Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The Shot Part 2

     Last night the Bulls proved victorious in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, taking a 2-1 lead over Cleveland. This is significant by itself, as this is the first time that the Bulls have managed to win more than one game against King James & Co. in a playoff series. But that's not all. Last night's game was also special in how it ended. Let's roll the footage:

     On first glance, that might look A LOT like another game-winning Bulls playoff shot, one that I just mentioned yesterday. Let's see that one:

     Yup. Same team, same opponent, same situation, 26 years apart. Cleveland can't win for losing. As previously mentioned, the Bulls have now won two games against LeBron for the first time ever in a playoff series. Speaking of James, he was held to only 27 points in last night's game, down from his 33 in Game 2. Hopefully the Bulls can take this momentum and run with it. The Cavs may be down, but don't count them out just yet. The Bulls have to be tenacious and unrelenting if they want to make it through this round. Game 4 tips off at the United Center at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon.

     As for the Blackhawks, they're still cooling their heels at the door of the Western Conference Finals, awaiting their opponent. Last night in Calgary, the Anaheim Ducks scored 2 goals in the 3rd Period to win and take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Game 5 of that series is tomorrow night in Anaheim. Whoever wins the series faces the Hawks in the next round. It's playoff time in Chicago, and who knows what will happen next?

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Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The Shot! The Sweep! The Return Of The King!

     Before we get to current playoff action, we have a memory to look back on. 26 years ago yesterday, Michael Jordan did this in Clevelend:

     It's Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Cleveland gets a layup to make it 100-99 in their favor with 3 seconds left. After a Bulls timeout, Jordan gets the ball, dribbles over to the hoop, and nails a shot right over the head of Craig Ehlo, who was guarding him. The shot is good, Bulls win 101-100, Ehlo crumples to the floor in despair, and Cleveland gets screwed over yet again.

     Back to 2015. Last night the Blackhawks came up to Minnesota and swept the Wild right on out of the playoffs. Crawford made 34 saves, Seabrook, Kane, Shaw, and Hossa all scored, and the team withstood a furious Minnesota rally. After advancing to our 5th Conference Final in 7 years, we now wait for our opponent. It'll be either Anaheim or Calgary, but we won't know for sure till at least Sunday. Till then, we wait. As for the other resident of the United Center, the Eastern Conference Semifinals come back to Chicago for Game 3 against(ironically) Cleveland. Game 2 saw LeBron come back with the headband, and the performance showed. His 33 points helped lead the Cavs to a 15 point victory back on Wednesday. As always, we'll be following the playoff action with a close gaze. Stay tuned for the details.

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Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Hunting The Wild

     Last night in Minnesota, the spotlight shifted back to the Blackhawks, and they delivered marvelously. Coming into the contest the Hawks had history working against them. The last time the team won a Game 3 on the road was back in 2010. With the help of Patrick Kane's power play goal in the first period, and Corey Crawford's excellent job in net, the Hawks thumbed their nose at history, taking Game 3 to emerge with a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Things are looking really good for the Hawks. Only 4 teams(out of 180 that have been in this position)have ever rallied back from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series. Plus, the Hawks haven't lost a Second Round series since 1996. My prediction: Hawks in 5(but I'd be okay with a sweep too). The puck drops on Game 4 at 8:30 tomorrow night in Minnesota. As for the Bulls, they got it off to a great start by taking Game 1 in Cleveland, now it's time for a repeat performance. Derrick Rose & Co. square off with LeBron James & Co. tonight at 6 in Cleveland. Once again, stick with Chicago 365 for all your Chicago playoff updates.

 

Go Bulls

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Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Bulls Vs. LeBron

     After dispatching Milwaukee in 6 games, the next Bulls opponent is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sounds simple enough, but history might have something else to say about that.  For 3 of the past 5 playoff runs that the Bulls have had, the story is the same. Success in the early rounds, but then a meeting with LeBron James happens, and the Bulls are cleaning out their lockers 5 games later. Much like the Bad Boy Pistons, it seems that King James is this omnipresent stumbling block separating the Bulls from postseason glory. With the much heralded return of James to Cleveland this past season, it offered yet another opportunity for him to square off with the Bulls. That opportunity arrived tonight, with the Bulls and the Cavs tipping off their Conference Semifinal round in Cleveland. The Bulls continued to make use of the newly-revitalized Derrick Rose, who pitched in 25 points towards the effort, which ultimately culminated in a 99-92 Bulls win. With that victory, the Bulls have also snatched back home-court advantage for the series. Game 2 tips of in Cleveland at 7 PM on Wednesday. As for the Blackhawks, they sit comfortably atop the Minnesota Wild with a 2-0 lead, with Game 3 slated to tip off in Minnesota at 7 PM tomorrow(Tuesday) night. As usual, you can stick with Chicago 365 for all of your Chi-Town playoff action.

