In Chicago, K.C. Johnson notes the Bulls are "holding season ticket prices static for the first time" since the '10-11 season. That the move "comes after the Bulls' first non-playoff season" since '07-08 "isn't coincidence." Still, the team last season "led the NBA in ticket sales" despite a 42-40 record that "fell far short of expectations" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/6).
80'S COVER BAND: In Indianapolis, Gregg Doyel writes outgoing Pacers coach Frank Vogel "was better at his job the past two years" than team President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. The Pacers' season "didn't go wrong because" of Vogel. It "didn't go wrong at all, but it wasn't great for the same reason Vogel is out of a job: because Larry Bird runs his franchise straight out of" the mid-80s. Doyel: "To Larry Bird I say: Good luck finding a better coach than the one you just pushed out, though there are plenty of available candidates." However, the "best coach on the market" is the one Bird "just cut loose" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/6).
WHAT IT MEANS TO ME: In S.F., Benny Evangelista notes the Warriors "have registered a trademark" on the phrase "Strength in Numbers," and with it the "rights to make money by selling an eclectic selection of merchandise." The team is "using the slogan to anchor its online and arena marketing, especially during the playoffs." The logo also "appears in signs throughout Oracle Arena and on social media as a hashtag, #StrengthInNumbers." The Warriors this week "launched a website that lets fans create a customized photo showing what the phrase means to them" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/6).
