It’s not easy being a Bulls fan these days. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The veterans on the roster didn’t want to play in their new head coach’s system. Their star, Jimmy Butler, didn’t make it any easier. It was a hot mess.
Some of the few bright spots from the 2015-16 campaign included Etwaun Moore breaking out (like most backup Bulls guards do behind Derrick Rose) and Doug McDermott dunks. The BRIGHTEST of spots though, as it has been for a long time, was team mascot Benny The Bull. The #BestInTheBiz has had a good year appearing in ESPN ads, bringing joy to children everywhere on off days, and giving you a reason to visit the United Center while the team struggled to themselves.
Saturday night, Benny went FULL BENNY during a stoppage in play between the Bulls and Cavaliers. It was a dance medley of epic proportions that also included help from one of the game’s officials. While the Bulls won’t be in action this postseason, at least you can replay great entertainment like this…over and over again.
“Graphic Commando Unit” Vanilla Lab created a series of “mashup” designs with NBA logos and classic cartoons. The design firm is based in Barcelona and get a lot of their inspiration from “magazines, posters, album covers and skateboard decks.”
Seeing that we all love our sports and nostalgia, this seemed perfect to share. If they or anyone could combine MLB logos and Hanna-Barbera characters, I would be eternally grateful.
It’s an exciting day for the NBA and basketball fans alike. The trade deadline was 2:00 PM CDT and moves were made up until the last second, as expected. This is where Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo’s The Vertical thrives, mercilessly dropping #WojBombs and news like crazy.
Here we kept track of all the moves made as they were reported.
Justin Holiday to Chicago
Bulls getting Justin Holiday in that Hinrich trade as well, per source. It's a 3-team deal with the Jazz.
A week ago, the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars were selected by fan voting and announced on TNT. The NBA on TNT crew will do the same tonight at 6 PM CT, but a few reporters are spoiling the news a little early.
Delaware Online engagement editor Carron J. Phillips reported 6 hours before the announcement show that reserves joining the East (Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade) and West (Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry) will be…
BREAKING! #NBA#AllStarGameReserves A. Drummond, P. Milsap, C. Bosh, J. Butler, I. Thomas, D. Derozan & J. Wall For the #East
Tuesday night, a new NBA season tips off with 3 games featuring the league’s biggest stars. TNT will feature a doubleheader with the Cavaliers and. Bulls in Chicago (7 PM CT), then the Pelicans visiting Golden State for the Warriors’ banner raising ceremony (9:30 PM CT). Also facing off will be the Pistons and the social media savvy Atlanta Hawks. Sure it will all be going on before the World Series, but that’s what sports bars are for with multiple monitor setups.
A new season means new storylines and intrigue that only the NBA can produce. The defending champion Warriors are very much the same team, built to score plenty and defend as well as anyone. The Spurs Big-3 (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker) have one last ride (at least) in them with rising superstar Kawhi Leonard and newly added LaMarcus Aldridge. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving still rule the Eastern conference, but the Bulls are playing the Star Wars “rebel” role with a healthier Derrick Rose and new head coach Fred Hoiberg. Don’t forget Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have a new coach too…
There’s plenty of drama I could go on about and plan to cover for each team, but for now we’ll just make some predictions for who will be making the playoffs and who will be taking home hardware by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards
Atlanta Hawks
Toronto Raptors
Boston Celtics
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Eastern Conference Finals
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs 2. Chicago Bulls
Western Conference
San Antonio Spurs
Golden State Warriors
Memphis Grizzlies
Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Minnesota Timberwolves
Western Conference Finals
1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 3. Memphis Grizzlies
NBA Finals
Spurs vs. Bulls (Spurs in 6)
Most Valuable Player
Anthony Davis (NO)
Defensive Player of the Year
Tony Allen (MEM)
Rookie of the Year
Jahlil Okafor (PHI)
Coach of the Year
Billy Donovan (OKC)
Sixth Man of the Year
Taj Gibson (CHI)
Most Improved Player of the Year
Rudy Gobert (UTA)
ALL-NBA First Team
Stephen Curry (GS)
James Harden (HOU)
LeBron James (CLE)
Anthony Davis (NO)
Marc Gasol (MEM)
All-NBA Second Team
Russell Westbrook (OKC)
Kevin Durant (OKC)
Kawhi Leonard (SA)
Blake Griffin (LAC)
Pau Gasol (CHI)
How do your predictions look? Let me know on Facebook and Twitter.
In the year New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde was born…
The Daily Show aired for the first time on Comedy Central
Nintendo 64 was released in Japan
The Ramones performed their last show
The OJ Simpson civil trial began
Steve Jobs’ company NeXT was bought by Apple, which he also founded
Tupac Shakur was shot and killed at the age of 25.
To this day, people are trying to prove he’s still alive.
