Yawn.

I get an IM from Barndogg Monday AM asking if I want to see Bulls vs Pistons. It's Ben Gordon's return to the United Center since being dealt to the Pistons ... and by dealt I mean not offered as much as a stick of gum by Bulls management to stay. I'll admit, he drove me nuts when he was on the team, while he was a nightly lock for 20-25 pts, he was also good for at least 4 or 5 "areyoufuckingkiddingme?" turnovers each game and played defense with the same intensity as my mom. But he was also the only guy on the Bulls who had the ability to make (and the willingness to take) the big shots. When he was hot, the ball was going up and it was going in. From any angle, from anywhere on the floor. Plus it's the Pistons, which I'm pretty sure are Satan's favorite NBA team. This should be good theater, so I agree to go.

Tuesday evening Barndogg picks me up at work and we head over for a dance with the Cobra. They're having a special on brown liquid (Jameson & Guinness). It's cold outside, so I seriously consider the Jameson until I come to my senses and order a pint of the plain. Whiskey at 6pm on a school night is not a good idea. The last time I drank whiskey I spent the next Sunday morning and early afternoon trying to throw up my soul. The Sunday morning and early afternoon of my wife's birthday. Which we were celebrating in SF. I totally rule. Point being, I'm still a bit gun shy with the nectar of the gods.

Barndogg and I talk bullshit, eat sandwiches and discuss the merits of the Chicago Public Library System. Barndogg is a huge fan (even has his card number memorized), whereas I like the concept of it but don't see myself deviating from my super environmentally conscious system of ordering books from amazon.com and having them shipped by 2-day air.

We make our way to the United Center and even on the walk over you can tell that this will not be a well attended sporting contest. Not sure if it's because the Bulls are just returning home from a West Coast swing where they got absolutely pounded by the Nuggets, Blazers, Lakers, Jazz and lost a squeaker to the Bucks, or it's because everyone's broke. I'm still a bit surprised -- I mean, it's the hated Pistons in town! The guys who've grabbed and pulled and gouged and punched and cheapshotted and bitched and whined and moaned the Bulls since the 80s! Who doesn't want to slap down $55 (minimum) for an evening of "Dee-Troit Sucks!" cheers? I mean, a rivalry like this will always be exciting, right?

Wrong. But we'll get to that.

We stop at the concession outside of gate 316 and make nice with our two bartender friends who's names I swear to remember but never will. They both had nice Thanksgivings, can't believe winter is really here and haven't even thought about xmas shopping. We're on the same page with all three topics. Barndogg purchases two ice cold Bud Lights and we head up to our seats. To the immediate left of us sit two Piston fans. They are going to appreciate the enthusiasm with which I yell "Detroit Sucks", I just know it. Player intros are finishing and already disappointing news: Charlie Villanueva, Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton, arguably the Pistons' best 3 players, are out. Awesome, we get to watch the Bulls v the Economically Recessed Back-ups.

We roll iPhone dice to determine who gets first pick in the evening's wagers. I hit a nine to Barndogg's six.

(wagering) I select Ben Gordon (why not, right?) and Johnny Salmons (Can we please start calling him Johnny Smoove? Look at him and then say Johnny Smoove. It works.). Barndogg selects Luol Deng and, gulp, Joakim Noah. I ask him why he chooses a guy who looks like he learned his jump shot at Make A Wish camp. He gives me a wise look and says,

"This guy is capable of anything".

Did I mention that Barndogg went with the Jameson at the Cobra? But kidding aside, he's right. With Noah, you just don't know. Weird stuff just kind of follows that guy. You could tell me he set the single game records for assists and I wouldn't be surprised. Barndogg sets the +/- at 47 and I take the under.

The Bulls control the tip and the sucking begins. What a mess. I went with the under primarily because the Bulls have actually been playing a little bit of defense at home these days, but in this case it paid off because both teams set new standards for ineptitude. I mean this was just brutal, unless you're really into bricks, dribbles bounced off knees, blown layups, bad passes, poor spacing and stupid fouls. I'd compare it to open gym at the YMCA but some of those guys can actually play. The score was 2-0 Bulls up until 9:33 and the Pistons don't even crack the scoring column until just under the 9:00 mark. This crap continues for most of the quarter until Barndogg does the unprecedented ... he concedes the over under bet at 3:02 with the Bulls up 15-6. First time anyone's ever flat given up on one of these wagers, but it's not like you can blame the guy. With about a minute left Barndogg nudges me and says,

"I thought Prince was out?"

