The Sick Suffer a Setback

The first round of the NBA Playoffs have come to be defined by two things:  key players missing time and teams coming back into series when faced with elimination.  Game 6 did not lack in either department.  Wishing the flu and injury bug didn't have to strike full force as we entered the lusty month of May, the Bulls had another chance to close out the Nets.  They would have to do it without Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng, who were too hurt and too ill respectively to play.  In fact, Deng was seen leaving the United Center before tipoff.  Taj Gibson and Nate Robinson were also battling the flu, but managed to play.  It still wasn't enough to avoid a 95-92 loss and force a Game 7 in Brooklyn Saturday.

While the defeat was not unexpected given the circumstances, it still pained Bulls fans to know that the home court gave their team the right conditions in which to end the series and they didn't have enough manpower.  It was like knowing you can jump a certain height, but a circumstance was greatly preventing you from reaching it.  Even so, the Bulls did not go quietly.  Staying within striking distance all night and going on a series of mini-runs to buy themselves time, it appeared we might get a repeat of the late March win over Miami, which also saw the Bulls severely undermanned.  Sadly, the reality reared that you can only lose so many players before you're simply too weakened to close out key games.  When your best player this season (Deng) is sick and your two power forwards (Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson) foul out, even Tom Thibodeau's best strategy can't save you at the end of tight contests.

Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson all scored 17 points apiece for the Nets and Gerald Wallace added 15.  Reggie Evans only made two field goals, but he grabbed 15 rebounds.  All five Bulls starters reached double figures, led by Marco Belinelli's 22, so both teams were evenly matched on the score sheet.  It was simply a matter of who had more manpower and the Nets were it.  There's no more glaring reason for this result.

Although things don't look  so peachy for the Bulls anymore, this game was yet another reminder of their never-say-die attitude.  Other teams would have simply accepted defeat before the pregame introductions and taken the 20-point blowout.  This one however did everything it could to avoid a deciding game.  You can never ever question their desire to win.  As I mentioned after Game 4, there has to be an organizational philosophy that you must try hard enough to win.  On that note, I wouldn't be surprised if another one says if you're going to lose, do it while putting forth the maximum effort.  That's why the Bulls are so admired.  Even in the face of adversity, they have way too much pride to roll over when the stakes are high.  There's a long tradition of it and outside of the Tim Floyd years, few teams in my lifetime have been so mentally weak that it was impossible for them to compete.  No matter what happens in Game 7, this series, and this season, are bound to be remembered as one in which the Bulls refused to quit even when faced with long odds.

That brings us to that Game 7 tomorrow night.  With all momentum gone, the Bulls are faced with a tough task of winning in Brooklyn with Deng and Hinrich's statuses still in doubt.  Going back to the early days of the franchise, they have never won a seventh game on the road.  What's more, only eight teams in NBA history has lost a playoff series after being down 3-1, so the Bulls are looking at a short list they'd like to avoid.  Keep the faith, fans.  Anything can happen when a series boils down to a single game.  And just maybe, Derrick Rose will make his much-awaited return.  Hey, you never know when a ridiculous pipe dream may come true.