games, despite the dearth of miricle finishes. Plus, i admidt that the remaining excellent teams being pitted against each otherthe next few games will be an outstanding specticle to witness.

The possibility of the thing

There is a rumination on ‘the possibility of the thing’ in the movie Love Jones. When someone brand new is met, there is the crazy possibility of where the thing mite go. I have sort of the same relationship with the NCAA tournament. Those breathtaking first two days, when everything is all happening at once and at furious fast pace of speed, are always a blur. Friday nite @ 2300h, with both the last game and the crowd petering out, is always a sad goodbye to that initial stage of the tournament. The second round is different. No matter what, each year a few interesting teams escape into the second round. Something miraculous mite happen. However, a lot of the compelling stories have vanished by the end of the second round. For the most part, there is no more ‘possibility’; just a collection of superior teams and ‘make vanish’ for the lower teams. The fairy tale is over, and the grind out portion of the tournament begi.....

.....unless you have a team to root for. This tournament, like all before it, had many teams with as many different reasoning’s for me to root for. Remember my system posted last week about who I root for in the NCAA’s - former, local, catholic, and lower ranked schools are my favourites). First round sucked in many cases. There were very few upsets. One of two of the big upsets sucked: Notre Dame lost to Winthrop. However, using my logic, the #11 Winthrop team suddenly became a favourite. The biggest shock was Duke’s loss to #11 Virginia Commonwealth. Both teams were to lose in the second round- Virginia Commonwealth in 2 OT’s. Too bad.

Creighton was out in the first round. Marquette, another local and Catholic school, looked horrible in their loss. #9 Xavier, (low seed, local, Catholic) had #1 Ohio State beaten in the second round, but lost in OT by two. Local school disappointed as well; #12 Illinois was the single heartbreak after having a huge lead against #5 Virginia Tech and losing by two. Indiana lost in the second round. Ditto Wisconsin.

But there are some teams that have given me a rooting interest. Top of the Pops is Southern Illinois. They looked solid in their first two games, and I think they have a fair shot @ beating Kansas. Indiana’s Butler looks like cannon fodder v. reigning champs Florida. I bet Butler averages six inches smaller than Florida. Georgetown (Catholic) looks like they have a chance to win the East. And I think the Big Ten’s Ohio state can win the South. There: that’s my dream Final four @ this point.

But one can see. That possibility thing is over. There will be no magic @ 12.20 on a Thursday afternoon or as the sweeper wait to move in @ the end of the night session. Despite the rare Laetner shot in the quarterfinals, miracles have ceased. But what has developed in me is something different. It’s, well, a more mature appreciation of the teams that are left. I’ve watched a lot of the sixteen teams remaining. I can appreciate these teams better now than I could last week, and judge them on their strengths and weaknesses during the game. This mature outlook has me very excited about the big matches ahead. Interesting basketball remains to be played starting on Thursday, even though the possibility of the thing is over. Unless Southern can somehow beat Kansas. And Butler can……….

dAYoNE

All of that waiting, and we finally got an upset that we could blog home about. This Thursday has always been my favourite day of the year. Sfter waiting for so long, it was tipoff time on a ritual that I've kept since the 1970's. Now, my faithful readers know that I just want to talk about that Depaul loss and us sneaking into that lutheren school so we could shoot hoops until the early A.M. I also wanna talk about that great Loyola team in 1985, the I.U. team in 1987, the Fab 5, Laettner's shot--wait, lets stop while we're still in the early '90's. Lets talk about that shit next time.

Day one yesterday was a ripe bit sad. So we got one upset. Everyone seems to really like that Duke lost to Virginia Commonwealth. Same here. I look @ it as a #11 going to the next round. I didn't bet, so I can root for whoever I want, unfettered by predictions. My criteria is as follows:

Alma Matars= None made it
Local Teams= Illinois, Southern, Marquette, Wisconsin, Indiana, etc
Catholic teams=Xavier, Notre Dame (both'd be more or less local), Georgetown, etc...
Any low seed=Weber State, Penn, New mexico State
Someone I like= Coach Knight

So, yesterday sucked. I got some stuff I liked, sorta= Butler, the one and only team I saw play live this year and is 'local', beat Old Dominion-but if they had lost, then good for #12 O.D. Indiana beat #10 Gonzaga. Xavier, #9, beat #8 BYU. B.C. won, but beat Texas Tech- too bad. And the Duke result.

