In a way, the Chicago Bulls got two wins on Wednesday and all they had to do was take Game 2 from the Milwaukee Bucks. Their 114-110 victory was as inspiring as it was surprising. The series now shifts to Chicago on Friday for Game 3.
In the excitement of the upset, the Los Angeles Lakers caught some strays on Twitter from fans and media alike.
The cause?
Bulls guard Alex Caruso finished the contest with a playoff career-high 10 assists to go with nine points, two rebounds, two steals, and two blocks with just one turnover. He also finished as a game-high plus-16.
It’s stat lines such as this and his mindset that endeared him to Laker Nation. Wednesday they were reminded of just what it is they missed out on this season.
Salt in the Wound
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor might not have gotten things started. The Lakers have been on the wrong end of plenty of jokes after finishing the season 33-49 and out of the postseason entirely not even qualifying for the Play-In Tournament.
Seeing Caruso play such a pivotal role for his new team, a team that was in the lottery last season, undoubtedly stung.
O’Connor was there to rub salt in the wound.
That drew a response from Spotrac and Celtics Blog contributor, Keith Smith, who pointed out that the Lakers accomplished their goal of “Saving that tax money though…”.
The Lakers infamously received (and returned) a government loan despite being valued at $5.5 billion as of October 2021, per Forbes, the third-highest in the NBA behind the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey gave props to DeRozan and his career-high 41 points before slipping in a dig at L.A.’s front office.
Fanning the Flames
Caruso told The Athletic’s Bill Oram in November that he wanted to return to the Lakers but they refused to come up from their initial offer of $21 million over three years. He was willing to re-sign for two years and $20 million total.
Now, both Caruso and DeMar DeRozan – who also wanted to be a Laker at one point – have helped Chicago knot their series at one game apiece.
Lakers fans certainly noticed.
This user didn’t just stop at Caruso, he reminded his fellow fans just what their team has let slip from its grasp in recent years.
That is a fairly extensive list of players but hindsight is always 20-20.
A Winning Mindset
There is an iconic scene in the movie “The Other Guys” where Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are chasing suspects. They decide that their best plan of pursuit is to jump from several stories high and simply “aim for the bushes”.
The duo jumps and gravity takes over from there.
That has to be what it felt like taking multiple charges from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, but Caruso did it.
One of two former champions in the Bulls’ locker room along with Tristan Thompson, Caruso dropped a nugget of wisdom on his teammates postgame.
Mo Mooncey of the Hoop Genius Podcast said Caruso was a “monster” and the Bulls’ “hero”.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball News summed it up perfectly.
“Alex Caruso to Chicago may legitimately be one of the most important and impactful signings of last offseason.”
After the Bulls knotted their opening-round series up thanks in large part to Caruso’s efforts, it is hard to argue against that.
Lakers Get Roasted on Twitter for Missing out on Bulls ‘Hero’