The United Center hasn’t been very kind to the Bulls over the past few seasons.
Check that, it’s actually been a house of horrors.
Yet, as a team, the Friday game against Boston will still have some meaning, considering it will be the first time fans are allowed in the building for a Bulls game since last Mar. 10, when the coronavirus shut down the league and sporting world.
“I think it’s great,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Obviously, some of the arenas that we’ve got the opportunity to go to, they’re starting to let fans in. But I think hopefully we’ll be able to get, by next year, places filled. I’ve always said, just coming into Chicago, this is an electric environment. The fans here make it I think a great home-court advantage.”
Donovan’s right in one aspect – it usually is an “electric environment.” But that “home-court advantage” part? That hasn’t been the case. Not even close to it lately.
The last winning season at home for the Bulls was the 2016-17 playoff team, which posted a 25-16 record at the UC. After falling to Boston in the first round of the playoffs, however, the rebuild was on and Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo were each shown exit stage left.
Since that dismantling? How about a 52-96 record – including this season – for a .351 winning percentage?
Still, the United Center was one of the last NBA arenas this season to allow fans back, and even with limited capacity at around 4,000 against the Celtics, the players were excited about some bodies in the stands and life in the building.
“It’s good,” guard Zach LaVine said. “Whenever we went and played in arenas where they had fans, it was refreshing, especially to interact with some of the people and hear the crowd noise. Some trash talking or the cheers or whatever it is, just having that atmosphere in basketball is great.
“With your home fans and the city being back here, it’s going to be great. Very excited to at least play some games back at the United Center with our fans there.”
It will be just four games to be exact, as the Bulls host the Celtics, then Brooklyn on May 11, Toronto on May 13, and end the regular season on May 16, hosting Milwaukee.
“Certainly not having them here early in the year for our guys was an adjustment,” Donovan said. “As a coach, I had a chance to go through a little bit of that in the bubble [last season in Orlando] because there was no fans there. But I think for teams that didn’t get a chance to go into the bubble and really experience that it took probably a little getting used to.”
Ankle biter
Initially, the Troy Brown Jr. left ankle sprain was expected to be minor with a hopeful quick recovery. Like many of the Bulls setbacks this season, that hasn’t been the case.
While the guard/forward has improved, he still missed his ninth-straight game with the bum ankle.
“Troy has been able to do a lot more straight ahead running,” Donovan said. “I think last time I reported on him that was something was kind of holding him back.
“He’s still not at 100 percent but certainly a lot closer to that then he was maybe a week ago.”
Brown, who was acquired at the trade deadline, had worked his way into the rotation. The hope is to have him back for the final handful of games so he can resume that role.
