Facing off against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls was apparently a battle that took place both on and off the basketball court.
In a piece by ESPN’s David Fleming this week, former Utah Jazz forward Antoine Carr shared a hilarious story about some of the distractions that he faced whenever he would play in Chicago, including during the NBA Finals.
“One thing I did enjoy about playing the Bulls that was different was the city of Chicago was always trying to do something too,” said Carr. “You’d be in your hotel room the night before a Finals game in Chicago and all of a sudden a Playboy model would show up at your door with a cake. That happened to me more than once.
“They show up in a trench coat, and when they get to present you with your cake, the coat comes off and it’s “Welcome to Chicago!” he went on. “But if you’re a young man and all you can think of the night before the Finals is a beautiful girl now, that’s going to throw you all the way off. It didn’t work on me. It was good cake, though.”
Carr, who was in his mid-30s when the Jazz played in the Bulls in the 1997 and 1998 Finals, only got limited playing time in both series, so it is hard to tell if the strategy had any effect. Chicago won five of the six Finals games that they hosted over the two years though, so they obviously did something right.
Granted, the Bulls faced some hotel room ills of their own when they played in Utah those years, so the playing field was probably pretty even in that regard.
H/T NBA Reddit
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