Climbing the Eastern Conference Mountain

Posted March 29, 2005

By Bill Wennington

Well, here we are with just four weeks of the regular season left on the schedule.

The Bulls have put together a terrific season, considering the last six seasons. I picked up the paper the other day and there are people talking about losing games—not that the Bulls are losing, rather that perhaps they should lose a few games so that maybe their opponent in the second round of the playoffs won’t be Miami and the Bulls would have a less difficult road to the Eastern conference finals. Wow, how things have changed!

What a difference a year makes. Shoot, what a difference nine games make, actually. If you really start to think about playoff positioning, the Miami Heat would be only a handful of losses ahead of Chicago if the Bulls did not start off 0-9… where might they be had they started 9-0 instead?

Oh well, I’ll let the daily writers ponder that thought. Me, I am just happy to be home for a couple of days to spend with the family. I know that the guys are happy to have a couple of days in Chicago as well. It seems as if we have been getting on a plane every other day this month, but it really has not been that bad, especially when you can get a road win or two.

Atlanta came to town last Monday and the Bulls took care of business, outshining the Hawks, 105-91. It was Eddy Curry’s first game back, and he showed that he was the man in the middle with 24 points in 24 minutes.

I always enjoy it when we play the Hawks because their trainer is Wally Blase, and he was the assistant trainer for the Bulls when I was playing. To this day, we’re very good friends. This most recent visit was not so good for Wally because 1) the Hawks lost, and 2) we are going to have to postpone our annual motorcycle trip because THE BULLS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS! Or did I already mention that?

Anyway, another road trip followed the Atlanta game… yahoo, this is not really the time of year that you enjoy those. You kind of like to stay at home when you’ve already played 34 road games, but as the late Freddie Mercury (from the band Queen for my younger readers) said, the show must go on. So off we went to Toronto and then to Boston.

Toronto is a great city and it’s a lot like Chicago. Lots to do and see, but as we landed and made our way to the hotel, it was starting to snow. It was just flurries at first, but the heavy stuff was scheduled to arrive the next day… uh oh, we had to fly to Boston on Thursday…

Kirk Hinrich! There I said it for all you ladies out there, just waiting for me to talk about Kirk. He had to do an interview for Converse, the shoe company that he is representing, so he couldn’t go out to dinner in Toronto until a little later in the evening. But don’t worry, he did not eat alone; the Bulls media department rep on the trip, Brandon Faber, went with him to grab a bite. They had a good meal but other than that I am told the night was uneventful.

A few games at home allowed the Wennington family to celebrate Easter Sunday at home in Lake Forest.

After the game we had to boogie because the snow was coming down and we had to get out of Toronto and into Boston before we got snowed in or snowed out. This is part of the job where trainer Fred Tedeschi really has to work. Once the team leaves Chicago, he becomes the travel secretary and makes all the decisions, and everyone wanted to get to Boston. So we rushed on to the bus and filled out our customs forms on the way to the airport so the turnaround time in the terminal would not be so long.

We cruised through customs and got on the plane, but it still had to be de-iced. Meanwhile, the weather reports were saying that Boston was to get 10-13 inches of snow. After a short delay we were on our way, but would the weather out East be a problem? Heck no… it wasn't even snowing when we arrived in Boston and it didn’t even snow the next day.

After the win in Toronto and the fact that Boston had been playing really well since they re-acquired Antoine Walker, no one really expected a whole lot out of the Bulls in that game. Enter Coach Skiles. He always has the guys ready to battle, and battle they did. They outplayed the Celtics in the fourth quarter to come away with a victory that some will say was the biggest win of the season to this point. Outscoring Boston 28-14 in that final frame was a great defensive and offensive assault on a Celtics team who was making a big playoff push.

Neil Funk

Next it was back to Chicago to face the Indiana Pacers, who just beat the Detroit Pistons and are playing well. The game took an interesting turn early in the second quarter when Reggie Miller and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle were ejected from the game. That did not help Indiana at all, especially in the fourth quarter when they needed Reggie’s shooting. The Bulls won, 100-96, for their fifth win in a row.

To cap off a busy week, the Bulls faced a talented Memphis Grizzlies team, led by a wonderful coach in Mike Fratello, on Monday at the United Center. Kirk still was unable to go, but Eddy Curry was unstoppable in the post and rookie sensation Ben Gordon heated up once again to have a big game. Chicago nearly had it put away early, up 18 at one point, before holding on for a 94-86 victory, their sixth straight.

