The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (the NBA).  The Chicago Bulls play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference with four other teams: the Detroit Pistons, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks. Ticket Chest carries a full supply of tickets to the Bulls and all other NBA teams.  Bulls tickets will surely be hard to come by during the 2010-2011 NBA schedule.

***Breaking News - Chicago Bulls sign-and-trade for Carlos Boozer  from Utah Jazz to create deadly inside-outside combo with Superstar Guard Derrick Rose.  Bulls make move in the hopes of creating a deep squad to compete with the Miami Heat's new 3-headed monster - Dwayne Wade, Lebron James & Chris Bosh - for the Eastern Conference Crown during the 2010-2011 NBA schedule.***

Bulls 2009-2010 Outlook

The Miami Heat finished the 2009-2010 NBA season with a 41-41 record under Head Coach for the second season in a row.  The Bulls were the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference in the NBA playoffs.  The Bulls lost to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs in a hard fought 5-game series.  The previous season, the Boston Celtics eliminated the Bulls in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs in an exciting and controversial 7-game series in which Derrick Rose emerged as a star of the near future for the NBA.  Rose led the team with 20.8 points per game and 6.0 assists per game during the regular season.  Forward Luol Deng was 2nd in the team in scoring with a 17.6 points per game average.  Center Joakim Noah truly emerged as a legitimate NBA leader, grabbing 11 boards per game as well as pitching in on the offensive end with a respectable 10.7 points per game average.  The Bulls also have high hopes for rookie Taj Gibson who scored 9 points per game and grabbed 7.5 rebounds per game in roughly 26 minutes of playing time night in and night out.

The Bulls spent the end of the regular season and the off-season releasing and trading players in order to free enough salary cap space to land one or more super star free agents - Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or Joe Johnson, just to name a few - to team up with Rose at the United Center in Chicago's West Loop.  Bulls brass traded John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas before the end of the season.  They fired Vinny Del Negro soon after the end of the playoffs elimination and then unloaded Kirk Hinrich to free up even more monetary cap space.  Before the July 1st free agency free-for-all, the Bulls also announced the hiring of their new coach - Tom Thibodeau.  Thibodeau is a long-time assistant coach who has been a part of NBA Championship teams.  Thibodeau has a unique way of creating a great defensive strategy while also bringing out the best in his players. 

After losing out on the James-Wade-Bosh sweepstakes, the Bulls immediately went to Plan B and signed Power Forward Carlos Boozer.  Boozer is a tough NBA veteran with great scoring and rebounding numbers.  The Bulls also signed outside sharp-shooter Kyle Korver and are looking to add J.J. Reddick from the Orlando Magic.  The Bulls would also like to bring back Center Brad Miler to back-up Noah, assuming Miller is willing to play for a little less money than he might otherwise get from another team.  With a new-look Bulls lineup set to explode during the 2010-2011 NBA regular season, it is sure going to be a fun NBA season to watch for Bulls fans all across the country.  Get your Bulls NBA tickets at the United Center before it's too late.

History

The Chicago Bulls joined the ranks of the NBA as an expansion team in 1966.  In their first season, the Chicago Bulls recorded the most wins (33) by any expansion team in NBA history and qualified for post-season play for the 1st time in the franchise’s history.  The Chicago Bulls of the 1970’s were known for their toughness and solid team defense.  The Chicago Bulls relied upon guards Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier, forwards Chet Walker and Bob Love, and centers Clifford Ray and Tom Boerwinkle, but the Chicago Bulls only recorded one division title during that stretch.  From the late 1970’s through the early 1980’s, the Chicago Bulls were one of the worst teams in the NBA.  A coin flip prior to the 1979 NBA Draft perpetuated the Chicago Bulls demise as the Los Angeles Lakers won the coin toss and selected the legendary Magic Johnson with the 1st overall pick.  The Chicago Bulls selected David Greenwood with the 2nd pick and the rest was history.

