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PARIS — This is not your typical road game for the Chicago Bulls. Not a typical home game for the Detroit Pistons.<\/p>\n
Fly 4,000 miles and jump 7 hours ahead.<\/p>\n
“I just had one cup of coffee[on Wednesday]and it made me even more tired. I’m not really a caffeine guy. I’m finding a way through it.”<\/p>\n
Coach Billy Donovan says he wakes up at 3:30 or 4am every day and can’t go back to sleep.<\/p>\n
But it’s not just sleep patterns. Palais des Pauls Rarely does the team swing by the Eiffel Tower on his way to practice with Marcel Cerdan. <\/p>\n
“Good luck,” Caruso said of the experience. “It was just cold. We took about 20 pictures, but they were just popsicles waiting for everyone to finish.<\/p>\n
This week represents the incredible and unique experience of playing in one of the NBA’s rare regular season international games. But it’s also a challenge, especially for a Bulls team looking to reach its potential in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, the organization encouraged and supported each member of the travel party, whether it was a wife, girlfriend, or family member, to bring a plus one. is not. I’m on a business trip.<\/p>\n
“It’s just part of your responsibility as a professional athlete. You can’t have fun, you can’t come back and focus, be prepared to do your job \u2013 this is work after all \u2013 then maybe You shouldn’t be here.” “So for me, it’s a pretty easy situation. Let’s enjoy the day we have. , it’s time to do business.”<\/p>\n
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Still, Caruso acknowledged the atypical nature of having just one game a week. And the Bulls began gearing up for this schedule weirdness by not flying right after Golden State’s matinee win at home on Sunday against the Warriors.<\/p>\n
Instead, the team placed the players in a new time zone and left Chicago after midnight in an attempt to get them to sleep through the night. After landing on Monday, the Bulls took a bus directly from the airport and attended a short exercise to get their blood flowing and, in Donovan’s words, made them sweat instead of sleeping right away.<\/p>\n
“It was good to come back[Wednesday]and really practice. It was a regular practice. We got the call. There was a lot of ups and downs, a lot of defense and a lot of scrimmage,” Donovan said. rice field. “But yeah, you’re here to deal with a drastic change in time. Your sleep patterns are completely disrupted.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s a lot to manage in one NBA game. The experience part of it was great. It’s a great city. was very comfortable…but there are a lot of distractions that we have to deal with and how we handle them is going to be important. , talks about the fact that this is not a vacation, it is part of our responsibility and work.\u201d<\/p>\n
That means facing the Pistons, who are tied for bottom of the Eastern Conference with a record of 12-35. The Bulls have had some high-profile wins against elite teams this season, but they’ve also suffered a signature loss against a sub-.500 team.<\/p>\n
“We’ve seen this year that we’re playing with the best teams in the league, and I think we’re one of the best teams in the league,” Caruso said. 500 or less than .500 teams sometimes fails us.<\/p>\n
Caruso said it feels strange to only play one game a week, but players are using the time to relieve nagging pain. This is one of the benefits he has of playing international matches.<\/p>\n
Another, of course, is to represent the NBA in a market that doesn’t look directly at the league.<\/p>\n
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“Everyone has friends and family here. Enjoy the scenery, see the history and the buildings. But also be prepared to play a basketball game and win,” said Zach LaVine. \u201cWe are used to balancing things out. I enjoy my time and the fruits of my labor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy my time in Paris. I am excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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