Muller: The Bulls Deserve Respect, No Doubt About It
By Shawn Muller--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- We all knew that the Chicago Bulls were going to be a pretty good team when the season began back in late October.
How good?
That was the million dollar question.
Were we talking about a team that was good enough to compete with the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference? Maybe, If all the cards fell right.
Good enough to end the regular season with the best record in the entire league? Absolutely not.
Boy, were we wrong!
But being wrong about Chicago is exactly why the 2010-11 edition of Bulls basketball has been so much fun to watch.
From day one, people have doubted them…waiting for the wheels to fall off. Time and time again, we were expected to believe that it was just a matter of time before all of the injuries would eventually catch up to the Bulls. What they were doing was commendable, but to think they could keep it up would have been way too much for anyone to expect.
Well…those wheels never fell off.
Chicago not only kept on truckin', they made sure to fling mud in the windshields of the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics in the process. It was fitting that the least talked about contending team in the East heading into the all-star break back in mid-February…finished the regular season by going 24-4 (good for the best mark in the league after the break), and finished with the best record in the entire league at 62-20.
These boys have an attitude about them that oozes "championship-caliber." They thrive under pressure. They enjoy shutting the traps of all their nay-sayers. They don't ever appear to look as if they are rattled. And they don't back down from a challenge.
Will Chicago win the NBA championship this season?
None of us know for sure.
What we do know is that Chicago is going to give their best effort every night in the post-season, as they did during the regular season. They are not going to beat themselves and you can be sure that if they don't end up winning the title…it won't be due to a lack of hustle or desire.
I am sure there will be many people who are not going to give the Bulls a realistic chance to win the title. But if we were to ask Derrick Rose and company how they feel about all the doubters, I am sure they would have no qualms at all. They thrive under the radar. They thrive in the face of adversity. They thrive under a cloud of doubt.
This is the way these Chicago Bulls like it.
And it may just lead them to an NBA Championship.
No doubt about it.
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.