"He is." I reply.

"Well then who's that?" He points to a player standing at the scorers table. Sure looks like Prince. Further inspection reveals that the player in question is Austin Daye, a Pistons rookie, which leads Barndogg to comment:

"Looks like the Pistons bought the rights to all really skinny sorta black college players. Wonder if he's left handed?"

Mercifully the quarter ends with the Bulls up 24-10. I'd write about the actual basketball a bit, but I want you to enjoy these posts.

(wagering) After that offensive explosion, I set the +/- at 41. Barndogg believes in this band of go getters and takes the over.

The second quarter opens with Bizarro Tayshaun Prince hitting a jumper. The Bulls second unit holds the line though, and the Pistons don't much closer than 12 down during the first half of the quarter. Something interesting though -- Kwame Brown (Kwame Brown!) is grabbing boards left and right on both ends of the floor, making layups, dunking the ball, getting fouled and knocking down his free throws. He's looking like a young Moses Malone while somewhere MJ just threw a remote control through a flat screen TV. Just kidding, we all know MJ doesn't watch pro basketball! Actually Kwame's play is more alarming than interesting, just proving again that the Bulls can't defend anyone inside. Brad Miller is great on the offensive end, but he can't guard anybody. The second quarter ends with Brad Miller and Johnny Smoove taking over to maintain the Bulls' edge. I'm glad I called Salmons, he's got it working from both inside and out tonight. He's fun to watch when he's on -- never seems to play in hurry, but manages to always get a really good shot for himself. He plays like the old guy in the pickup game who's better than everyone else just because he knows all the tricks. Quarter closes with the Bulls up 48-38.

(wagering) Barndogg takes the over for the 2nd but I come through strong with the tic-tac-toe game because Barndogg's contestant plays the game like he just suffered a severe head injury -- misses the winning move to go for a block instead. I really wonder what it must feel like to totally screw up a child's game with 20,000 people watching. Honestly surprised I've gotten this old without finding out. Barndogg strikes back with the #2 car coming through for him in the Hinkley Springs race. For the 3rd qtr, Barndogg sets the +/- at 48 and I take the over.

The 3rd quarter immediately goes bad for the Bulls in a familiar way. Thus far this year, the Bulls have been unable to put anyone away on the rare occasion that they've had a decent lead. This proves true again tonight as Jason Maxiell teams up with Rodney Stuckey and someone named Jonas Jerebko grab 4 offensive boards in the first 3 minutes to bring the Pistons back into it. With about 8 minutes left in the quarter it's a ballgame again when Maxiell hits a layup to bring Detroit to within 3, 50-47.

But, the Pistons are just too thin, so Derrick Rose and Brad Miller combine to pull the Bulls away in the latter part of the quarter. Miller makes good on his usual bag of pick and pop jumpers, while Rose does it from both inside and out. Another ho hum quarter ends with the Bulls up 74-57. Highlight is at 3:02, when we hear our first "DETROIT SUCKS" chants. The game blows and everyone knows it, so it's a pretty lackluster cheer.

Meanwhile, the guy directly in front of me has gotten my attention (unlike the actual game) -- earlier I watched him polish off an entire bag of popcorn by himself, and now he's tearing into bag #2. He makes quick work of it, and stands up to leave his seat when I notice two things, one amazing and one horrifying. Observation #1: even though the guy is in his late 40s, he's sporting the EXACT same pair of Guess jeans I used to rock my Sophomore year of high school, and Observation #2: He's showing more crack than that scene in New Jack City where Pookie goes nuts in the Carter drug lab. Jesus man, if you're going to build a time machine to go back and raid my closet for designer jeans, at least steal a belt too. I had one, it was braided as was the fashion of the time.

(wagering) I again miss on the over, but Gordon and Salmons have combined to assure me of 5 American dollars at this point. At this point my phone goes dead, so I'm unable to take more notes for the blog.

The 4th quarter starts, and stuff happens. Did I mention how much this game sucked? By this juncture the seats were half empty and both sides were totally going through the motions. The Bulls of course allow Detroit to make it close, but it was really more annoying than it was worrisome. You could tell that they were just slightly less inept/slightly more involved in this game than Detroit, and would pull out the win. Which they did, 92-85. Bulls get the win and everyone goes home unsatisfied.

