The Bulls confirmed that Jim Cornelison will sing the National Anthem for the remainder of Chicago home playoff games.
If you're not familiar with Cornelison's work, he's the man who sings the powerful National Anthem for the Blackhawks, which is complemented by the loud cheers of the fans in attendance. His stirring rendition of the anthem is most associated with the Blackhawks, but also has been done before Bears and Bulls playoff games.
Steve Schanwald, the Bulls VP of business operations, said:
"Jim’s rendition of the Anthem is so stirring as to not be soon forgotten by anyone who is privileged to hear it. After hearing him sing at our game on Sunday night, and seeing and hearing the reaction of our players and fans to it, it became obvious to all of us that we needed to invite Jim to reprise his performance at all remaining playoff games. I know our fans will enjoy it and will be sure to be in their seats so as not to miss a moment of it."
The Bulls management isn't stupid. In fact, the league recently agreed that they're quite smart. They know that the frenzy that ensues from Cornelison's anthem will scare the Heat as much as a Taj Gibson dunk.
Getting that start to every home game is exactly why the Bulls worked so hard to get home-court advantage. Add in the red shirts, screaming and knowledgeable fans, Bulls legend Scottie Pippen staring down the Heat from courtside and the helpful weather that's nice to us normal people from Chicago but might be a tad chilly for South Floridans. The Bulls have an edge before they ever step on the court.
Since they have home-court advantage, they may as well make it meaningful.
