No candles were lit, not even a cake. And the big present with a bow on top ended up being filled with nothing but an “L.”
Happy anniversary, LeBron!
Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of LeBron James’ first game against the Bulls, and excuse the home team if they weren’t in much of a celebratory mood. In fact, the Bulls proved to be downright terrible hosts for the festivities.
James got his — when doesn’t he against the Bulls? — scoring 25 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists, but it was the well-rounded offensive attack that again proved to be too much for the Lakers, with the Bulls pulling out the 124-108 victory.
“For me it’s always a pleasure to play against one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “I try not to take it for granted. Looking back on it one day when I’m older, to say that I got to play against [James], so that’s how I view it.”
Still, James continued to impress at 38 years old in his 21st NBA season.
“That he’s shooting the ball well,” the Bulls’ Alex Caruso said when asked what he was still seeing from James at this point in his Hall of Fame career. “That was the kind of the thing. Over his career, he has gotten better and he has changed his game.”
Caruso would know.
He spent the early part of his career with the Lakers trying to earn playing time, and then trying to earn James’ respect. Caruso checked both of those boxes by the time he left Hollywood.
“Expect nothing less,” Caruso added. “[James has] been one of the smartest players to play the game. He’s smart enough to figure out what he needs to get better at and put the work in to get there.”
Not that the Bulls (12-17) have been falling short in the IQ department lately.
The Bulls improved to 7-3 in their last 10, which was also the same time that Zach LaVine was shut down with right foot soreness. With LaVine out of the mix, the offensive and defensive ratings have improved, the pace has been better, and the ball movement has put pressure on opposing teams.
A coincidence?
Maybe, but there’s also a reason that LaVine — who made it known last month that he was all for being sent elsewhere — has found out that there is still no real trade market for his services.
By beating the Lakers (15-13) on Wednesday, maybe the Bulls helped themselves a bit by letting Los Angeles know they may need LaVine in purple and gold more than they believe. The Lakers have been rumored to be the most logical landing spot for LaVine, especially with his link with the Klutch Sports agency.
Just don’t expect anything to happen soon, and don’t expect the Bulls to state the obvious about it.
Coach Billy Donovan was again asked about the team playing better basketball without LaVine, and did his best to bob and weave.
“Zach can play any style because he can put it on the floor, he can shoot threes, and he can get to the rim,” Donovan said. “With him coming back in, he fits in to the way we’re trying to play. You might say, ‘Why didn’t you play that way in the beginning?’ There have been some improvements that we’ve made of how we need to play.
“I believe that if he can become healthy, he’ll thrive a great deal in what we’re trying to do.”
His teammates certainly thrived, as DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points with nine assists, and White chipped in 17 with five assists. Caruso and Patrick Williams added 15 points each.
“Really good win for us against a really good team that has championship aspirations,” White said.