As the wins pile up, Ben Gordon continues to make his push for Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.

As a few other Eastern Conference teams have done over the last month, Chicago could have folded and faded in the playoff race. Instead, they find themselves with the fifth seed as of today, only one game behind the Washington Wizards.

Even the road trips are going well! (Knock on wood). There were no major malfunctions to report; things just seem to be going the Bulls’ way nowadays.

However, it should be noted that I did get a picture of yours truly inside of Boston’s most famous pub, Cheers (you know, where everybody knows your name), but somehow my computer ate the picture and it is forever lost in cyberspace. Oh well, I guess I will have to go back. I have had lamer excuses for going back to a pub before.

It is now time for some e-mails; let me go take a look at the first one from Noah Grzywinski:

“Of all the young guys on our team, who do you think has the greatest chance of becoming a legitimate NBA super star? My vote goes to Deng. He's versatile, big, athletic and only 19 or 20. What do you think?”

Well, Noah, I believe you have a valid point and I think that Luol will be a great player in the league. He plays hard at both ends of the floor and is finding ways to score. If he works on his shot, he can become a legitimate scorer in this league. I also feel Ben Gordon has shown a knack for fourth quarter heroics this season. Given his ability to score, if he can become a little more consistent throughout the game and a little better defender, he has a chance at greatness.

“I grew up watching the Bulls from the time I was a young child, and now that I'm in college, it's been incredibly exciting to watch the Baby Bulls take off this year. This has been a great basketball year for me, as my college basketball team, John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR, went into their tournament unranked and came out the 2005 NAIA Champions! Maybe it's a silly college girl's dream, but if one of my teams can complete a Cinderella story, why can't the other? Here's to playoff dreams, Cinderella, and the underdogs.”

Marikit Schwartz | hometown of Crown Point, IN

And why not? The Bulls are playing well, and like the great Paul McCartney once said, “With a little luck we can make it.” If you have ever played sports, you know that there is some degree of luck involved. But that’s another story…

“I wanted to let Jared Reiner know that his Iowa fans are following his NBA career and are very proud of what he's been able to accomplish this season. I've noticed Jared has sustained more than his share of ‘injuries’ and wanted to know how he is responding to the limited playing time and his role on this Bulls team. Do you have any insights on his future with the Bulls?”

Dave Schmeltzer | Schaumburg, IL

That’s a good question, Dave, because it’s very hard for anyone to be sitting on the sideline and watching. The kid in a candy store story pops into my mind when I think about Jared. He has been great, though. The coaches like him; he works hard all the time and does what ever he is asked to do with enthusiasm and energy. If he keeps that up, you’ve got to hope he’ll have a place in the NBA for some time.

“How does it feel coming back to Canada's unpredictable winter weather? [The Toronto game last week] was my first NBA game and I was so excited to see my hero, Kirk Hinrich, play. Unfortunately he was scratched right before the game. I was very torn choosing who to cheer for, but I have to say that I was thrilled Chicago got the win and they're one game closer to securing a playoff spot! Congratulations to you, Bill! I was glad to see that you got some love from your Canadian fans and I was cheering loud for you; I LOVE your columns and keep up the insightful look into what it's really like being in the NBA!”

Brittany Herd | Kirkland Lake, Ontario

Thanks, Brittany, I am always willing to give fellow Canadians a shout out! You know I’m starting to get it that many of you young females find Mr. Hinrich cute… and it is a shame that you didn’t get to see him in action this time around but the Bulls have responded really well in his absence and this, too, is a growing pain that right now is not all that painful.

You MUST own Bill's book by now... right?

“I'm from Melbourne and I’ve followed the Bulls from the Jordan days, or should l say Wennington days. I’m a massive fan through thick and thin and while the last six seasons have been a nightmare, I still followed the team’s fortunes. It's great to see the young Bulls create some history for themselves this season. Is this maybe the next batch of young superstars to lead the Bulls through a new dynasty? See you mate, down under.”

Well, good day mate! Say hello to my big friend Luc Longley if you run into him on a walk about. I agree, this team has a chance at becoming a really good team for a long time to come, but that is still a year or two away. Until then, they have to stay positive and believe in each other and they will make it to the top.

In closing a couple of you wanted to know if Kirk can dunk….Yes! Don’t you remember last season’s Cleveland game???