ITEM: this game was so boring I forgot to post for over a week. In the meantime, the Bulls have gotten absolutely housed by Cleveland and Toronto. Then tonight, they JUST lost to the Nets, who had only managed to win one game before this. Yay.

Items of note:

Joakim leads the National Basketball Association in rebounding. He has now earned the right to a good nickname.

He also had no idea why the Bulls' annual West coast swing is called "The Circus Trip".

The Bulls scored over 100 points last night against the Kings, becoming the final team in the league to pass the century mark in a game. Since the object of the game is to pass the ball through the hoop more frequently than the opponent, this is disconcerting.

I ate roasted tomato and red pepper soup last night while watching the game. Really good.

So Much for the Home Town Call

I'm not sure I can take much more of this.

I've been to the United Center to watch the Bulls 3 times in the last 7 months, and 2 of those 3 contests have had the craziest finishes I've seen live. The first of the 3 games was the single best 1st rd playoff game in NBA history; the Bulls v Celtics 3 OT game 6. The 2nd was about two weeks ago, the Bulls '09 - '10 home opener against the Spurs (fun, but nothing amazing), and then there's last night.

Bulls vs Nuggets. Game 6 of 82 against a Western conference team that missed a legit shot to go to the Finals last year. A good measuring stick game, but nothing worth getting too excited about this early in the season, win or lose.

Didn't really play out that way. But let's start from the beginning.

Barndogg picks me up from work at 5:45 and we head over to Cobra Lounge before the game to grab a beer and some food. The Cobra bills itself as a rock bar -- plenty of punk and/or rock bands can be enjoyed throughout the week. It's a little off the beaten path from the UC, but we decide to give it a shot. We walk in, and it's an immediate upgrade from the backwards baseball cap scene found up and down Madison street. Busy, but not crowded, plenty of open tables, and what turns out to be lucky for us ... a shortage of beer. Tuesday night is $3 draft night at the Cobra, but apparently it's been a busy week so they're out of most of their tap selections -- including the ones we order. The super nice waitress offers to buy us a couple free pints of whatever's left and we happily agree. We order, the food is good and fast, plus they also have tater tots, so I'm sold. The Cobra will be seeing a lot of me this season. We'll call this behavior "Dancing With the Cobra". I can already think of 3 ways this phrase will be misused.

We settle up and walk over to the UC. The ticket market outside the stadium is a buyer's market -- the Bulls are in first place, but it looks like everyone's still in "wait and see mode" as the scalpers seem to be struggling.

We head up to section 316 and exchange pleasantries with our two bartender friends at the bar outside our section. We also exchange American dollars for some ice cold beer. All parties involved are happy with the outcome of the transaction, and Barndogg and I head up to our seats. Well, we try. Barndogg's a pretty sharp guy, but he's one of those absentminded scientist types. Even though we've had these same seats for two years he turns and gives me one of those "Um, where do we go next?" looks. We're literally standing at our gate as this happens. I guide President Reagan up to our seats and we settle in.

It's the day before Veteran's Day, so the Bulls have made this the theme of the evening. We observe a deserved moment of silence in honor of those who have given their lives for our country. Then Tommy Edwards, the Bulls PA announcer, introduces Ken Carlson, a Vietnam veteran who is singing the anthem. The lights dim, and Ken suddenly transforms into Dennis DeYoung before our very eyes and just tears it apart. I wasn't sure whether I should hold up a lighter or invade Canada. He just owned the anthem.

The Bulls are introduced one by one, and as they make their way onto the court they are greeted by 5 veterans, each representing a branch of the armed services. I immediately hone in on how Joakim Noah will handle this situation.

(A note here ... I'm fascinated by this guy. I just hated him coming out of Florida, I thought the Bulls totally wasted a lottery pick on this assclown. And over his first year and half on the squad, he didn't do too much to prove me wrong -- never really got in shape, fought with his coaches a bit, got busted for smoking a roach, looked lost on the court, etc. But even so, the dude was such an oddball that I started to come around on him. He's a goof, but in the best possible way. To their credit, the Bulls understood that the fans were really starting to respond to this nut job and started featuring him in as many promos as they could.

