The Bulls are back: How Chicago went from Last Dance to Next Chance

The new-look Chicago Bulls are top of the Eastern Conference standings and bona fide title contenders again for the first time since the 1990s heyday of Jordan and Pippen

To be a Chicago Bulls fan over the past two decades is to somewhat know the true pain of injuring a strong knee or a healthy hand. It takes time to adjust to the idea that the body could be anything less than perfect. And when the mind eventually catches up, alas, it's beyond frustrating.

The Bulls I grew up rooting for were so able. They were led by the shrewdest coach, the finest sidekick and the best player who ever lived. They beat back the Bad Boy Pistons, outran the Showtime Lakers and abused the New York Knicks while distinguishing themselves as the preeminent sports dynasty. As the Last Dance docuseries explicitly showed, the Bulls were a cultural force - one that not only put my overlooked hometown on the map, but made basketball the global game it is today.