Friday night, Michele and I snuggled
on the couch to start watching what Netflix billed as the first season of The
Great British Baking Show, only we’d seen it already. What else could I do but turn on the Bulls’
game? (Note: Michele read instead.) It was the fourth quarter, not to be confused
with the first overtime, or the second or the third or the fourth. Now, that was basketball, and a 168-161
Bulls’ win over the Hawks in Atlanta. It
was the most points ever scored for either team and the third highest-scoring
game in NBA history.
Where to start? Well, there’s 42-year old Vince Carter, who
scored 13 points for the Hawks while playing a shade under 45 minutes; I didn’t
even know Carter was still in the league.
And I’d never heard of Hawks’ rookie 6’2” point guard Trae Young, a
20-year old out of Oklahoma. Not only
did Young score 49 points, he dished out 16 assists. Holy smokes.
Over on the visitors’ side, Otto
Porter Jr. impressed. Bulls’ guard Zach
LaVine scored 47 points to Porter’s 31, but there wouldn’t have been any
overtime without Porter’s converting three free throws at the end of regulation
after being fouled on a three-point shot.
Porter, who was traded at the deadline by the Wizards for Bobby Portis
and Jabari Parker, had to wait what seemed like an eternity before every foul
shot. Atlanta substituted players, the
ref wanted to hold the ball, the ref wanted to hold the ball some more; it all
had to take between 60 and 90 seconds.
Hats off to Porter for keeping his focus.
Some Bulls’ fans and dead-tree columnists
will complain that their team is winning too much, 5-1 over their last six
games. But I’m not that kind of
fan. I don’t care about tanking in order
to have a shot at the #1 pick in the draft.
I’m just a guy at home with his wife on a Friday night. The NBA gave me everything I could’ve asked
for.
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