Then, about midway through last season something clicked with him and he just started to get better night after night. The effort was always there, but now he was beginning to translate it to the court in the right ways. By the end of the regular season, Noah was quickly becoming one of the more valuable players on the team. Then the epic 1st rd series with Boston began, and he took another leap -- becoming one of the most important players in those games.

I bet if you ask 10 Bulls fans what they remember most about that series, at least 5 of them will bring up Noah's dunk over Pierce. And this was in a series that Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose repeatedly had huge moments. My memory wasn't even of his play -- it was after game 6 was over, Noah picked up the microphone and thanked all the fans for their support. He was exhausted, he had played as hard as his body would let him and could barely get the words out as he slumped over the scorers table. Then from nowhere the batteries click back on and he stands up and screams,

"We're going back to BOSTON y'all!!!!!"

The UC goes completely up for grabs and I'm totally sold on this guy. He cares. Past that, he's an interesting guy, son of tennis star Yannick Noah and Miss Sweden, grew up in NY. He's smart, gives thoughtful answers to good questions, and off-kilter answers to the stupid (which are the majority) questions. Add to it that he's completely rededicated himself to becoming a better basketball player both physically and skill-wise. And so far this year, it's showing. And I'm happy.)

So back to the lineup intro: As Deng, Gibson & Salmons are announced, they each high-five their way through the gauntlet of teammates, then stop and respectfully shake each veteran's hand. Now it's Noah's turn, and I'm waiting to see what he does -- will he solemnly and respectfully shake each vet's hand, or will he grab the flag from the honor guard and use the vets to re-enact the Iwo Jima Flag raising? Seriously, anything is possible with this cat.

Instead, he gives a fist bump to the vet at the end of the line and runs over to the huddle. I'm a little surprised, seems just a bit disrespectful. But then he catches himself, notices that these guys are there and runs back over to warmly greet each of them. He missed them the first time because he was so focused on the game. Love it.

(wagering) As they clear the court for tipoff Barndogg and I roll iphone dice to see who gets the first gambling pick of the night. I win and Choose Carmelo Anthony and Luol Deng. Barndogg goes with Derrick Rose and John Salmons. Barndogg sets the 1st qtr +/- at 49 and I take the over.

Noah wins the tip from Nene and off we go. The Bulls come out strong, with Rose and Deng stringing together outside jumpers off high screen and roll to take an early 10-4 lead. And fresh off a game where he went for a career high 21 pts, Joakim Noah continues to ball. 7 rebounds, a blocked shot and a sweet little hook shot make for an effective first quarter. The defense looks good again tonight, Deng is really bothering Anthony, not letting him get to his spots and pressing on the perimeter. Taj Gibson is effective as well.

Speaking of Taj, he's involved in a moment that makes me realize I'm already starting to buy into this year's Bulls squad. About halfway through the quarter, Gibson is crashing the boards after a Denver miss, but is called for a loose ball foul on Kenyon Martin. A typical "hey rook" call, but it's the bench's reaction that's most interesting. Anytime there's a crap call against the home team, the crowd immediately reacts. But when Gibson gets the cheap whistle, the entire Bulls bench explodes in protest before the crowd can and then immediately starts clapping at Taj, pumping him up. These guys aren't just into the game, they also really like each other. That's a formula for success, people.

About halfway through the quarter, the Nuggets get it together and climb back in aided by a few Bulls turnovers and fouls. Billups gets to the line a couple times and Anthony finally starts getting to the rim and the stripe. The first quarter ends with the Nuggets up 22-20.

(wagering) The Bulls' renewed commitment to defense is messing with my paper. Barndogg wins with the under, but I take the tic-tac-toe game because Barndogg's representative (a tweenish blond girl) decides to overachieve and shoot from the free throw line rather than make layups like everyone else in the history of this timeout promotion. And the Bulls' reps on the floor just let her do it, nobody thought it was a good idea to let the poor girl know she could maybe move in a little bit.

I set the 2nd qtr +/- at 49 and Barndogg takes the over.

