Fun With the ’88 Dunk Contest Oral History, LaVine’s Scoring Rampage, Boylen-Induced Rage, and Other Bulls Bullets

I keep having some crazy dreams.

Last night, I kid you not, I dreamed I was in a murder mystery with Derrick Rose. The worst part, I woke up before the crime was ever solved.

All morning though I’ve been trying to think of a good title if I ever turned it into a novel. A Rose Peddle in the Wind. The Broken Rose. Murder on the Brown Line. 

Eh, I’ll think of something.

  • For my own sanity, let’s start these bullets off on the more light-hearted, positive side of Bulls basketball. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson published an incredibly entertaining oral history on the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The story features interviews with Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb, and several others who were close to the action that afternoon.
  • Personally, reading about how the historic Jordan image was taken is my favorite part. Also, the fact that the media were stuck outside under a tent in the middle of winter is kind of hilarious. Overall, there is something for everyone to enjoy in there, so if you have some time, give it a read.
  • Zach LaVine refuses to take his foot off the gas. He dropped 41 points last night, which included a wild 19-point performance in the 4th quarter. He single-handedly carried the Bulls back in the game, but as we’ve grown accustomed to, it wasn’t enough.
  • Based on LaVine’s 3-point makes from last night, someone might want to improve his odds for Saturday’s 3-point shootout. If you missed it, fast forward to the end of these highlights and prepare to pick your jaw off the floor (the madness starts at 1:15).
  • https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1227422969288429569?s=20

  • At this point in the season, I think I’m ready to just sit back, relax, and look forward to whatever wild shots LaVine can knockdown. I don’t care if his performances translate to wins anymore, just go nuts.
  • Honestly, considering his workload, this is super impressive.
  • Welcome to the second half of bullets, please keep your hands and feet inside the rage machine at all times. Here we go!
  • AHHHHHH!! SOMEONE GET THIS MAN OFF MY SCREEN!
  • Jim Boylen’s response to why he chose not to play Daniel Gafford last night should be a fireable offense (among, like, everything else he’s done). The Wizards scored 62 points in the paint and the Bulls were dominated down low without any true rim-protector on the court. When Boylen was asked if Gafford’s absence had anything to do with his ankle injury, the head coach responded “Combination of a couple things. He’s working his way back. He’s available, but he’s working his way back.” He’s available … but he’s working his way back? Someone better line my wall with pillows because I’m about to throw my computer through it.
  • Even worse, Gafford has been practicing fully and seemed plenty ready to check into last night’s game. Instead, Boylen opted to give more minutes to Cristiano Felicio. In fact, he felt so confident in the Bulls fourth-string center that he put him in to close out the game, which immediately resulted in this:
  • https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1227413994844999680?s=20

  • I don’t blame Felicio, I blame Boylen. Example 11,456 of how Boylen fails to put his players and team in a position to succeed.
  • NBC Sports Chicago talked more about the whole Gafford fiasco after the game. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry was hitting us with some good content from the locker room. If Gafford isn’t available, just tell us.
  • I wonder if the Bulls miss Kris Dunn?
  • Uh, wow.
  • Can Chicago claim Kevin Garnett? The Athletic wrote an awesome oral history about Garnett’s time playing high school ball in the windy city.
  • Yes, yes it is.
  • https://twitter.com/SSJreef/status/1227389808856535040?s=20

  • I appreciate the guys over at The Sky Is Falling Podcast for inviting me on! We talked a lot of Bulls’ nonsense, but it was oddly therapeutic. Give it a listen!
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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