Bulls Setting the Pace, but Not at the Speedway

The Chicago Bulls are in Indianapolis to play basketball, not to watch race cars.

Therefore, the players will be banned from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on their day off between Games 3 and 4.

“I thought it would take too much out of us on an off day,” said Coach Phil Jackson, who handed down the Indy 500 ban as the Bulls, holding a 2-0 lead, prepared to play the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 today.

Some of the Bulls reportedly were trying to secure a luxury suite at the racetrack for Sunday’s Indy 500, which begins at 11 a.m. local time, about the same time the team will be scheduled to hold practice.

“I didn’t want guys to come here in 100-degree temperatures and stand out there in the infield,” Jackson said. “They’d end up losing their game on Sunday instead of playing it on Monday.”

By the time the gentlemen start their engines, the tone of this series will have changed.

Either the Pacers will have closed their deficit to 2-1, or the Bulls will be ahead, 3-0, a lead no NBA team has ever blown.

“We’re definitely facing an uphill battle, but I think this team is up to the challenge understanding there’s no looking back and tomorrow is a pivotal game,” Reggie Miller said. “Any time you’re down, you should always have some measure of desperation.”

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The Bulls were fined $50,000 by the NBA for failing to make their players available to the media after Thursday’s practice.