We In a Heap of Trouble, Son

Is it fair to say the Bulls are in trouble?  I mean really, is it?  I mean, they're only down 2-1 to the 76ers after collapsing in the fourth quarter of last night's 79-74 loss.  Not to mention Joakim Noah rolled his ankle during the game and could barely move to the point where he had to leave the game when he was needed the most.  Okay, I guess you can call it trouble or I wouldn't have given this post the title it has.

Many factors went into blowing a seemingly comfortable lead in the final frame, but I'll spare you the gory details.  Instead, let's look at some of the key players.  Overall, Carlos Boozer was the Bulls' top performer with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Rip Hamilton had 17 points and dished out seven assists.  Joakim Noah scored 12 before departing, as did John Lucas III.  Without Derrick Rose however, those were all supporting stats that didn't have the proper direction.  Rose's presence probably means a victory.  For Philadelphia, Spencer Hawes led the way with 21 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter when Noah was nursing his injury.  Starting backcourt Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner combined for 33 points and Louis Williams came off the bench with 14.

The Bulls look completely lost without a proven leader.  Nobody ever called Luol Deng one except for maybe a few instances this year.  His wrist is bad, but that doesn't excuse the pitiful five points he put in last night.  Nothing immunes C.J. Watson, so far getting a big fat F in the role of starting point guard this series, from not finding the bottom of the hoop.  Nor Kyle Korver, who did the same.  I said after Game 1 that he'd be key if the Bulls are to do well in the playoffs and he couldn't deliver when his team needed him.  Again.  I want the 2011 postseason Korver gone forever, but he made an appearance at the least convenient time.

Noah's status for Game 4 is uncertain, but with the leader already gone and now the heart and soul hurting, confidence in the 2011-2012 Bulls couldn't possibly be lower right now.  The media knows it, the fans know it, and perhaps worst of all, the players themselves know it.  Rose and Noah epitomize everything that is this team.  Take them out of the picture and you get what you just saw:  a group of role players who can't find another leader amongst themselves to get out of jams.  The "sheep without a shepherd" analogy from the Gospel of Matthew fits perfectly here.  Deng should know this.  The teams early in his Bulls career consisted of just that.  He was one of those himself, yet he survived all the way here because he was the best of the bunch.  He might be an All-Star this year, but this roster is not built around him.  With his captain at the dock, this first mate isn't strong enough to lead the crew.  Neither is anyone else, which is why the Bulls are now in danger of letting their postseason end far more prematurely than previously anticipated.  History isn't kind to those teams who fall behind 2-1, so we now have to see how well this current group can handle that pressure.

No second primary scorer falls on the front office, but I'll save that for another post.  Game 4 is at noon tomorrow and a nervous Chicago will be watching.  Win and it's a whole new series with home-court advantage once more.  Lose and you can start writing your eulogies.  In either case, try and keep the faith.  You never know what the NBA Playoffs might bring.