Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Madness On Madison Returns?

I've never been a big NBA fan. The main reason for this is that I'm probably the most dreadful basketball player you'll ever see. When I was in high school, I would get routinely schooled by my sister (8 inches shorter and 2 years younger) on the court. It was pathetic.

But there was something about living in Chicago in the mid-to-late-1990s that kinda forced you into being one. The Bulls. Jordan. Pippen. Rodman. Kukoc. Longley. Buechler. Blount. Hell in 1996, they only lost ONE MORE GAME than da Bears, in spite of the fact they play 4.5 times as many. Unreal. It was pretty much a given that you better keep the third Monday in June open, because there was gonna be a big party in Grant Park, and everyone was invited.

Then Krause decided to screw Jordan over, Pippen decided it was time for a big payday out west and Rodman decided he just wasn't weird enough. The Bulls dynasty was finished. Calling the teams that followed "mediocre" was a compliment. "8th Place, Central Division" became a mantra for the struggling Baby Bulls. In 2001, they only WON 2 more games than the Bears did, in spite of playing 4.5 times as many. But hey! Every year they'd win the draft lottery and get a top pick like Elton Brand or Marcus Fizer, who would inevitably end up elsewhere. They went through coaches like a Baby Bull goes through diapers.

But it looks like at long last, the team is no longer downright crappy, but rather mediocre. They're just a couple games out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and they've put together a couple of impressive win streaks. Hell, they've even had a couple wins that could almost be described as *shudder* blowouts.

Their marketing campaign this year has been "Through Thick and Thin." I'll freely admit that I've got no interest in following them through the thin parts, but now that things are starting to thicken, move over so I can find a spot on that bandwagon.