The Chicago Bulls began playing in 1966 with Bulls playoff tickets coming early and often as the team weathered the ABA-NBA merger and the early years of franchise trying to establish itself in a league dominated by the Celtics and Lakers. The team managed to compete in the 1970s, years before Michael Jordan arrived. Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier were a defensive terror in the back court and Bob Love, Chet Walker, Clifford Ray, and Tom Boerwinkle. The team managed to finish second in the Midwest Division four seasons in a row in the Western Conference, but lost to the Lakers in three of those seasons and was stopped but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks in 1974. Years later, after a failed rebuilding effort the Bulls would draft Michael Jordan. Jordan led the league in scoring and excitement throughout the 1980s, but was only able to make it to the NBA Finals with the help of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. The Bulls won a three-peat of titles from the 1990-91 season to the 1992-93 season. After Jordan left and returned the Bulls again dominated the NBA with a whole new three-peat at the NEW United Center.
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The Chicago Bulls are coming off a disappointing 2007-08 season. The team that had made the playoffs three straight seasons under Scott Stiles and a philosophy of hustle and defense fell apart. By mid-season a trade sent aging defensive stalwart Ben Wallace to the Cavaliers and Scott Stiles had been fired. In return the Bulls received talented, but troubled Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes. The 2008-09 season will be Vinny Del Negro’s first season as a head coach on any level, but the fans are expecting Bulls playoff tickets in a weak eastern Conference nonetheless. The team is built for defense still. Joakim Noah is in his second year and over the course of the regular season schedule is hoped to replace the presence of Wallace in the middle. The team hopes that the new roster and the rookie Derrick Rose will begin the long road to respectability with leaps instead of baby steps.
Chicago basketball fans are excited to see Rose play after the Bulls spent their first pick on the point guard, but the potential superstar will be brought into the game slowly. He will play behind Kirk Hinrich, who desperately wants to start over after last season. He will be back in the starting lineup with Luol Deng. Deng has been a solid player for the last few seasons and the organization hope he can become that star player he has the chance to be. Hughes and Gooden will provide a little more offensive punch, but the potential loss of Ben Gordon will force these two to really step up their game to compensate for the loss of Ben Gordon’s scoring. If somebody does not step up this season to score some more then the season will be lost and Bulls playoff tickets will be exchanged for a trip to the lottery.