Commemorations and Coronations

Last Saturday night, a sold out crowd gathered at the United Center to celebrate the first championship team in the history of the Bulls franchise. Bulls players returned to their old stomping grounds, albeit in a different venue, to reflect on their accomplishment from twenty years ago. The members of that team have grown older and so have we. Based on their outside appearance, they are no longer the sporting deities they once were. Their bodies no longer chiseled. Their hairlines receded. Their once confident strides now turned to slower steps. It was a reminder of just how special that team was and just how difficult it is to climb the championship mountain. While the fans and media were expecting a celebration of a title team from 20 years ago, a coronation of this current team was also taking place.

Despite the fact they haven’t won a mere playoff game together, bouquets were being thrown at the feet of this year’s Bulls team. In an interview earlier in the week, the normally conservative Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf boasted that if healthy, the team has an “awfully good chance of winning at least four championships.” Bulls legend Michael Jordan proclaimed that this team may bring six more titles to the city. It’s certainly nice to have MJ heap praise on this current roster, but let’s not kid ourselves.


It just seems like the accolades for the current Bulls are coming a little too quickly. Oftentimes, NBA teams must endure heartache before they experience triumph. They haven’t yet felt the despair of losing a closely contested playoff series. They haven’t spent the offseason wondering if there was anything more they could have done. They haven’t woken up in the middle of the night contemplating the missed shots that would have won games. Maybe this team is good enough and naïve enough to skip those steps. The cold reality is that championship windows close more quickly than one could ever imagine. Players age, bodies decay and title opportunities disintegrate. The 1985 Bears, the 2003 Cubs and countless other teams have had dreams of dynasties turn into disappointments of defeats. No one can be sure if this Bulls team is headed for a title in the near future, but let’s not forget to enjoy watching it unfold.