The second quarter opens with Carmelo sticking a three, then JR Smith stripping Noah and feeding Anthony for a layup. From there, the two squads just kind of trade punches, lots of lost balls, fouls and missed mid-range jumpers. Then the Bulls rally a bit. Gibson (still playing well) sandwiches two buckets around a Hinrich jumper to close the gap. Then the final third of the quarter begins to heat up. First Noah throws down a nice two handed dunk off a Deng pass; followed by a HUGE Taj Gibson dunk. Rose spots Gibson filling the lane, and feeds him. Gibson gathers the pass, and then goes up two handed over both Denver interior defenders to throw it down. After he lands, he puts his head down and busts his ass to go play D. Meanwhile, on the bench, Tyrus Thomas texts his real estate agent -- if Gibson keeps playing like this, Thomas' ass is gone for sure. Rose closes out the 2nd with a jumper to pull the Bulls within 3 at the half. Noah is a bucket shy of a double-double at half. Denver 46, Bulls 43.

(wagering) I take the second qtr +/- ... but just barely. Jannero Pargo misses a last second jump shot that would have earned him the win. Once again, gambling is the butter on top of the perfectly cooked steak.

At halftime Barndogg and I start to take our walk around the UC concourse when I get a call from K McG. He and his wife have seats on the 200 level and are going to come up to say hi and mingle with the unwashed on the 300 level. We meet them a short time later and spend the rest of halftime into the 3rd quarter talking. We part ways and make it back to our seats with about 7:00 minutes left in the third.

Good news on our return, the Bulls are now up by a bucket. It's short lived though, as Denver surges back. Billups scores a couple straight baskets followed by free throws, and then Aaron Afflalo hits a three and a layup. Ghosts of last year begin to appear, as Denver is really controlling the boards in the 3rd quarter.

During a timeout, the Bulls trot out the Chicago Bucket Boys, a popular street act. Four drummers banging out beats on upside down paint buckets. I actually like these guys, you'll see them around the city quite a bit. Barndogg, however, has apparently seen them around too much.

"These guys. Same shit over and over. They need to find a new wrinkle for this" he says.

The game starts up again and the quarter closes out with both the Nuggets and the Bulls scoring two hoops. End of the 3rd quarter, Denver 71, Bulls 66.

(wagering) Barndogg sets the line at 50 and I take the under.

The fourth quarter begins, and the Nuggets manage to keep their 5 point cushion through the first half of the final period. Then things start to get interesting, right before they get nutty. A Salmons three pulls the Bulls within two and Denver calls a timeout. Now, as I've mentioned before, our seats are in section 316, so while they're good seats for seeing the flow of the game (read: high up and far away), they're not so good for seeing up close details. That said, even from that distance I'm pretty sure I saw all three officials hit the rock pipe pretty hard during the break.

Once the game resumes, the Bulls are officially playing the Nuggets and the refs. First the refs steal a possession from the Bulls when they call a ridiculous jump ball on what would have been Noah's 20th (20th!) rebound. Denver controls the tip, but Deng gets Carmelo's layup attempt and the Bulls get out on the break. Rose clanks a mid-range jumper (bad shot, too early in the clock) and Denver gets the board. Then the refs strike again, giving the ball to Denver after a missed putback despite the fact that Carmelo cross checks Deng into the LovaBulls. Denver's ball, and they score on a garbage Kenyon Martin dunk. Nuggets 87, Bulls 83.

Then Hinrich and Rose go jumper / layup to tie the game, and the UC is rocking. Makes no difference, as Carmelo calmly buries a 17 footer with Deng all over him. Dude is smooth.

Bulls call a timeout and Rose gets fouled going to the hoop. It's great to see him so aggressive, I was afraid he'd be too willing to kick to a spot up shooter, but he took it hard to the cup. Even at the end of the game with every Nugget in the building clogging the paint, Rose manages to get in the lane and get fouled. It's these kind of plays where you know this kid is on another level. The Great Poohdini  calmly sinks both free throws and we're tied again.

After a Denver timeout the refs decide to take another big dump on the game when they call Hinrich for a reach in with no time left. Unbelievable. Billups got Kirk on his shoulder, made a move to the hoop and the whistle blows. Reverse the situation and Billups could have swung a pick axe into Hirich's groin and it wouldn't have been called. The NBA star system drives me nuts sometimes. Billups of course sinks the first, and then misses the second. Bulls rebound and call TO with .03 seconds left.

And then it happens. The Bulls advance the ball past halfcourt with the timeout, and set up their last play. Denver packs everyone under the basket, knowing that the Bulls have to throw it to the front of the rim and hope for the tip in.