Otherwise, it was pretty bad. No other stunning upsets. No close finishes. There have been opendays I've have less love for, but this one was pretty tepid. Marquette was just out of it. Eastern kentucky gave us the 2d biggest thrill, closing on big bad #1 seed North Carolina after losing by 27 points. As soon as they cut it to four points, CBS turned us to that game--and THEN North Carolina showed up. Sheesh- we missed the huge comeback, but just got tuned to it for the rout. But for a second there- actually, five seconds, since Eastern had just cut it to four when some N.C. monster just sprinted to the basket untouched on the next play-we though we had a game. Nope.

Saw the later games with The Angry Pacifist. It's funny, how this tournement works on people. We started to get excited about the NC-Eastern K. game when they were updating the scores, and we found ourselves for the first and last time huge Eastern K. fans. Now, of course, our reaction is "What school?" But for a second there-or, five seconds- we looked into the possibility of the thing. Not this Thursday.

But today is Friday, the second day. Lets discover the possibilities..................

Looking Good

The up and down season for the Bulls is in the midst of an upturn lately. They have beaten Cleveland away, Washington @ home, and just lost away to Detroit today. With the trading deadline passed and the Bulls roster settled for the rest of the season, playing well against possible playoff opponents is very important. And winning games, especially with the question around the health of Andres Nocioni for the rest of the year, takes on added importance if the team is to get a high seed. On Friday I was able to attend the game against the Wizards, and the Bulls looked pretty good. It was a good match up in looking forward to the playoffs: Washington had the second seed in the Eastern conference @ game time.

I went with my girlfriend, nieces #1 and #2, and two of #2’s frenz. Although they all wanted the home team to win, it was fairly obvious that only #1 and I could name even one player on the team. What did that matter to them? Modern N.B.A. games are crammed with bingo games, the LovaBulls, and t-shirts launched like R.P.G.’s to the upper accesses of the stadium. Remember when you could go to a game in Chicago and just hear to organ @ the old Stadium or famous Nancy Faust teaming with Harry @ old Comisky? The lengthening of t.v. commercials and the destruction of the modern attention span means that we are stuck with these distractions during all pro games. So, along with the five ladies I was with, cheered along trying to win Bulls Bingo (I'm sure the fix is in-never won), rooted for #1 in the bottled water race, and gloried when the bulls finally hit 100 points: FREE BIG MACS !!! I must admit, it made the game for 2/3ds of my crew, but I do miss those non televised high school games where a 20 second time out actually is 20 seconds.

The game, you ask? So, the Bulls looked good against the #2 team in the conference?

They did. Not great, but they got it done. Throughout the game, the offense consistently moved the ball around and found the open man. However, the Bulls could not hit the net consistently through the first half. It was frustrating to watch the ball get to a wide open player only to see the shot miss time and time again. The notion that the Bulls needed to address their offense deficiencies was squarely in my mind throughout the first 24m.

Despite the shitty shooting, the Bulls were leading by five @ the half and seemed the better team. It was, as always, the defense that kept the Bulls on top of the game. The Wizards had some nice shooting in the first half, but they were also forced into several 24 second shot violations and had other hurried shots forced upon them. Ben Wallace typified the smothering defense of the Bulls. He was able to chop the ball out of a Wizards players hands for a steal and then later track down and break up a court-long pass cornerback style. He also had 12 boards.

With Nocioni possibly out for the year, the rest of the team will have to replace his energetic in-your-face effectiveness. Coach Scott Skiles has indicated that Malik Allen, and to a lesser extent Tyrus Thomas, will get expanded minutes. Ten Bulls played tonight. Another player seemingly destined to get more playing time (18m tonight), P.J. Brown, disappointed. Twice I noticed him slacking to loose balls that seemed within his reach. Both times he refused to put his body in between the ball and the opposing player. Anything but hustle, it seems. He played less in the second half.

