GAME DAY FROM CLEVELAND: Bulls (10-36, 5-19 on the road) at Cavaliers (9-38, 5-17 at home)
TV: NBC Sports Chicago: Neil Funk and Stacey King: Noon CT tipoff.
RADIO: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, Steve Kashul: 11:45 CT pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 22 per game. Cavaliers: Clarkson: 16 per game.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen and Portis each with 7. Cavaliers: Thompson: 11 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Dunn: 6 per. Cavaliers: Dellavedova: 3 per game.
SEASON SERIES: Bulls 2-0.
CCI PREVIEW: The Bulls are struggling. The Cavaliers are struggling. Something’s got to give, right? Both teams recently returned from rocky west coast trips as the two teams went a combined 1-11. The Bulls have lost ten straight games. The Cavaliers have dropped 15 of 16. But as you know, CCI always brings light! I love what I’m seeing out of Lauri Markkanen of late. He’s becoming more assertive. More decisive. More like the Markkanen of last season. That’s a good thing. Kris Dunn is the first to admit he’s in a funk but he’s owned up to it and is a true professional. The loss of Wendell Carter Jr. is huge. He is a rim protector and ranks in the top twenty in block shots. Head Coach Jim Boylen will go with Robin Lopez and Bobby Portis as his game to game starters. The Bulls have gone with 12 different starting lineups this season. Cleveland has changed things up a whopping 19 times. You heard right. 19 different starting lineups for the Cavs. The Cavs are beat up. Kevin Love is out. Larry Nance Jr. -out. The Cavs traded veterans Kyle Korver and George Hill. They sent sent J.R. Smith home after Smith made it very clear he wanted no part of being with a rebuilding ball club. So….the two teams will compete today. Eye balls are watching. Who plays hard? Who plays with purpose? Who can play through mental and physical fatigue? You learn a lot about a player through tough times. Trust me, no one likes losing. No one. How you deal with adversity is a sign of character. Let’s play some afternoon ball in Ohio!
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Minnesota 116, Phoenix 114. Derrick Rose drilled an 18 footer with 0.6 seconds left. Rose scored 29 of his 31 in the second half. The Suns went 0-4 on their road trip and fell to 4-20 on the road.
Los Angeles Clippers 103, San Antonio 95. Tobias Harris with a 27-9-9 game.
Indiana 120, Charlotte 95. The Pacers haves won 4 out of their last 5. Victor Oladipo scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half.
Lonzo Ball is out 4-6 weeks with a left ankle sprain injury. Huge loss for the Lakers who are hoping to get LeBron James back soon.
Today as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I’d like to share a few of his quotes. This is just a small sample size of Dr. King’s hope, sincerity and beliefs for a better tomorrow for ALL.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
"The time is always right to do what is right."
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
I admire Dr. King and am thankful the NBA makes his birthday a priority and celebration of his life and meaningful teachings and wisdom.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls. Always a pleasure!