In Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic, Coach Tom Thibodeau not only earned his 100th victory, but he also earned some fan points when he put in crowd favorite Brian Scalabrine with a 20-plus-point lead and 23 seconds left in the game. It turned out to be a wise move because Scalabrine did not get his hands on the ball and therefore, did not miss a shot.
Scalabrine immediately took to the floor in an impressive style and played heroic defense against an inbound pass that somehow made it through the pale kaleidoscope of swinging appendages.
Then, as the clock was ticking down to 0.00, John Lucas brought the ball up the floor and weaved between disinterested Magic players. He stopped and turned to see who was with him. The closest player was none other than Scalabrine. Lucas looked like he might pass the ball to the White Mamba, but in perhaps his wisest move of the season, Scalabrine quickly turned away and headed to the Bulls bench to begin the early celebration for the victory. Bulls fans in attendance stood up and applauded the forward’s quick and calculating thinking.
After the game Scalabrine, breathed a few sighs of relief to go along with his excitement at going 0-0.
“The was the first game in a long time where I didn’t have civies on underneath my warm-ups. Did I really think I was going to get in the game against the Magic? Hell no!” said Scalabrine. “And the fact that I didn’t miss a shot really shows how much my game has improved.”
The NBA took notice of the 23 seconds Scalabrine played and named him runner-up for Player of the Week.
