Arcidiacono's faith in White pays off in viral clip
Ryan Arcidiacono assisted on Villanova's game-winning shot in the 2016 national championship game, feeding Kris Jenkins for a 22-footer at the buzzer to beat North Carolina.
So Arcidiacono should be a good judge on when it's time to celebrate a teammate's made basket. The Bulls guard went viral for his early celebration of one of Coby White's 3-point baskets Tuesday against the New York Knicks.
With just less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Arcidiacono got the ball after an offensive rebound and shoveled it over to White on the right wing. As soon as White let it go, Arcidiacono turned around, raised his arms and walked toward the defensive end. It was White's fifth 3-point basket in just more than three minutes and gave the Bulls a 104-89 lead.
"My guy had it going," Arcidiacono said Wednesday at the Advocate Center. "I had the confidence. So as soon as I let it go to him, I'm like, 'I'm about to turn. And hopefully I don't pull a Nick Young and the ball doesn't go in.' "
Young became a "Shaqtin a Fool" legend for raising in arms in celebration on a shot that rimmed out when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers. But that was his own shot. Arcidiacono showed extreme confidence in a teammate.
"Coby had it going, so I felt good about it going in," he said. "We had a good rhythm going. I just had confidence. After he made it, I turned to look and I'm like, 'Ah, whatever.' I saw the fans' reaction. And our bench was going crazy as well. It was good stuff."
Right time and faith:
One question after Ryan Arcidiacono's early celebration was whether he'd ever done it before, say, at Villanova after passing to Jalen Brunson.
"No, it's a lot different," he said. "Villanova, it was more like, 'All right, onto the next, let's get a defensive stop.' But we were feeling good and having some fun out there. Like I said, Coby (White) had it going. You love to see a player who works as hard as he does show it in a game and be that successful in a quarter.
"If somebody shoots the ball like that, you want to have fun with it. If he doesn't do it again, you can't have fun with it. We want to take advantage of the times we can."
Ironically, White's outburst came with his college coach Roy Williams watching from the stands. Williams was the victim when Arcidiacono's pass to Kris Jenkins beat North Carolina.
Bull horns:
Zach LaVine sat out practice Wednesday after turning his ankle late in the win over New York. Coach Jim Boylen called LaVine probable for Thursday's game at Milwaukee. Otto Porter remains out indefinitely with a left foot sprain. ... Kris Dunn has scored a season-high 13 points in two of his last three games. "You have to be in the building 45 minutes before; he's in an hour and 45 minutes before," Boylen said. "He is locked in, he cares, he's always cared, and he's playing winning basketball. I'm happy for him."