Bulls regain spot among NBA's elite teams

Settling down on Christmas Day to watch Michael Jordan and the Bulls used to be a holiday tradition in Chicago.

So maybe some fans will be filled with warm childhood memories Saturday when the Bulls battle the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the first Christmas game for the Bulls since 1997.

Down at the United Center, the stockings already are filling up. The Bulls obviously have a long way to go to match the Jordan era. Those teams rank among the most popular in American sports history.

But the Bulls are definitely mounting a comeback.

Tuesday's game against Philadelphia was the highest-rated Bulls contest in the history of Comcast SportsNet Chicago. It also was the most watched program in the local market that night, according to the station, beating anything the national networks had to offer.

And it wasn't even a close game. The Bulls beat the Sixers by 45 points and held a 51-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Top-notch drama this was not.

“It's an incredible story,” said Comcast SportsNet Chicago president Jim Corno. “We expected the Blackhawks to a big story this year. But there's something going on with the Bulls that's very positive.

“I think people like the coach (Tom Thibodeau), they like Derrick Rose, like Carlos Boozer, like Joakim Noah. Our games are up over 80 percent in the ratings and our pre- and postgame shows are up 100 percent.”

Bulls vice president of business operations Steve Schanwald reports the team also is setting ratings records on WGN and WCIU. He expects every home game this season to sell out, while the number of hits on bulls.com and followers on Facebook and Twitter are way, way up.

“I know of no greater barometer of fan interest than a team's television ratings,” Schanwald said.

Most everything good that happened to the Bulls in the 1990s was because of Jordan. The recent surge in popularity can be traced to May 20, 2008.

Schanwald was onstage when the Bulls won the NBA draft lottery and the right to draft Rose with the No. 1 pick, despite just a 1.7 percent chance of winning.

Along with Kevin Durant, Rose might be the most popular young star to enter the league in the last five years. His Adidas “Fast Don't Lie” commercials with comedian Ken Jeong were the perfect counter to LeBron James' pretentious and unapologetic “What Should I Do?” campaign.

Bottom line: Sports should be fun.

“It is nice once again, for the first time since Jordan, to have one of our players appearing in national TV commercials,” Schanwald said.

In a world of spoiled stars, Rose stands out for being a humble, quiet kid from the South Side of Chicago, who drives himself relentlessly to be the best.

Since last season Rose's scoring average has improved from 20.8 points to 24.3. His assists have risen from 6.0 to 8.4 per game. His rebounds are up, his 3-point shooting is vastly improved, and he has become a reliable late-game closer. What more could the Bulls ask for?

Noah will be sidelined for two months with a thumb injury, but he's on pace to be one of Chicago's most popular athletes ever. He wasn't afraid to criticize James for dancing on the sideline, spoke the truth about Kevin Garnett, and works hard to back it up on the court. Definitely our kind of guy.

Boozer simply gives the Bulls a dimension they haven't had in years, someone who can set up in the post and score 30 points efficiently on any given night.

The Knicks (17-12) should make for an interesting matchup. They're trying to get back in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and have a couple of successful free-agent additions in Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton.

“I'm very anxious to see how they do on Christmas,” Corno said. “I think people feel very confident Thibodeau is a guy who can lead the team. I think it's a team that's going to improve throughout the year.”

If the Bulls keep getting better, maybe Rose's holiday wish will come true next year — a home game on Christmas Day.