With Obama in front row, Wizards beat Bulls 113-90
WASHINGTON - The Bulls had the First Fan on their side Friday, but President Barack Obama might think twice about attending another Bulls game after the miserable performance he witnessed from the front row at the Verizon Center.
Against the lowly Washington Wizards, the Bulls started the game in a fog, ended it in a stupor and suffered a baffling 113-90 loss in the nation's capital.
"I'm speechless right now," Bulls guard Ben Gordon said. "To come in here and lose to the Wizards by 23 points, it's inexcusable. I don't know what to say. We didn't do anything well tonight."
Obama took his seat just before the opening tip, which delayed the start of the game and drew a big ovation from fans and players alike. The former Chicago resident met with the Bulls on Thursday after they toured the White House.
But if Obama gave the team any kind of pep talk, it did not produce an inspired performance.
The Bulls fell behind 12-2 and 25-10 at the start but got back within 2 points well before halftime. The game was close until late in the third when the Wizards scored on 11 of 12 possessions to stretch a 2-point lead to 81-67 with 1:15 remaining in the quarter.
"We didn't play with any toughness or urgency at the start of the game," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We've got to get more physical. They killed us on the glass and pretty much every aspect. They just played better than us."
The closest the Bulls (26-33) got was 85-79 after a Kirk Hinrich 3-pointer about two minutes in the fourth. On Washington's next trip, Caron Butler converted a 3-point play after 2 offensive rebounds. The Wizards (14-44) added two dunks and a layup on the next three possessions to quickly turn the contest into a complete joke.
Swingman John Salmons was the one Bulls player who seemed to care about winning. He hit 8 of 13 shots for 25 points. The Bulls' second-leading scorer was Gordon, who went 3-for-14 from the field for 11 points.
Obama hustled out of the tunnel with around four minutes left. That may have been standard procedure for security reasons, but it's also possible the self-described "die-hard Bulls fan" couldn't stomach another second of that performance.
"We all know that he's from Chicago. That's the only reason why he's here tonight," said Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, who scored 27 points. "I have no problem with that. You can't convert him overnight. Eventually - he's here for four or eight years - we can be his second-favorite team."
Obama applauded politely for both teams. In the first half, Wizards rookie JaVale McGee saluted the president after finishing a one-handed, catch-and-dunk alley-oop.
Asked to give a recap of Obama's message to the Bulls from Thursday, Del Negro said, "You've got a young team. Stay together, and a lot of great things can happen. He went into some other things, but that was the gist of it."
Obama was the first president to attend a Wizards game since Bill Clinton on Jan. 19, 2000.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=275709">Red Kerr: 'A special, special guy' <span class="date"> [2/27/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>