Just Enough Fuel in Indy

As I prepared to see the Bulls in person for the first time away from the United Center, it occurred to me that with a six-game winning streak, the Indiana Pacers could be a trap opponent.  With my cousin by my side, I bought into the consensus after three quarters that a 16-point lead was safe.  But then, my initial thoughts came back as the Pacers' reserves led a 20-0 run in the fourth and the Bulls missed their first 17 shots.  It took Indiana reverting back to their usual selves, Jimmy Butler hitting a clutch three and a short last-second three-point attempt by C.J. Watson to sweat out a 92-90 victory.

After all that went down, I was more relieved than excited about experiencing a Bulls win in enemy territory.  A near-collapse in Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Watson left wide open at the end brought back bad memories of Reggie Miller in the 1998 conference finals.  I anticipated the absolute worst and braced for the building to explode.  Everything worked out fine, but after witnessing a buzzer beater at the Harlem Globetrotters game the day before, this might be all the close basketball I can take for awhile.

Butler (27 points, nine rebounds) continues to impress me in ways I didn't think possible with him.  He's driving to the hoop fearlessly, drawing fouls in that process and will do whatever he wants with the ball.  I'm starting to hear whispers of him being in the MVP conversation.  I doubt it will happen, but if he doesn't at least win the Most Improved Player award, there's something wrong with the voting process.

Pau Gasol (20 points) shows no signs of slowing down in his campaign for the team's best big man of all-time.  His talent and experience brings it all together.  No matter what the Bulls do the rest of the season, he can be trusted on both ends of the floor.  Insert him into any era in club history and he's immediately an important piece on the low block.

Although Derrick Rose (17 points) shot an anemic 5-for-20 from the field, his confidence is still growing.  It's very refreshing to see him taking chances with the ball rather than passing it off as he did a lot early in the season.  He believes both he and his team are in for something very special, even saying so prior to Monday's game.  Hopefully, he'll be able to back up his words to the point where he'll be completely back to his MVP form.

The Bulls may have nearly lost the game, but Tom Thibodeau was surprisingly positive afterward.  In addition to the seven-game winning streak, the fact that this team is arguably the most talented on both sides during his tenure may have something to do with it.  Sure, it would be nice to see the bench score more than 14 points and not falling asleep in the fourth quarter wouldn't hurt either.  But all he offered was that any NBA team is capable of coming back, which is why you don't call off the dogs until a win is virtually guaranteed.

Hopefully, he'll have that luxury Tuesday when the Bulls face the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center for the second time this month.  With luck, Kirk Hinrich will return from his injury, but it seems unlikely.  Regardless, there's no denying this group will play until the final buzzer.  Even if a big lead slips away, all that matters is finishing well.

One more thing:  I ran into my old friend Trevor Magnotti at halftime last night.  He blogs about the Cavaliers, but is very knowledgeable about basketball.  So if you're into more than just the Bulls, give him a follow on Twitter.