Instead, they inbound to Brad Miller at the top of the key. He catches and turns for weirdly dainty hot-potato-volleyball-set-catch-and-release-shot.

It goes in. The horn goes off. Bulls win. Bulls win. Bulls win.

Everyone's going nuts, the crowd, the Bulls, the Bulls bench, even Del Negro. And then the inevitable happens. The refs review the play. Barndogg and I argue whether it counts or not. Both of us seem to remember a rule that states that with less than .06 on the clock, the ball can only be tipped in. We both also hope we don't know what the hell we're talking about. The officials take forever while the whole time the Bulls bench and coaches are screaming at them to count it. After (no joke) 5 minutes. The ref moves back from the scorers table, and in one motion waves the basket off.

Bulls lose.

Man did the place ever get quiet. The refs immediately sprint off the court right behind the Nuggets (presumably to get more of the crack JR Smith promised them). The crowd stands around for a second, literally not knowing what to do. Then we all file out of the building and make our way home. On the walk back to the car both Barndogg and I are still stunned to the point where the most insightful comments we make were along the lines of "Man, that sucked," and "That was crazy." Yup, we're superfans.

(wagering) Nobody wins the Dunkin Donut race (except Cuppy Coffee, but he was running for himself, not Barndogg or I). I come out ahead $10 bucks.

Observations:

Noah: Again, just a beast. 21 rebounds tonight. Wow.

Rose: Clutch, and getting more dangerous.

3pt shooting: just brutal.

Gibson: Looks like a more complete player right now than Thomas has in 3 years here.

The Bulls: With the exception of the Boston blowout, these guys have proven they can play with anyone.

Records listened to while writing this post: Baroness. (Also wow).

Game 1, Blog 1.

A couple firsts today:

First game of the Chicago Bulls' 44th campaign. First look at Simpkins' Dickey. Guess we'll see which has more staying power over the next 6 months (last Dickey themed joke written here).

The tip was at 7:00pm, So 5stone and I took off from work at about 5:30, grabbed some cash and headed over toward the UC for some food and beer before the game. Decided to brave the backwards baseball caps and "hey brahs" and go to to WestEnd Tavern. Despite our early arrival, the WestEnd was abuzz with junior date-rapists sporting North Face and "don't-take-no-for-an-answer" attitudes.

5stone spied what appeared to be the last open table, but as we made our way to it, a backward baseball cap moved toward us.

"That's my table."

Backwards baseball cap gestured crudely at the table. On it was a Blackberry. We looked at it, then at Backwards baseball cap. 5stone gives him the eyetalian stinkface and says,

"Oh. Didn't see your little cell phone marker there."

Backwards baseball cap thinks this a joke, and laughs. We don't, and go find an even better table in the corner. A few beers, a couple of sandwiches and we're off the the United Center to open the season with our Chicago Bulls. On our way out, we pass backwards baseball cap's table. It's still just him and his Blackberry. I ask if everyone's having fun. He blinks at me in response.

The walk to the UC is fun, on the way over you can feel the excitement coming from the fans. That's probably the best part of any opening day ... that "Here we go, it's gonna be a great year feeling" that in recent years has dried up before the end of November. Tonight's no different, and even though the opening game is against the loaded Spurs, spirits are high. We walk the long way around to drink it all in.

We make our way up to section 316 and stop at the bar right at our gate for pre-game beers. Before we even get in line the women behind the counter both smile in recognition and say hello. It's moments like these that remind us that when alcoholism isn't ruining lives, it's bringing us together. As per the terms of their employment, both bartenders agree that the Bulls are going to have a good year and will beat the Spurs tonight.

Their optimism turns out to be well founded, but we'll get to that soon.

We make our way to our seats and begin to hash out the business details of our nightly bets. I'm a firm believer that gambling, like bacon, makes everything better, and over the last years I've corrupted Barndogg and 5stone into believing the same. So Bulls games are always rife with contests within the contest.

What we ALWAYS bet on (each wager is worth $5):

- 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th quarter over/under.

- Each of us picks two players from either team, and total points at the end of the game wins the bet.

- The Dunkin Donut Race on the jumbotron.

- The Hinkley Springs truck race on the jumbotron.

- The InflataBull race.

