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Good morning!
You couldn't script a Bulls game like this. You couldn't script a season like this.
Whether you've committed to the tank or if you've sold yourself on enjoying this miniature late-season resurgence, you almost certainly enjoyed the ending on Thursday night from the United Center, even if just for a millisecond...
...unless you're Matt Peck, who sat in complete stunned silence when the game was officially official.
Congrats, Bulls: You've finally left Peck speechless.
Bulls: Team of Destiny?
A miraculous 18-point fourth-quarter comeback on Thursday night against LeBron James and the Lakers, thanks to one of the wildest sequences imaginable, left the United Center up for grabs and brought the Bulls' magic number down to TWO.
For as much as the Bulls lingered late, things looked wrapped up when Josh Giddey air-balled a six-foot floater with 13 seconds on the clock that would've cut the Lakers' lead to one.
Chicago fouled, and the lead was back to five. So, what happened next? My guess is divine intervention. Patrick Williams alone in the corner for three, cutting the lead to two, and active defense from Giddey on the inbounds pass, who stole it and dished it to a wide-open Coby White for the three.
Bang. Bulls lead, 116-115, with 6.1 left. But the Lakers weren't dead yet, either. A quick cut from Austin Reeves out of a timeout put Los Angeles back in front with 3.3 left. Without a timeout, Chicago had to inbound it. Giddey to Williams, back to a sprinting Giddey, who let a prayer fly from just beyond half-court...
PANDEMONIUM. CHAOS. MARCH MADNESS.
I don't think the United Center has looked or sounded like that since E'Twaun Moore's buzzer-beater against the Oklahoma City Thunder ten years ago.
There's a valid conversation to be had about how badly the Bulls making the play-in tournament sets the franchise back in terms of actually building a contender. Without a superstar, this is destined to crash and burn, either in the play-in or in the first round of the playoffs.
But heading into Thursday night's game, Chicago had a 6.5-game advantage over the No. 11 seed Raptors with 10 games left. The play-in has been a forgone conclusion for more than a week now.
Why is that important context? It gives a free pass, in my opinion, to anybody wanting to enjoy what happened last night while ultimately wishing the Bulls had accepted the tank for Cooper Flagg months ago. Thursday's result wasn't changing the inevitability of Chicago's eventual postseason clinch. Again, that ship sailed weeks ago.
As for the historic nature behind Thursday's performance, Giddey became just the second Bulls player to post five or more triple-doubles in a single season, joining Michael Jordan, who had 15 in the 1988-89 season.
Giddey has nearly averaged a triple-double over his last ten games, posting 22.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 10.0 assists per game in that stretch.
Based on how miserable it's felt at times in the last decade-plus to cheer for mediocrity, suspending disdain for the putrid process for just one night to celebrate a genuine miracle is more than acceptable.
And soon enough, the reality will probably sink in that this recent stretch to lock up a postseason spot is why we'll be cheering on a mediocre product for another decade.
But any chance to make LeBron look like this at the United Center should be considered a win:
GO DEEPER: The CHGO Bulls crew, including Will Perdue, shared differing opinions and reservations about their emotions following the buzzer-beater.
P.S. Shoutout to Uncle Will, who told me unprompted last night that he reads the newsletter every morning. Can confirm: it's pretty neat to have the support of a four-time NBA champion.
Quick Hits
First-place White Sox: Who knows how long it'll last, but after one day, the White Sox sit atop the AL Central! Sean Burke tossed six scoreless innings of three-hit baseball, and the bats tacked on some heavy insurance in the 8th inning, thanks to Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa bombs. 1-0! It's the White Sox's first time over .500 since March 30, 2023 — Opening Day and Pedro Grifol's first game as Chicago's skipper. Let's hope Will Venable can enjoy more than one game above the mark in his managerial career.
Back on track: As it turns out, the sky didn't fall, and the season didn't end after the Cubs left Tokyo last week 0-2. Justin Steele wasn't sharp in his second outing of the year but picked up the win, finishing five innings of three-run ball. Miguel Amaya picked up five RBI, and Ian Happ belted his first homer of the year.
Today!
📺 CHGO Bears @ 12 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs Related @ 1:30 on YouTube
🥅 Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights @ 7:30
📺 CHGO Blackhawks POSTGAME on YouTube
⚾️ Cubs @ Diamondbacks @ 8:40 on Marquee