The Chicago Bulls fortunes changed in the summer of 1984 as the Bulls received the 3rd overall pick in the NBA Draft.  The Houston Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon first, the Portland Trailblazers selected Sam Bowie second, and the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan third.  Owner Jerry Reinsdorf and General Manager Jerry Krause decided to rebuild the Chicago Bulls franchise around the great Michael Jordan, and the move would reap huge rewards.  In only his 1st season in the league, Michael Jordan finished 3rd in the league in scoring, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team and he was awarded with the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.  The Chicago Bulls also advanced to the playoffs for the 1st time in 3 years and that set off a run of 14 straight years in which the Chicago Bulls advanced to the playoffs.  Despite the immediate impact Michael Jordan had on the franchise, it still took 6 long years before the Chicago Bulls tasted their first NBA Championship.  The Chicago Bulls were ousted in the 1st round of the playoffs from 1985-1987, and the Chicago Bulls then lost to the Detroit Pistons in 3 consecutive playoff series from 1988-1990, 2 of which occurred during the Eastern Conference Finals.  But during this time, the Chicago Bulls also added some key pieces to the puzzle to bring together the team that head coach Phil Jackson thought was good enough to win.  The new starting lineup of John Paxson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright were helped by newcomers B.J. Armstrong, Will Perdue and Stacey King.  And finally, following the 1990-1991 season, the Chicago Bulls exacted revenge on the Detroit Pistons with a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Chicago Bulls went onto defeat Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals to claim the franchise’s first ever NBA Championship.  The Chicago Bulls followed that NBA Championship with 2 more consecutive championships – a 4-2 series win over the Portland Trailblazers in 1991-1992 and a 4-2 series win over Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns in 1992-1993.  During the summer of 1993, Michael Jordan shocked the world by announcing his retirement from the NBA. 

For the next 2 seasons, the Chicago Bulls advanced to the NBA playoffs but could never advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals.  But in that 2nd year, Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls lineup and proved that he still had what it took to remain among the league’s elite players.  The Chicago Bulls retooled during the summer of 1995 and returned with a starting lineup of Michael Jordan, Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Luc Longley.   The solid bench of Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Bill Wennington and Judd Buechler helped the Chicago Bulls to post the best record (72-10) in NBA history.  The Chicago Bulls coasted through the playoffs en route to a 4-2 NBA Finals series win over the Seattle Supersonics for the franchise’s 4th NBA Championship in 6 years.  The Chicago Bulls followed up their 1st NBA Finals 3-peat with another NBA Finals 3-peat from 1996 through 1998.  In each of the next 2 seasons, the Chicago Bulls defeated Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz 4-2 to capture their 2nd 3-peat in 8 years.  Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls for good after the 1998 season with his numerous NBA scoring titles, MVP honors and 6 NBA Championships.  After the dismantling of the Chicago Bulls dynasty, the Chicago Bulls failed to make the playoffs from 1999 through 2004.  Jerry Krause stepped down as General Manager of the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2003 and long-time fan favorite John Paxson was brought into the GM office to rejuvenate the stagnant franchise.  Paxson has put together a solid group of young players through the NBA draft and via trades, but the team has yet to fully live up to the high expectations.  Young stars Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni led the Chicago Bulls to their 1st playoff series win during the 2006-2007 season.  However, a lackluster performance by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the hated Detroit Pistons left the Chicago Bulls wanting more for the 2007-2008 season.          

The Chicago Bulls have retired the following players’ numbers:  Jerry Sloan’s #4; Bob Love’s #10; Michael Jordan’s #23; and Scottie Pippen’s #33.  General Manager Jerry Krause and Head Coach Phil Jackson, both instrumental in bringing 6 NBA Championships to the franchise in the 1990’s, have both been honored with banners hanging from the United Center rafters.

Bulls TV/Radio

All Chicago Bulls basketball games can be seen on the Comcast Sports television networks in the greater Illinois area.  Local Chicago television stations WGN and WCIU will also broadcast a limited number of home games each season.  ABC, ESPN and TNT may also televise Chicago Bulls games based on the popularity of the game.  Tune into ESPN Radio 1000WMVP on your AM dial to catch each Chicago Bulls basketball game on the radio.

Chicago Bulls United Center games are where all of  their home games take place.  The United Center opened in 1994.  In addition to hosting Chicago Bulls NBA home games, the United Center also hosts all of the home professional hockey games for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (the NHL).  The United Center holds a seating capacity of 21,711 devoted die-hard Chicago Bulls fans.  The United Center has also played host to numerous memorable and historic concerts and special events during its 14 year history, including University of Illinois men’s basketball games, Big Ten Men’s College Basketball Tournament games, Men’s NCAA College Basketball Tournament games, and the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

Visit the United Center event schedule for a full listing of games and events

Stadium:
United Center
1901 West Madison Street
Chicago, Illinois 60612

www.nba.com/bulls 
www.unitedcenter.com

2007-2008 Bulls
2009-2010 Bulls