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Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Let's Get Stanley!

     It's that time of year folks. The grass is green, the temperatures are warm, spring is in the air, and it's Playoff time yet again in the Windy City. For the seventh year in a row, the United Center will be doing double duty as the Hawks and the Bulls endeavor to bring home a title that won't be taken away. (For those of you who are curious, this isn't the longest streak of both teams making the playoffs. That would be the 13-year stretch from '84-'85 through '96-'97). The Bulls are in the playoffs, but their quest doesn't start for a few more days. The Blackhawks however, are on the clock starting tonight. Their first stop on a quest for a 3rd Cup in 6 years is in Music City USA, where they begin a first round tilt with the Nashville Predators in just under 2 hours. We'll be with you guys all the way through this double playoff run, and the ride promises to be just as crazy as ever.

GO HAWKS!!!!!

 



Jordan Rising

     Summertime is upon us.  Basketball season is a distant memory.  But today bears special significance in the history of the Chicago Bulls.  Read on for more...


     At the end of the 1983-84 NBA Season, the Chicago Bulls found themselves looking up from the cellar of the Eastern Conference with 55 losses, and the 2nd worst record in the Conference.  The team officials make the trek to Madison Square Garden on June 19, 1984 with the third overall pick, hoping to make something of it and put themselves in a position to once again be competitive.  What they got with that #3 pick not only turned their fortunes around, it wound up changing the game of basketball forever.  The Houston Rockets kicked off the draft with the 1st overall pick, then it was the Portland Trailblazers who were up to bat.  Portland ended up making one of the most infamous decisions in draft history when they selected Sam Bowie with the #2 pick-bypassing UNC standout and NCAA Champion Michael Jordan.  Next pick: Chicago Bulls.


     With the #3 pick, they didn't make the same mistake as Portland did.  They drafted Jordan. The rest is History.  Jordan's career records and accomplishments speak for themselves.  The Jordan-led Bulls dominated the 1990s with 6 championships, coming in 2 separate 3-peats, making them one of only 3 teams to ever accomplish the feat, as well as the most recent team to do so(and even finding time to hang with Walter Payton[twice] and Andre Dawson.  Although he made a brief stop with the White Sox, and even got a hit at Wrigley Field, he is remembered the world over for his contributions as a member of the Chicago Bulls.


     In one more fascinating postscript, Jordan was not the only athlete drafted by the Bulls on that day.  With the 208th pick, they selected Carl Lewis.  Yes, that Carl Lewis.  The one who in just over a month's time would go on to win 4 Gold Medals in Los Angeles at the 1984 Summer Olympics.  Lewis had never played a single game of basketball in High School or College.  The Bulls management drafted him because he was simply the "best athlete available".  Needless to say, Lewis never played a single minute with the Chicago Bulls.

The Top Of Their Game: Cubs/Sox Week Day 3

     In 1906, the Cubs and the White Sox faced each other in the World Series.  The matchup led to such a commotion and an upset victory by the White Sox that it quickly became the stuff of legend.  Over the intervening decades, the two teams never again approached playing each other when it counted.  Then, the 1977 season saw both the Cubs and the Sox leading their respective divisions in the summertime and thoughts began to turn to another all-Chicago World Series.  Alas, both teams bottomed out by the Fall, and it was not to be.  31 years later, the flames of destiny would be fanned once more.

     The year was 2008, and it was the 100th Anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series victory.  Not just that, but both teams were doing surprisingly well.  When the time came for the annual face-off, the two teams were at the top of their divisions, and the gauntlet had been thrown down.

     The Series touched off on June 20, at Wrigley Field.  Heading into the final stretch of the game, the Cubs were down when Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez homered to tie up the game.  Then Ramirez smacked a walk-off homer to seal up the game 4-3.  For Game 2 of the series, the Cubs were down 4-1 in the 4th inning, when the team lit up the Sox for 9 runs in the 4th, ultimately prevailing by a score of 11-7.  The next night, the Cubs dazzled before a national audience with a 7-1 victory, prompting A.J. Pierzynski(2 years removed from his infamous bout with Michael Barrett) to parrot Lee Elia's infamous rant from 25 years previously.

