Joakim Noah Gets Big Smack for Trying to Win Big Macs
With his team up six and only a few seconds left in the game, Joakim Noah, center for the Chicago Bulls, decided it was time to shoot a three. Why? Easy, the crowd was hungry for more than a win, they wanted Big Macs. Yes, the iconic double pattied delicious burger, now relegated to McDonald’s value menu, is given to all attendees of Bulls home games whenever they win and score 100 points. Tuesday night, while playing the Orlando Magic, they were sitting on 99.
Now, normally when your team is up, and the other team has essentially conceded the game, the team ahead is expected to walk the ball up the court and let the time run out. However, Noah had other plans, so he came out guns blazin’. He’s a man of the people, and, with D-Rose being out, those fans needed something to boost their spirits. And no, a win wasn’t enough. Those Big Macs were close enough to taste. So Noah decided to go for it. He shot a three from 26 feet out, only the fifth of his entire career, and, like the other four, he missed. Quickly Noah, pictured above, fell from hero to hamburgler.
The Bulls left the court, win in hand, but burgerless. While the fans may have left the game hungry, Noah left the game chewed, swallowed and spat out by his coach.
Noah later said he “regretted it,” and that “it wasn’t a good shot,” but that he was just “trying to get the people a Big Mac.”
But really, should Noah regret taking that shot? No, he shouldn’t. He was just trying to give the fans, who pay big money to see the Bulls play, something back, something extra. And can people really be blaming him? Like Steve Aschburner from NBA.com points out, the NBA and the Bulls are making money off of these types of deals with McDonald’s, so why not try and give some of it back to the fans. I mean he was just trying to give the fans what they wanted and to feed the city he loves. He played a great game (20 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks) while playing 41 freakin’ minutes and come on, how cool would that have been if he’d made it (#burgersonburgersonburgers)?
Either way, it’s safe to say the team didn’t have an after-game meal at McDonald’s that night.
photo courtesy JacksonSun
