Meet The Celtics Next Opponents

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Heading for the playoffs....

New-look Bulls have high hopes 
New attitude not the only thing different this season 
Friday, October 10, 2003
By Paul Ladewski
Staff writer, Daily Southtown 

Fans may do a double-take at the United Center tonight, when the Bulls host the Boston Celtics in their preseason home opener. 
For one, the home team bench has moved from the northwest side of the court to the northeast section, where the visitors had been stationed in the past. 
The change is designed partly to allow the team to stay clear of media and mostly rival scouts who sit at the west end, and partly to prevent a potential conflict when players and coaches cross paths on the way to their respective locker rooms. 
"It's good," Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said. "I never liked being at that (other) end. I always thought we should switch and asked (former general manager) Jerry (Krause) about it last year, but he felt we couldn't do it. This year we will, and I think it's excellent." 
Said Bulls GM John Paxson: "We don't want to make (the fans) unhappy, but it's something that needs to be done. Somewhere down the line, an incident could happen. So why risk it?" 
Yet it's a different kind of change  one in focus and attitude at the defensive end  that may turn on the fans even more. Or at least Cartwright and his staff hope so. 
In a possible sneak preview in the preseason opener, a 96-82 loss at Indiana on Wednesday night, Tyson Chandler shoved the Pacers' Greg Foster and was socked with a technical foul. 
"I don't pick out players who I want to mess with," said Chandler, who also blocked eight shots in 30 minutes. "I was just aggressive. During the course of the game, players get fired up and react. It was nothing personal, but that's what happened." 
Said Cartwright: "I like the emotion. You have to play with emotion on the floor. If a guy grabs him, Tyson has to whatever he has to do to get him off." 
Veterans Scottie Pippen and Jalen Rose won't be in uniform. Both sat out practice at the Berto Center on Thursday morning. 
The 38-year-old Pippen will ease into the lineup at his own pace, while Rose is sidelined because of a sprained left thumb that may keep him out of action for three weeks. 
"We've got to be smart about how we handle these guys," Cartwright said. "Ultimately, it's great to win in the preseason, but as we all know, the regular season is more important. We want to make sure everybody is healthy and ready to go at the start of the season." 
Eddie Robinson also remains sidelined because of sore hamstrings and a bruised back. The latter injury was the result of an offensive foul that Robinson took against Marcus Fizer in practice last week. 
The status of Chandler (back), Fizer (left knee) and Eddy Curry (left hamstring) will be determined at game time. 
In his NBA debut, first-round draft pick Kirk Hinrich committed five turnovers before he fouled out after 19 minutes in Wednesday night's preseason game. 
"We know what kind of year it will be for Kirk  up and down," Cartwright said. "He will come to understand these (opponent) guards and what he can and cannot do against them. I'm not concerned about him at all."