     The following weekend, the series reconvened at U.S. Cellular Field.  The first pitch of Game 4 was thrown out by newly acquired Bulls guard Derrick Rose, after which it was the South Siders turn to produce a laugher, beating the Cubs 10-3.  The following day saw the White Sox stifle a Cubs rally to win the game 6-5.  Finally, the Series Finale saw the White Sox emerge victorious by a score of 5-1.  Final Results of the 2008 Crosstown Classic: 3 wins for the Cubs, 3 wins for the Sox.

     At the end of things, the all time series was tied 33-33, and the two teams still led their divisions.  There were still murmurs about another all-Chicago World Series, and while both teams made the playoffs in the same year for the first time since 1906, they both lost in the Division Series.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The Running(out of town) of the Bulls and The Waiting Game

     For those of you who missed my updates on Facebook last night, I regret to inform you that the Chicago Bulls fell to the Washington Wizards in Game 5 last night, losing the series 4 games to 1.  The First Quarter didn't go so well for the Bulls, and they ended the Quarter down by 8.  However, they closed out the half strong, going on a 26-17 run in the Second to end the half tied with Washington.  They once again stumbled in the Third, being outscored 11-20.  Finally, the Fourth Quarter loomed, and with it the final chance for the Bulls to save their season.  They put up a valiant final push, actually outscoring the Wizards 17-15 in the Quarter, but the clock ultimately ran out on both the game and the Bulls' season, with the team falling to the Wizards by a final score of 75-69.  After persevering through a season where they lost both Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, they finally went as far as they could.  Good job Bulls, and best of luck for next season.

     Meanwhile, the wait continues for the defending champions.  Game 7 between the Avalanche and the Wild commences tonight, and the team will be eagerly awaiting the result.  If Minnesota wins, we get home ice.  If Colorado wins, they do.  Regardless, all will be revealed by the end of tonight.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Hole? What hole? Oh, THAT hole...

     The last time I updated you on the performance of the Blackhawks, things were looking pretty grim.  The Hawks were down 0-2, and dark skies were forming over the defending champs' hopes for a repeat.  Then the Chicago Blackhawks actually remembered that they were the Chicago Blackhawks, and proceeded to hammer the Blues over the next 4 games to seal up the series in six games, adding an exclamation point by scoring 4 goals in the 3rd period of the clinching game.  Jonathan Toews added to his already illustrious resume by scoring his 23rd career postseason goal.  As for who they will face in the second round, that's still to be determined, as the Minnesota Wild forced a Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche, which will be played tomorrow night.  The Hawks will play the winner of that game in the second round.  As for the result of the second round, history should give Hawks fans comfort here.  In the past 5 years(ever since they returned to the playoffs), the Hawks have made it through the second round unscathed.  Moreover, the Blackhawks have only suffered one second-round defeat since 1982.

     Of course, the playoffs have not been nearly as kind to the other tenant of the United Center, with the Bulls taking the momentum from their win on Friday and wasting it with a loss yesterday, putting them into a 1-3 hole and facing elimination tonight at the United Center. On Sunday, they played in Washington and lost by a score of 98-89.  The Bulls have said and done all the right things since then, but now is the time to put the talk away and show the proof in the pudding.  There is only one way for the Bulls to do that and save their season.  And that one way is for the Bulls to win.  Tonight.  One game at a time.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Bring on the Bulls!

     After the first two games of this playoff season in Chicago have been Blackhawks losses, the future gives us some hope, as the Bulls take on the Washington Wizards starting tonight at the United Center.  After starting off the year with Derrick Rose making his triumphant return, Rose was lost again for the year before Christmas.  Since then, the team has battled through his absence and made it back into the playoffs.  Tonight, the first step begins with the NBA playoffs.  We'll be back with updates and a recap. 

GO BULLS!!!!!!!!!

1 Day. 4 Wins.

     April 18, 2009 started off like any other Saturday: warm, springlike, full of promise. The time of getting excited for what the summer had to offer, overall a great day to be alive. However, it was about to get a lot better. On that day, the Chicago Bulls were all set to tip off their playoff tilt against the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks were celebrating their return to relevancy by opening up their first postseason series since 2002.  Elsewhere, the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox were getting ready to play early-season games of their own. Here's how that day progressed:

      To start things off, the Cubs played the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Before any baseball was played, the first pitch was thrown out by none other than newly-signed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who also sang the 7th-inning stretch. The game was won in a thrilling walk-off fashion by Aramis Ramirez, who belted a two-run homer in the 11th inning, wrapping up Ryan Dempster's first home win of the year. One person who did not partake of the win was Milton Bradley, who was serving a 2 game suspension(gee, what a surprise)

      Heading south down the Snowbird Trail, we find ourselves following the White Sox as they took on the defending AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays. Mark Buehrle gave up 8 hits, but he still managed to gut it out and start the season 2-0. Additionally, this kicked off once again the annual tradition of the Rays being stymied by qualified pitchers.

