Muller: Game One Wasn't Pretty For The Bulls, But A Win Is A Win
By Shawn Muller--
A win is a win, no matter how you slice it, but I must admit…
During game one of the Chicago Bulls' first round matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, I was a little uneasy with the way things were playing out in Chicago's 104-99 win.
Yes, I was thrilled that Chicago came back in the waning minutes of the game, but struggling--at the United Center against the sub .500 Indiana Pacers--was not what I was expecting from the NBA's top-seeded team.
In my own selfish way, I was expecting Chicago to come out "guns a blazin'", and run the Pacers out of the gym to the tune of at least a double-digit win.
How could they not?
They were the hottest team in the NBA, going 24-4 since the all-star break and on a current nine game winning streak.
They clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
It was the opening game in the teams' quest for championship number seven!
Chicago was playing at the UC, where they had gone 36-5 during the regular season!
Everything was set up perfectly for the Bulls to send a message--loud and clear--to the rest of the league and to all of their many detractors: that Chicago--not Miami, San Antonio, Los Angeles, or Boston--was the alpha dog in the NBA.
Obviously, the way I envisioned game one didn't exactly happen…but after letting it digest for a couple of days, I realized that Chicago still proved a lot on Saturday. They still proved that they were, in fact, the alpha dog of the NBA, because they did what they had done season long: they fought, they scratched, and they clawed their way to the win for the sixty third time in eighty three contests.
Suddenly, the more I got to think about the game, the happier I was.
Well, maybe not the entire game…more like the last two minutes.
Those final 120 seconds epitomized what Chicago has been about the entire season.
The team leader, Derrick Rose, did what he does best, and stepped up big when his team needed him most. Luol Deng got his 18 points. Kyle Korver hit big shots when the team needed them. Joakim Noah cleaned up the glass (he led the Bulls with 11 boards), and blocked two shots that essentially closed the door for good on the Indiana Pacers.
Basically, the Bulls got a complete TEAM effort…just like they had gotten all season long.
Anyone questioning Derrick Roses' MVP "worthiness" heading into Saturday's matchup had to be 100 percent convinced that he was deserving of the award after the game. His 39 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 19-21 shooting at the charity-stripe were as impressive as it gets.
But it was his play inside of those critical two minutes on the game clock--and his team trailing by four--that left me shaking my head in disbelief:
First, with the Bulls trailing 99-94 with 1:50 to go, there was his beautiful drive to the bucket for a layup and the foul, cutting the Pacers lead to 99-97. A Luol Deng defensive rebound and 23 seconds later, Rose hit a ridiculous floater to tie the game at 99, followed by a beautiful drive and dish to Kyle Korver who hit the go ahead three with 48 seconds left. He then capped off his amazing afternoon--and an amazing team effort down the stretch--by hitting a pair of free throws that put the game out of reach at 104-99 with 14 seconds to go.
Derrick took the game over when it mattered, and the rest of the team followed their leader by making plays down the stretch.
So in the end, I guess I was pretty happy with the way the team played, after all. Those first 46 minutes may not have been all that pretty, but the Bulls found a way to stay within striking distance of the Pacers until the very end…and they pounced on that opportunity.
Chicago did what championship-caliber teams do in the post-season. They found a way to win…and that is all anyone can ask for.
Maybe Monday night will be the night that I get to see the blowout win that I was hoping to see on Saturday. But even if I don't, and the Bulls struggle to pull out another nail-biter, I will be fine with that too.
A win is a win, remember? No matter how you slice it.
And winning is all that matters.
Do you agree with Shawn? Post your comments below.
Shawn Muller has lived in the great city of Chicago for 7 years. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, in October of 2010, Shawn received his certificate in radio broadcasting. In his free time, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa and 3 year old daughter Ava, catching any live sporting event, and traveling. Check out his radio show, Grab Some Bench with Muller and Bangser" every Thursday night at 8:30 P.M., at www.blogtalkradio.com/spmuller24.