The second half showed the Bulls shooting better and clamping down on D. The Bulls, @ one point leading by 14 points, survived several questionable referee calls (Chris Duhon was tossed in a scramble for the ball that totally looked 50/50) and a Washington run to close the third quarter that cut the Bulls lead to three points. However, that was it for Washington. The Bulls asserted themselves in the first three minutes of the fourth and kept the game in their grip for the remaining time.

Player of the game? Luol Deng continued with his outstanding play of late with a career high 32 points to go with 11 boards. Captain Kirk closed on a triple double (14p, 12a, 8r) and looked great running the offense. But the player who kept riling up the home crowd was Washington star Gilbert Arenas. He finished with 36 points and @ one point had 18 straight points for Washington.

So, which way are the Bulls going? Going up, going up? Maybe. The conference can be there for the taking. Miami just got Shaq back, but now Wade is hobbled and the team is @ .500. The Bulls had a good lead in Detroit yesterday, but couldn't make it stick. As I write, I can see the Bulls maybe making it to the second round this year-anything less I feel would be a disappointment. However, I'm guessing that the Bulls will have another year to grow and add another player in the off season. Bit by bit seems to be the word on this model of Chicago bulls.

Loyola -V- Butler

Lotsa basketball in the city last nite. Dallas in town to play the Bulls. Michael Jordans son playing for Loyola H.S. on the Southside @ St. Rita. And for me, a stop in my old neighbourhood, Rogers Park: and they say one can't go home again! Last nite I visited my old school Loyola University to watch the mens basketball team play nationally # 14 ranked and 17-2 Butler. When I was a student, the team played miles away in Rosemont or wherever, so rarely if ever did we go to games. Little school spirit for sports. However, they built a gym on campus, and last nites game was filled with boisterous fans. Loyola's a great school; but I didn't expect chanting, clapping, stomping fans. I have a feeling that most games are not packed like last nites, but it was nice to experience.

Loyola had a nice year last year, winning 19 games and hoping to get into the NCAA's or the NIT. Didn't happen, but it sparked high hopes for this year. Nyet. Loyola went into the game a disappointing 13-7. A win against the #14 team in the nation was looking very important @ this juncture of the season.

Butler was the better team for most of the game, but Loyola had the ball as time ran out in a tied game. The first half was characterized by Loyola trying not to let Butler get too far ahead. Both teams played well. Nice movement and passing characterized most of the game. Butlers point guard, A.J. Graves, is their star, @ least in this game. He ended the nite with 26 points, including the last ten in OT.

Loyola had their run through the first 15m of the second half, and when they finally tied it up, it was great to hear the roar. The last five minutes was the decider. Loyola kept going to their stud, Blake Schilb, and in the end it was just too much. Loyola had the ball with 13 seconds left, but Schilb missed his shot. OT went to Butler, and they deserved it – but just.

Obviously, my hopes were with Loyola, and it was hard to see them lose. But, now 13-8, they still have a good shot to make a tournament. It would have been nice to win this game, but there’s still hope. What I took most from the game was the spirit in the crowd. It was great to see the student body involved. Hopefully they’ll be able to travel to the opening round of the NCAA’s to see the Ramblers.

Big Ten Basketball

As we enter another exciting Big Ten Basketball season, here are my 6 Teams ready for the March Madness and 5 teams searching for either more skill or more cohesion:

Dancin-

1. Wisconsin-Alando Tucker (could be as good as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant at next level)

2. Ohio St-Greg Oden (thanks for the rule change NBA!)

3. Michigan State-Tom Izzo (top three coach in NCAA)

4. Indiana-DJ White (new coach-new era)

5. Illinois-Bruce Weber (who are these guys?)

6. Purdue-Carl Landry (another NBA flyer)

__________________________________________________

Stumblin-

7. Michigan-Tommy Amaker (late season fade-please fire this schmuck!)

8. Iowa-Adam Haluska (Steve Alford should move on after this season)

9. Northwestern-Tim Doyle (improving every year under Carmody)

10. Penn State-4 starters return-deep and dangerous

11. Minnesota-Coach quit already-might win 3 games in Big Ten if lucky

Top 4 teams in April:

1. Florida
2. Wisconsin
3. Pittsburgh

4. Cinderella (Butler/Wichita St)