- Tic Tac Toe.

and the grandaddy of them all -- The $1000 souvenir t-shirt catch. Premise is, if you catch a souvenir t-shirt (either dropped from the rafters, tossed from a cheerleader, or shot out of a cannon) the person you're with owes you $1000. We're on the 3rd level, so it doesn't really come into play very often, but there have been a few close calls -- which are stories in and of themselves.

I end up choosing Tim Duncan and Derrick Rose, 5stone gets Tony Parker and Tyrus Thomas. He sets the +/- at 53 for the quarter and I take the over.

We settle into our seats as the Spurs are announced to the Imperial March. It's fitting -- they're a big team, dressed in all black warm ups. Now I know that everyone at this level is supremely gifted, but this has the feeling of High School seniors vs sophomores in dodgeball. As the lineup of Duncan, Parker, Jefferson, McDyess and Finley is announced, I am a bit worried that this will not work out well for the Bulls.

Then the sound begins. It's a really loud, deep, but also clipped noise coming from behind us. I turn around to see an overweight Spurs fan standing, banging his meaty hands together and LOUDLY barking what turns out the word "yeah" after each player is introduced. Great. This is what we'll have to hear all night.

The lights dim and the familiar Chicago Bulls introduction music begins. At center court a very tall ladder stands alone. As the music builds, Benny the Bull appears and begins to dramatically scale the ladder.

So dramatic ... will he dive off the top? Let off fireworks from his lofty perch? Ascend to the heavens on guide wires?

Nope. Benny waves a flag. Yay. Let's get it on and whatnot. The Bulls are loudly supported during their first intros of the year, although I'm a little annoyed at the lack of folks standing to cheer. This is the same team that just gave us one of most memorable 1st rd playoff series ever and we can't stand up to welcome/thank them? Whatever. I stand and represent.

Finally, game time. The Bulls win the tip and off we go. The first quarter was definitely a feeling out process, fairly evenly matched. I'm immediately encouraged for a couple of reasons:

Rose, despite the bum ankle, is moving well. And more importantly, so is the ball. As expected, the Bulls run a ton of high screen rolls, bringing Noah out to set the picks. But when they're not going screen roll, the ball is whipping around the perimeter, with everyone making the right pass. Scoring is evenly distributed, with no Bull breaking out. Bad news is John Salmons is shooting like someone just gave him a basketball for the first time in his life. This keeps up and we'll be wishing for the Ben Gordon era back.

Conversely, Noah looks great. This whole "get in shape thing" that we've been hearing so much about seems to be true. His arms are finally bigger than my wife's and it looks like he can sustain his manic pace up much longer. So although I'm not surprised at how the Bulls are running offense, it's nice to see it functioning effectively. And this style should work well against the older Spurs, make the old, creaky guys switch and recover all night and maybe they'll wear down. First quarter ends with the Spurs up by one 23-22, but the Bulls are definitely beating the Spurs to the punch on rebounds and loose balls. Good news is that the close game has quieted pudgy Spurs fan behind us.

(wagering) 5stone wins the 1st qtr bet with the under. And then deals me a crushing defeat in the InflataBull race. For those who don't know, this race consists of 3 fans putting on huge inflatable Benny the Bull suits, then racing 2 lengths of the court. I have Bull #1, 5stone has #2. Bull #1 just dominates the race, leads wire to wire, or rather, wire to 5 feet from the finish line, where he stops to do a celebratory jig. And gets passed. And costs me $5 bucks. I express my displeasure loudly enough to where 5stone has to explain to the couple seated next to us why his friend is yelling obscenities at a guy in a balloon bull suit. Net result, 5stone up $10.

2nd Qtr. I set the +/- at 50 and 5stone takes the over.

This quarter follows the same script as the first, a tight back and forth affair. Duncan is unstoppable, he's wearing out the backboard on that patented bank shot from the elbow extended. Noah seems content to let him drain that shot all game long, which is a little weird, because Joakim has been everywhere all game long -- around every loose ball, tipping the ball on offensive rebounds, showing hard on high screen and rolls and rebounding like hell. Maybe Vinny still owes Tim money or something, because he seems to be content leaving Noah out there alone to get picked apart.

