Our very own Chicago Bulls are currently riding a three-game win streak, something that we as fans are not used to hearing lately.
This minor win streak leaves Chicago fans with many mixed feelings I imagine. On Friday, when we beat the Magic in a nail biter, you could’ve found me cursing the TV at Halligan’s Bar like a true meatball fan. When they demolished the Celtics like it was a Reuben sandwich on St. Paddy’s Day? Well, I was ready to flip open the laptop and go on yet another rant about how we suck at sucking, and that we are going to blow yet another tank campaign. But before I give that speech, let’s look at some positives of the situation.
Lauri and Zach Are Tearing It Up
When we talk about why the tank is so vital this year, these are the two most important elements. They are the two pieces that the Bulls see as core players to build around. Seeing the stat line of 35 and 15 for Lauri, and Lavine going for 42 points against a Finals contending Celtics reminds us fans that we have some talent.
Zach LaVine: 42 PTS
Lauri Markkanen: 35 PTS
Both career-highs in 126-116 win over the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/mzRZ6gZwDN— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 24, 2019
I say this as a positive because it is one thing to want a successful tank, but if we have absolutely nothing going already, one player isn’t going to solve everything. We would essentially become the New York Knicks, squandering opportunities when they fall right on your doorstep.
We Are Still Only 2 Games Out Of The Race
Luckily for the Bulls, the Cavaliers are riding a monstrous 2-game winning streak right now, something their former Player/Owner/Coach LeBron James is struggling to do out in Los Angelos. Just as I say on the golf course when I double bogey the first 4 holes, “There is a lot of game to be played still.” This isn’t crisis mode just yet, but with no more head-to-head matchups for the rest of the year, every game going forward means that much more.
The Major Injury Bug Has Been Avoided
*** Knocks on every piece of wood in my general vicinity. When I talk about the major injury bug, I mean things such as a torn ACL or Achilles. A big question mark going into the season was if Lavine can bounce bag from a torn ACL. He has shown that he has not lost a step in his athleticism, and is worth every penny we gave him this offseason. Wendell Carter has had some scares, but nothing that is going to severely hold him back for the rest of this season, and into next year, Lauri being the same way.
We saw how this affected the Knicks this year with Porzingis, it sets back the organization and what they are trying to build. If we somehow land Zion in the draft, we will have our core players locked and loaded ready to build the team of the future. Now if any of these players suffer a severe injury by the end of this season, I will kindly ask Sports Mockery to delete this blog and deny any accusations of me being the jinx.
My conclusion to all of this is simple. It is all nice and dandy to see spurts and glimmers of hope with the talent on the Bulls roster. It is even enjoyable to see them gel together and rack up a couple of solid wins in a row. But chill the hell out man, it would be an absolute slap in the face of the fanbase if we were to get blue balled for the 2nd year in a row on the tank campaign.
We know it is hard for elite competitors to even think about intentionally losing games on purpose, but it is for a greater cause. It is for a better future. Every player on the team should all have “The ends justify the means” taped in their locker. I have faith that our tank general Jim Boylan will find new and entertaining ways to complete the task at hand.
Cue the music, and remember there is an 8 foot 7, 450-pound, thoroughbred dying to be in the red and black next year.