      Back in the Windy City, the Blackhawks were hot to trot in their comeback tour after languishing for years in Hockey Hell. After digging themselves a 2-0 hole against the Calgary Flames, the offense sputtered to life, scoring 3 goals in the second period, including Jonathan Toews' first playoff goal, to put away the Flames 3-2.

     And over in Boston, the 7th-seeded Bulls were starting off their series against the 2nd-seeded Boston Celtics.  All of the commentators and most of the fans were predicting a relatively easy victory in this series for the defending champion Celtics.  However, tonight's game cast doubt on those assumptions.  By the end of it, Derrick Rose had tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for best playoff debut, the series had seen the first of seven overtime periods, and all of a sudden we had the makings of an instant classic series on our hands.

     And there you have it folks.  1 Day.  4 Teams.  4 Wins. 1 incredible and true day in Chicago Sports History.

The Introduction: Fight Song Week Day 5

     Okay folks, let's be honest.  It had to end this way.  It was ALWAYS going to end this way.  With the Chicago Bulls and an English bloke by the name of Alan Parsons...


     In the final decade of the 20th Century, the city of Chicago had many things going for it.  A new expansion to the Adler Planetarium, the transformation of Navy Pier from abandoned hulk to THE tourist trap of the Midwest, and the creation of the Museum Campus(just to name a few).  But the ONE thing that put Chicago on the map in the 90s?  Well that's easy.  But rather than tell you, how about I just play you a video to introduce them much better than anyone else ever could.

     That's right, 1990s Chicago was ruled by Michael Jordan & Co.  This opening theme just served to enhance their mystique.  The track used is called "Sirius".  It was originally released by the British group The Alan Parsons Project way back in 1982.  Later on in the 80s, the song was incorporated into the team's new intro music.  The introduction came to define the Bulls dynasty like nothing else.  The theme is still used to this day during player introductions(but lets be honest, it's nothing like it was in the 90s)

Day 171: The Jordanic Dynasty-Championship Week Day 3

    If there is one basketball team that UNQUESTIONABLY owned the NBA during the 1990s, the obvious answer to that category would be the Chicago Bulls.  With 6 titles in 10 years, the Bulls were without a doubt the team to (try but fail to) beat during that period of time.  But before you build a dynasty, you have to start with the first title, which the Bulls captured in triumphant fashion on June 12, 1991. The next day, the team made its way home, and the fans were there to greet them(against the official advice of the city, but since when did that count for anything?) On Friday the 14th, the team was treated to a championship parade.  But much like as happened when the Blackhawks won it in 2010, there were a number of different things going on in the city that day, as the annual Philippine Independence Day parade was slated to step off on the same day, as well as the beginning of Blues Fest in Grant Park(which was the location of the rally).  Needless to say, the Bulls stole all of the attention from the other events going on in the city that day.

     The next year saw the bulls come back and win yet another title, one that was nothing short of inevitable.  Needless to say, a parade was inevitable as well.  In 1993, the Bulls were up for a 3-peat, and while the outside aspects of the team might have led some to believe that the dream ride was over(such as bickering, occasional acrimony amongst some of the team members, and some unexpected losses) the team ultimately persevered and delivered their 3rd championship.  A few short months after that title, Michael Jordan's father was murdered.  it was this, along with some other concerns that led him to retire from basketball on the eve of the '93-'94 season at the age of 30.  The next two seasons, Jordan spent his "retirement" trying to make it in the sport of Baseball.  He didn't do so well, and came back to the Bulls at the tail end of the '94-'95 season.  The '95-96 season saw the Bulls stampede through the NBA with the best record EVER for a basketball team. The next season was another repeat, albeit one capitalized by Jordan powering through a hellish case of the flu to win one of the games in the Finals.

     Then we get to '97-'98.  All year it had been rumored that this was the last year for Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, and even(gasp) Michael Jordan.  At the end of it, the Bulls were NBA Champions for the 6th time, had pulled off the 2nd 3-peat, and were at the end of the road.  At the victory rally in Grant Park(moved there because according to some conspiracy theorists the powers that be in the city didn't want the common folk milling about the Loop), Phil Jackson cryptically said that very same thing and confirmed the suspicions of fans everywhere.  In the end, the Bulls dynasty came to a crashing end in 1998, and they have not won a title since.  Who knows what the future might hold...