Good news is Duncan is the Spurs' only bright spot, Ginobli is ineffective off the bench and the much heralded Richard Jefferson is a non-factor. I credit the Bulls here, they were really switching well on defense (can't believe I wrote that) rebounding, (ditto) and staying away from dumb fouls. They're winning the game, and they're doing it at the defensive end! Rose punctuates this by volleyball spiking a Richard Jefferson take off a turnover. This kid is nuts, he simply jumped, hung in the air, waited for Jefferson to go through his series of ball fakes, and then mashed the shot from behind.

Brad Miller is huge for the second unit, they're basically letting him play point guard from the high post; he either dishes to the cutter, or sticks the J if the defense plays pass. He even threw in a couple of the "ball fake, get his man off his feet, then take 15 minutes to drive to the hoop" moves the crowd loves so much. Miller thinks fast, plays slllloooowwww.

Salmons continues to stink up the joint, while other Bulls do things too. Did I mention we drink quite a bit at these games? Probably important to mention. Bulls lead at the half 47-46.

(wagering) I win with the 2nd qtr under, but during a break, we have a new McDonald's hamburger game that 5stone and I bet on. The gist of it is that each team has to make a basket and then put on another layer of a burger costume (bun, lettuce, meat, pickle, bun). 5stone's team changes into a burger much more efficiently than mine. He's still up $10.

Halftime. We do our usual ritual of grabbing a beer and taking a long, leisurely stroll around the 300 level, admiring the rich tapestry that is the Chicago Bulls fan base. Halftime comes to a close, so we grab another beer and return to our seats ready for some second half action. I set the +/- at 50 and 5stone takes the over.

The second half begins and the Bulls just take it to the Spurs. They're outplaying them all over the floor, with Deng, Hinrich and Thomas (welcome to the party) all contributing. It's anything but a picturesque effort, with both teams are shooting like crap -- especially from behind the arc. But the Bulls are again doing all the little things to win, rebounding, second chance buckets, making their free throws. They just plain look tougher than the team who's supposed to be the definition of a tough team. They also get a break when Tony Longoria exits the game for good after a spill. 5stone is not pleased with this turn of events, but Duncan (well on his way to 28, 16, 3) had already earned me 5 bucks. Bulls win the quarter 27-18.

(wagering) I win again with the under, and Hinckley Springs truck #1 comes through for me as well, and suddenly the gambling gods are smiling upon me. 5stone is angered, and takes it out on his beer.

(LuvaBulls) It's the first night for this squad too, and we immediately notice that they've done some housecleaning; lots of fresh, new, eerily permagrinning faces. What's stayed the same is the organization's relentless commitment to below average dancing. The '09 LuvaBulls stagger their way through a few cheesy megamixes culminated by a truly weird group yearbook photo pose finish. Now my guess is the LBs are supposed to be cut from the same cloth as say the Laker Girls, but for some reason it's never really worked. They're pretty -- but not jaw dropping pretty, more like Kappa Kappa Gamma bid day pretty. They dance, but it's not really professional dancing, more like someone plucked them off the bar of a suburban Coyote Ugly, pushed them into some glittery spandex and then threw them out on center court before they had the chance to sober up type dancing.

The 4th qtr begins, and 5stone sets the +/- at 48. I take the over. The final stanza is pretty uneventful, with the Bulls and Spurs for the most part trading buckets. Thomas continues the nice run he started in the 3rd quarter, which is nice because maybe it means he'll start showing the consistency we've all been dying for, but also because 5stone is annoyed he showed up too late. The Spurs take the quarter 21-18 but the Bulls win the game. The crowd is legitimately geeked, and also (full disclosure) a little surprised. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win on opening day against a team more than a few experts have chosen to go to the Finals. If the Bulls play like this at home all year, they're going to be a tough out even on the nights their shooting is off. Exciting stuff.

A couple of numbers jumped out at me:

52. Bulls pulled down 52 rebounds to the Spurs' 44. Doubled them on offensive boards 15-8.

.417. The Bulls shooting percentage. Awful. This has to get better.

9. Only 9 turnovers. This is good for a still young team.

Deng finishes with 17, 9,

Thomas 13, 10

Noah 10,10 (Played way bigger than this)

Rose, 13, 7, 7

Hinrich 14, 2, 6

(wagering) Biggie Bagel takes the Dunkin Donut Race for me -- nice kick over the last 300 pixels, but I call the +/- wrong so 5stone and I end up even. Who cares, Bulls win!