Early Wednesday morning Elton Brand asked about life back in Chicago and joked with former teammates as the Clippers and Bulls crossed paths on the Staples Center court.
Then he found out the Bulls entered Wednesday night’s game with a better record–by one game–than the Clippers.
The smile faded.
“Oh, wow, really?” Brand said. “We have to win now.”
Brand and the Bulls forever will be linked for the June 2001 trade that sent the former No. 1 pick to Los Angeles and brought high schooler Tyson Chandler to Chicago. Their bond is a strong one, given the high-profile nature of the trade and their teams’ records are as good a measure of the trade as any.
Brand and Chandler tried to downplay the meeting, especially since Chandler now starts at center and matched up with Michael Olowokandi instead of the power forward Brand.
But no matter their words, there is extra juice involved.
“It’s a blur when I play these guys,” Brand said. “I know them. I know the coaching staff. I’ve moved on, but they’re still friends.”
Chandler played his high school ball at nearby Dominguez High in Compton and secured 60 tickets for friends and family. He spent Tuesday night having dinner with his family.
Last season Chandler obsessed over Brand, knowing he had big shoes to fill. This season the focus was less on Brand and the homecoming and more on getting started quickly.
“I love playing at home because it gives you energy,” Chandler said. “I can’t worry about Elton. I have to worry about getting going early. If I get off early, my confidence goes up and I have a good game. At the beginning of the game, I try to get good shots and set the tone.”
Chandler started quickly Wednesday, blocking an Olowokandi shot on the Clippers’ first possession and hitting his first shot, a 12-foot jumper. Later in the quarter, he scored while getting fouled but missed the ensuing free throw.
Meanwhile, Brand picked up two quick fouls in the first 5 minutes 18 seconds and had to sit for the remainder of the first quarter.
Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said he was happy Chandler is less focused on Brand and more worried about his own performance now.
“He wants to show everybody that we made the right deal in getting him,” Cartwright said. “But he certainly has time to prove people wrong. And I think he will.”
Cartwright also understood the importance of the first of this five-game trip.
“A win in the first game can set a huge tone,” he said before the game. “It’s obvious that we have to win on the road.”
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Because of the late start of the Bulls-Clippers game, final results were not available until later editions.
Road woes
The Bulls have struggled to a 2-20 road record entering Wednesday night’s game in Los Angeles with the Clippers. Here is a breakdown of the team’s numbers at home and on the road, as well as the key individuals.
TEAM W-L FG% 3P% FT% REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 15-7 .454 .375 .711 43.6 22.0 7.5 5.3 96.1
Road 2-20 .430 .310 .692 42.8 20.2 7.8 5.7 92.2
ROSE MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 41.7 .435 .412 .855 4.5 4.6 0.9 0.3 23.9
Road 40.4 .385 .352 .814 4.0 4.5 0.8 0.5 22.4
MARSHALL MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 30.8 .478 .542 .885 9.2 1.8 1.3 1.0 14.5
Road 31.0 .491 .263 .735 10.0 1.3 1.2 1.2 15.0
FIZER MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 21.3 .471 .500 .573 5.7 1.2 0.5 0.4 11.8
Road 21.3 .466 .000 .731 5.8 1.3 0.3 0.6 11.8
WILLIAMS MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 29.1 .436 .359 .532 3.1 6.2 1.6 0.3 11.5
Road 29.9 .308 .175 .629 3.0 4.4 1.2 0.2 7.6
CHANDLER MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 20.2 .570 .000 .675 5.6 1.0 0.4 1.0 8.7
Road 20.7 .482 .000 .479 4.8 0.8 0.4 1.3 6.8
CRAWFORD MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 20.7 .395 .318 .778 2.1 3.2 1.1 0.3 8.0
Road 20.7 .390 .340 .704 1.9 3.1 0.6 0.3 7.5
CURRY MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 15.2 .489 .000 .581 3.6 0.4 0.1 0.5 5.8
Road 13.7 .560 .000 .571 2.5 0.4 0.2 0.4 6.4
ROBINSON MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 17.4 .506 .200 .850 2.2 0.6 0.6 0.1 5.1
Road 20.3 .491 .000 .760 3.9 0.8 1.1 0.2 6.0
HASSELL MN FG 3P FT REB AST ST BL PTS
Home 27.5 .388 .300 .765 3.7 1.9 0.5 1.2 5.4
Road 26.3 .395 .409 .333 3.0 2.3 0.8 0.8 4.9
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