AND in the worlds of movies, music and sports…
Movies
Comedy
Happy Gilmore, Swingers, Kingpin, Matilda, 101 Dalmatians, Don’t Be A Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Tin Cup, The Nutty Professor, Bio-Dome, The Cable Guy, Beautiful Girls, The First Wives Club, That Thing You Do, Striptease, Jack, Multiplicity, Kazaam, The Birdcage, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Down Periscope, The Stupids, Black Sheep, Bulletproof, One Fine Day, Spy Hard, Sgt. Bilko AND…
Space Jam
Action/Thriller
Scream, Independence Day, The Rock, Escape from LA, A Time to Kill, From Dusk Till Dawn, Twister, The Craft, Fear, Eraser, Broken Arrow, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Frighteners, Chain Reaction, Ransom, Executive Decision, The Fan, Last Man Standing, Maximum Risk, AND…
Mission Impossible
Drama
Trainspotting, Jerry Maguire, The English Patient, Romeo + Juliet, Sling Blade, Sleepers, Secrets and Lies, Shine, Michael Collins, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Evita, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Kolya, Bullet, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Jude, Mother Night, Phenomenon, Gotti, Emma, Before and After, The Juror, Fly Away Home, Marvin’s Room, AND…
Fargo
The 69th Academy Awards
Best Actor
Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire
Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient
Woody Harrelson, The People vs. Larry Flynt
Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade
Geoffrey Rush, Shine – Winner
(The first of 4 nominations for Geoffery Rush. His latest was in 2011 for The King’s Speech)
Best Supporting Actor
William H. Macy, Fargo
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Shine
Edward Norton, Primal Fear
James Woods, Ghosts of Mississippi
Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire – Winner
(Cuba Gooding Jr. won the only time he was nominated)
Best Actress
Brenda Blethyn, Secrets & Lies
Diane Keatin, Marvin’s Room
Kristin Scott Thomas, The English Patient
Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves
Frances McDormand, Fargo – Winner
(Frances McDormand has been nominated 3 other times, most recently for North Country in 2006)
Best Supporting Actress
Joan Allen, The Crucible
Lauren Bacall, The Mirror Has Two Faces
Barbara Hershey, The Portrait of a Lady
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets & Lies
Juliette Binoche, The English Patient – Winner
(Juliette Binoche was nominated once more in 2001 for Chocolat)
Best Picture
Fargo
Jerry Maguire
Secrets & Lies
Shine
The English Patient – Winner
(The English Patient won 9 of the 12 Oscars it was nominated for, including best Director)
My problem with this argument is that I don’t think the actual “all-time greats” are being represented. Shaq’s Lakers list may be correct: Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Shaq…although O’Neal could arguably be switched out for Wilt Chamberlain (and then not even be a part of this discussion).
The Bulls “all-time” team isn’t represented well though. MVP Rose, Michael Jordan, and Scottie are fine, but where are Chet Walker or Artis Gilmore? Walker and Gilmore rank 6 and 7 as Chicago Bulls all-time scores. Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan is 5th all-time in Bulls scoring. Rodman is the team’s all-time best rebounder, but Horace Grant…? Come on, Shaq.
Regardless of silly hypotheticals and superlatives, these “Fantasy” teams will never face off. Just fodder for talk shows across the country and sports blog circulation (like this one).
Comment or Tweet with your all-time teams for both the Lakers and Bulls, and vote here with who you’d take in a game.
Before teaching you how to survive EVERYTHING, Bear Grylls became the youngest person to scale Mount Everest at 23.
Microsoft released Windows 98…some of you still use it.
The Winter Olympics were held in Nagano, Japan.
Will Smith’s son Jaden was born and former Hall of Fame Bears quarterback Sid Luckman passed away at the age of 81.
And this is what we saw in the worlds of Movies, Music and Sports!
