Harnessing Momentum, LaVine and Boylen’s On-Going (?) Feud, Record-Breaking Moments, and Other Bulls Bullets

November 25, 2019, by Elias Schuster Chicago Bulls

I have to start stretching now for this Thursday.

Not only must I be nimble to Moss my friends and their dads during our annual Turkey Bowl, but I also need to be stretched out enough to inhale an unhealthy load of food and make the long, torturous walk over to the couch to watch football.

I’ll start with the calf.

We have until 7:00 p.m. tonight to relive this moment!

The Bulls trailed by 8 points with 40 seconds left in the game last night.

Here’s what happened next. pic.twitter.com/lvY9JfvXQb

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 24, 2019

When the Bulls tip-off at home against a struggling Portland Trail Blazer team tonight, we’ll know if Zach LaVine’s massive performance this weekend lit a fire. Momentum can be a powerful thing, and it’s hard to say Saturday’s game-winner against the Charlotte Hornets doesn’t have that typical “turning point” feeling. However, the Bulls aren’t typical. The team hasn’t won two games in a row all season and restoring faith in a competitive season isn’t going to be easy with the hole they’ve dug themselves.
Are LaVine and Boylen still feuding? Before Saturday night’s game, it was reported the player and his head coach cleared the air, but it’s hard to say for how long. LaVine dropping a historic 13 3-pointers and the game-winning bucket one night after a public feud only adds to this potential storyline. And it doesn’t help when comments like this add to the intrigue.

https://twitter.com/lewelly_/status/1198737585734062080?s=20

To be clear, apparently this comment via LaVine’s Twitter account was deleted shortly after it was sent. To be clearer, we have no idea WHY it was deleted and in what context LaVine meant it. To be CLEARERER, it’s still interesting. LaVine could very well have been commenting on the first part of the caption telling folks he had the most “insane ending to a regular-season game.” Then, he saw the video was bashing his head coach and thought maybe that response wasn’t the best look. Regardless, this situation between LaVine and Boylen is one to keep an eye on. The more these two beef, the more the locker room grows divided.
Anyway, back to the fun stuff …

First #Bulls player to make __ threes in a game

1 Sam Smith
2 Sam Smith
3 Ricky Sobers
4 Kyle Macy
5 Craig Hodges
6 Michael Jordan
7 Michael Jordan
8 Chris Duhon
9 Ben Gordon
10 Zach LaVine*
11 Zach LaVine*
12 Zach LaVine*
13 Zach LaVine*
*tonight

— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) November 24, 2019

Aw, Zach’s got a soft side.

https://twitter.com/itsluka/status/1198456160459907073?s=20

Yes, you did, Archie. Good job.

Ryan Arcidiacono: “Me and Zach combined for 49. Did you see that?”

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 24, 2019

The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry threw together his Bulls All-decade team, so check it out. I think it’s hard to disagree with any of his choices, but I wonder who the all-decade bench would be? Carlos Boozer didn’t crack his starting lineup, so he’s clearly on the list. Does Nate Robinson make it after only one season? Who from the current team? Hmm.
Bulls dot com’s Sam Smith wrote about the continued pursuit to make Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen the Bulls’ stars. He talks about the team’s odd minute distribution and the need for Markkanen to close out games alongside LaVine. Smith’s got a point, and while Markkanen has struggled greatly, this team isn’t going anywhere until LaVine and Markkanen can be switched on at the same time.
Love this point. Forever and always, an NBA player can create an entire career for himself by filling an important role.

Dennis Rodman played in 911 games in his NBA career, and won 636 of them. That's a winning percentage of 70%.

In those 911 games, Rodman scored more than 20 points exactly 11 times.

Being incredible in your role is more important than being the scoring star. Always.

— Joseph Gill (@JosephGillMA) November 24, 2019