February 10, 2021: The Long and Winding Road

The road nowadays feels even longer than it did before, but in the NHL and NBA that long and winding road will be shorter than normal. With 56 and 72 games respectively, both leagues will not play the full 82 game season. It doesn’t mean that it still won’t be a roller coaster ride. Since we’re still trying to lay low, and not much else going on, watching them on a nightly basis has become consistently more doable.

How about them Blackhawks? They swept the back to back 2 game set against the Stars in Dallas by identical 2-1 scores in OT on Tuesday night. I thought the Kane to DeBrincat goal was nice, and it was, but the Hagel to Suter goal in this one was even prettier. Yeah, I’m already familiar with Suter, with his introductory to NHL goal scoring being a hat trick against the Wings, and currently sitting as one of the top goal scorers for rookies. Pius… pronounced P-WE-SS… I think… has looked pretty good; this game winning goal was pretty too. Now Hagel on the other hand…. still getting used to the new guys. Brandon Hagel, funny enough, made his NHL debut last year against the Sharks; I don’t remember that specifically, but I do remember that game, because it was the last one before the season was cancelled due to COVID. I don’t think 1 game eliminates your rookie status, but regardless, another baby Hawk at 22 years old doing good things. His entry into the zone with speed on this last play of the game before dropping the puck off to Suter was pretty nice to see. From what I’ve seen and heard, he’s been looking pretty good; more to come of course.

And then there is the Bulls, who lost an ugly one against the Wizards after Zach missed a game tying layup in the final seconds on Monday night, but bounced back against the Pelicans on Wednesday night. I know we’re shorthanded, and that is going to add up for this team unfortunately… Unfortunately, this is a familiar story with Wendell and Lauri, and of course Otto, who missed Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans. Still, we should have beat the Wizards; no business losing to them… that’s the Boylen Bulls right there… no more of that. Bouncing back to win against the Pelicans, being shorthanded, was the Billy Bulls. Well, when Zach and Coby hit 8+ three pointers each for the first time in NBA history that a pair of teammates has done it, not much coaching right? Just keep shooting and making. I thought that was going to fade in the second half, as it did right before halftime, but nope… the Bulls stayed hot and crushed the Pelicans in the 3rd quarter, leading to a pretty easy win in what looked to be a difficult matchup.

The Bulls still sit 1 game out of the 8th playoff spot. With the injuries I mentioned above, I’m not sure how much progress the Bulls will make in the short term. They’re definitely better, and will continue to get better, just not sure if they’re good enough to overcome the absence of Wendell and Lauri. If Zach and Coby keep shooting like they did on Wednesday, well, then yeah, it can happen; I just worry when we fall in love with the trey… The Blackhawks, even with more games played than others, are overachieving thus far, as they sit only 3 points behind Tampa Bay for the top spot in the 2021 formed Central division. I wonder, not worry, how long this will last. It’s been fun to watch them win more than I expected, and I’m perfectly fine with enjoying this ride while it lasts. Who knows? It’s all about the journey, and for a lot of us right now, even more than ever, it is day to day… and that’s OK. The beautiful grind…