Movies
Comedy
The Truman Show, There’s Something About Mary, Rushmore, Can’t Hardly Wait, Patch Adams, You’ve Got Mail, Dr. Dolittle, The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, Baseketball, Night at the Roxbury, Almost Heroes, Waking Ned Devine, Bulworth, Sliding Doors, Blues Brothers 2000, How Stella Got Her Groove Back AND…
The Big Lebowski
Action/Thriller
Ronin, Enemy of the State, Fallen, U.S. Marshals, The Negotiator, Mercury Rising, Lethal Weapon 4, Wild Things, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Godzilla, Rush Hour, The Siege, Psycho, Snake Eyes, The Faculty, A Perfect Murder, Out of Sight, The X-Files, Hard Rain, Lost in Space, The Mask of Zorro, Dark City, Sphere, Small Soldiers, John Carpenter’s Vampires, The Big Hit, Phantoms, Black Dog, Halloween: H20, Desperate Measures, Blade, Deep Impact AND…
Armageddon
Drama
Saving Private Ryan, American History X, Meet Joe Black, What Dreams May Come, Elizabeth, A Civil Action, The Thin Red Line, City of Angels, Shakespeare In Love, Ever After, Another Day in Paradise, 54, Rounders, He Got Game, Stepmom, Les Miserables, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, Great Expectations AND…
Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas
Animated
Mulan, The Prince of Egypt, The Rugrats Movie, Antz, AND…
A Bug’s Life
The 71st Oscars Nominees/Winners
Best Actor
Nick Nolte, Affliction
Edward Norton, American History X
Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan
Ian McKellen, Gods and Monsters
Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful – Winner
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Duvall, A Civil Action
Ed Harris, The Truman Show
Geoffery Rush, Shakespeare in Love
Billy Bob Thornton, A Simple Plan
James Coburn, Affliction – Winner
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
Meryl Streep, One True Thing
Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love – Winner
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Lynn, Redgrave, Gods and Monsters
Kathy Bates, Primary Colors
Brenda Blethyn, Little Voice
Rachel Griffiths, Hilary and Jackie
Judie Dench, Shakespeare in Love – Winner
Best Picture
Elizabeth
Life is Beautiful
Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line
Shakespeare in Love – Winner
Music
Rock Albums
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Hip-Hop
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Pop Albums
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Billboard Year-End Hot 100
“Too Close” – Next
“The Boy Is Mine” – Brandy and Monica
“You’re Still the One” – Shania Twain
“Truly Madly Deeply” – Savage Garden
“How Do I Live” – LeAnn Rimes
“Together Again” – Janet
“All My Life” – K-Ci & JoJo
“Candle in the Wind 1997” – Elton John
“Nice and Slow” – Usher
“I Don’t Wait to Wait” – Paula Cole
“How’s It Going to Be” – Third Eye Blind
“No, No, No” – Destiny’s Child
“My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion
“Getting’ Jiggy wit It” – Will Smith
“You Make Me Wanna” – Usher
“My Way” – Usher
“My All” – Mariah Carey
“The First Night” – Monica
“Been Around the World” – Puff Daddy feat. Mase and Notorious B.I.G
“Adia” – Sarah McLachlan
Sports
Baseball
Offensive Leaders:
Average: Larry Walker (COL) – .363
Hits: Dante Bichette (COL) – 219
Home Runs: Mark McGwire (STL) – 70
RBI: Sammy Sosa (CHC) – 158
OPS: Mark McGwire (STL) – 1.222
Stolen Bases: Rickey Henderson (OAK) – 66
Pitching:
Wins: Roger Clemens (TOR), Rick Helling (TEX), David Cone (NYY), Tom Glavine (ATL) – 20
ERA: Greg Maddux (ATL) – 2.22
Strikeouts: Randy Johnson (SEA/HOU) – 329
Complete Games: Curt Schilling (PHI) – 15
Shutouts: Randy Johnson – 6
Saves: Trevor Hoffman (SD) – 53
MVP:
AL: Juan Gonzalez (TEX)
NL: Sammy Sosa (CHC)
CY Young:
AL: Roger Clemens (TOR)
NL: Tom Glavine (ATL)
Rookie of the Year:
AL: Ben Grieve (OAK)
NL: Kerry Wood (CHC)
World Series: New York Yankees over San Diego Padres (4-0)
Basketball
NCAA
Final Four:
(2) Kentucky, (3) Utah, (3) Stanford, and (1) North Carolina
National Championship:
(2) Kentucky over (3) Utah 78-69
NBA
League Leaders:
Points Per Game: Michael Jordan (CHI) – 28.7
Rebounds Per Game: Dennis Rodman (CHI) – 15.0
Assists Per Game: Rod Strickland (WAS) – 10.5
All-NBA Team:
Tim Duncan (SA)
Michael Jordan (CHI)
Karl Malone (UTAH)
Shaquille O’Neal (LAL)
Gary Payton (SEA)
MVP: Michael Jordan (CHI)
Rookie of the Year: Tim Duncan (SA)
NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls over Utah Jazz (4-2)
Football
NCAA
Heisman Trophy Winner:
Ricky Williams, University of Texas
National Championship:
Tennessee over Florida State (23-16) in the Fiesta Bowl
NFL
League Leaders:
Passing Yards: Brett Favre (GB) – 4,212
Passing Touchdowns: Steve Young (SF) – 36
Passer Rating: Randall Cunningham (MIN) – 106.0
Rushing Yards: Terrell Davis (DEN) – 2,008
Rushing Touchdowns: Terrell Davis (DEN) – 21
Receptions: O.J. McDuffie (MIA) – 90
Receiving Yards: Antonio Freeman (GB) – 1,424
Receiving Touchdowns: Randy Moss (MIN) – 17
AP MVP:
Terrell Davis (DEN)
Super Bowl:
Denver Broncos over Atlanta Falcons (34-19)
Super Bowl MVP:
John Elway
Hockey
League Leaders:
Goals: Peter Bondra (WSH) & Teemu Selanne (ANA) – 52
Assists: Wayne Gretzky (NYR) & Jaromir Jagr (PIT) – 67
Points: Jaromir Jagr (PIT) – 102
Hart Memorial Trophy:
Dominik Hasek (BUF)
Stanley Cup:
Detroit Redwings over Washington Capitals (4-0)
Did I miss anything? Let me know on Twitter @Mike_PiFF03.
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