I’m a Bulls fan by birth. I was born in Illinois in 1994, I had some Michael Jordan paraphernalia as a youth, and I never developed an allegiance to another NBA team. I’m not the world’s best Bulls fan, but I am technically a Bulls fan. The way I usually handle this on this blog is to keep it a little private. I don’t deserve to celebrate Bulls successes the way the diehards do. I don’t feel the much more frequent Bulls failures the way the diehards feel them. I need to earn that status. Probably by following a miserable offseason and a full miserable season, and by doing some other penance along the way.
Regardless, last night was a good time at The Barking Crow headquarters. Because not only did the Bulls win a postseason game (I’m assuming we can call it postseason even if it isn’t technically the playoffs), but they did it through Coby White going off. Everything is more fun when it happens because Coby White played well.
My favorite thing about Coby White is his smile. Pictures don’t do it justice. It’s one of the happiest smiles I’ve ever seen. It’s a smile that, when you look at it, makes you happy too. There’s something really genuine about it, a mix of “Aw shucks” and “I’m so excited that the happiness is wiggling out of my ears.” It’s like if a dog were to be a little embarrassed about how hard it was wagging its tail.
So, since Coby White was happy, I’m happy. Hopefully the happiness continues on Friday and then the NBA cancels the season before the Bulls have to find out how much worse they are than the Celtics.
NBA Teams’ Likability
Again: Casual NBA fan here. It’s no NIT, guys. But here’s how I break down the remaining 18 NBA postseason teams. (I ask a second time: It’s the postseason, right? We don’t have to straight up call it purgatory?)
- My favorite team, whom I do a poor job of following: Bulls
- I respect them so much: Nuggets, Heat
- I love one or more things about them, I have no big red flags: 76ers (what I love – Joel Embiid, Philadelphia fans), Knicks (Jalen Brunson), Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton, the state of Indiana), Kings (the FAA-approved massive laser installation on their roof)
- I feel neutral, but I lean towards positive: Cavs, Thunder
- I feel perfectly neutral: Pelicans, Magic
- They annoy me: Bucks (what annoys me – Doc Rivers being their coach, and Giannis a little for causing Rivers to be their coach), Suns (not dogs), Mavericks (Luka’s stans even though I don’t mind Luka), Timberwolves (one time I was at Target Field and Twins fans started the wave during the seventh inning of a no-hit bid)
- I don’t respect them, but in very different ways: Clippers (why – Harden), Celtics (why – they never win in the playoffs and if they do this year it’ll feel like it’s just because the East is so bad around them)
- I kind of respect them, but Boo!!!!: Lakers
Shane Doan Got His Banner Back
Amongst other ceremonies last night as the Arizona Coyotes semi-officially* played their last ever game, Shane Doan got his retired number banner back after the Coyotes threw it in the garbage two years ago.
Did the Coyotes really throw a retired number banner into the garbage? I’m not sure. That might be apocryphal. A lot of people are saying the fan who brought it to Doan found it in the dumpster, but I’m struggling to find a direct source. Either way, it was left behind when the Coyotes were kicked out of Gila River Arena, and a fan got his hands on it, and last night he delivered it to Doan. The video of the interaction has a lot of background noise, but if you watch it enough times, you can pick up the fan telling Doan the exact game after which Doan signed the fan’s jersey, seventeen years ago. A really neat personal moment for both guys.
*It’s official now. The Board of Governors approved the sale today.
Oregon’s Changing Its Basketball Court
A picture went around on Tuesday of Oregon’s basketball court getting stripped, and yesterday, it was confirmed. The “Deep in the Woods” court will be no more.
Personally, I didn’t mind the court. I don’t know that I liked it, but I liked that it was unique. I hope the new one is also unusual. If it isn’t, it needs to look really, really good. That’s the deal with the Ducks. Their stuff has to either look awesome or completely bizarre. Halfway towards either of those poles, they’re selling us short.
Etc.
The NIT and Other College Basketball Pet Interests:
- Well, the European NIT (called the Europa League by many) had the second legs of its quarterfinals today. Looks like AS Roma, Atalanta, Bayern Leverkusen, and Marseille are moving on to the semis. I might be an Atalanta guy. I have no idea where they’re from. Guessing Italy, when I think about it, but my first reaction was Turkey or Greece.
- In American NIT news, Dre Davis committed to Mississippi. Not sure how I feel about the guy who scored the winning bucket in the NIT Championship committing to an anti-NIT coach in Chris Beard. Maybe Davis thinks he can change him. (If I was trying to change Chris Beard, I wouldn’t start with the NIT part. I’d start with the alleged violence against a woman. But the two could always be related. We did say it was mostly shitballs who turned down the NIT, and Beard’s exit from Texas was mostly defined by his purported unwillingness to accept the consequences of his performance.)
Chicago:
- The Marlins have been a pest for too long. It’s time for the Cubs to put them in their place.
Joe Kelly, Burnley, and the Ottawa Senators:
- Usain Bolt was spotted at Turf Moor yesterday, by which I mean he took a picture in front of Burnley’s crest. Turns out he was there for his friend’s son’s U21 match. I thought for a second that he’d joined the ownership group.
- We promised Senators offseason coverage, but the offseason isn’t here yet. Belleville, the Sens’ AHL affiliate, is still technically in contention for the Calder Cup. They need a maximum of two points this weekend out of two games against the Laval Rocket to make the playoff cut. Conveniently, Belleville’s team is also named the Senators. So if things are going well, we can still say the Sens are in Session.
- Sticking with the Sens: Tim Stützle was reportedly playing through some injuries this season. Wrist. Shoulder. He’ll skip the World Championship this summer to recover.
