May
13
FORMULA FOR A HISTORIC UPSET!
Filed Under Chicago Bulls
It Ain’t Going to Happen, But One Can Dream
81 prior NBA teams have found themselves in the predicament that the Chicago Bulls face this afternoon, trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. All 81 teams have gone on to lose those respective series, and Chicago shall be no different against the Detroit Pistons.
With that said, Game Four still has a lot of meaning for the Bulls this Mother’s Day. First of all, there’s the pride factor. Chicago has been whooped this series and must at least show that they’re not going to be pushovers today on their home court. It’s been a nightmarish series for the Bulls, and it would be nice to see Chicago have their way with Detroit for at least one game. It’s been a good season, and the Bulls should give their fans something to celebrate with a victory.
Furthermore, Chicago General Manager John Paxson has a lot of flexibility with this team. The Bulls can and will swap their first round pick with the Knicks this year, and if Chicago gets lucky and moves high into the lottery, Paxson may be able to package that pick and one or more of Chicago’s young players—Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich—for a more impact player. Thus, Game Four efforts could have a big role in what Paxson does this summer, i.e. like resigning Andres Nocioni or letting him walk. Backup guard Chris Duhon could be on his way out as he didn’t play in Game Three after missing a film session earlier this week.
While the idea of Chicago winning this series is a pipe dream, the Bulls can look to the 2003 Portland Trailblazers as an example of what they need to do in Game Four. Portland fell behind 3-0 to the Dallas Mavericks in the first-round of the 2003 Western Conference Playoffs before almost pulling off the impossible in NBA history. The Portland team—featuring veterans Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis and of course Rasheed Wallace—rallied to win the next three games of the series before falling during a valiant Game 7 effort in Dallas by Dirk Nowitzki.
With that series in mind, here’s a blueprint of what Chicago would have to do to get this series to seven games.
Game Four: Chicago needs to blowout the Pistons today by getting out early and putting it to them. Don’t let Detroit make any headway (like in Game Three) and let the Pistons be content by the end of the third-quarter that the series is going to be 3-1 and be returning to Detroit for Game Five. How can Chicago do this? By playing with pride, starting with the inconsistent Gordon, Deng, Hinrich and Nocioni to veterans Ben Wallace and P.J. Brown (in what could be his final NBA game) to rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha. In 2003, Portland got things started by dominating the Mavericks in Game Four.
Game Five: While a Game Four victory is realistic for Chicago, such a result in Game Five is hardly so. Chicago has been thoroughly dominated at the Palace of Auburn Hills in this series and would need to play an outstanding game to accomplish such an upset. The Bulls would also need a Herculean, scoring effort from most likely Gordon to pull off a Game Five victory, as this game would have to be close and down-to-the-wire. While an easy Pistons victory in Game Five is more likely to happen if the series gets that far, Chicago would need to really be locked in on every possession in this scenario. The Blazers stunned the Mavericks in 2003 with a tight Game Five victory in Dallas. Portland kept the game close in the first half and then had a fantastic second half to eke out the victory.
Game Six: If Chicago were to get Game Five in Detroit, all pressure would fall on the Pistons’ shoulders. The same thing happened to the Mavericks’ team featuring Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley in 2003, and Dallas responded in Game Six by getting whipped from the opening tip-off to the final seconds by the Blazers. The United Center crowd would obviously be a huge factor in a fantasy Game Six, and Chicago would have tremendous confidence and swagger. The veteran Pistons wouldn’t get blowed out in Game Six so Chicago’s young guns would once again have to step up late.
Game Seven: OK. The Pistons aren’t going to and wouldn’t lose four straight to the Bulls. In fact, a young Chicago team may get blown out in such a situation after expending so much physical and mental energy. But you certainly would have to like the scenario going into the game, with the Pistons on the verge of being called the biggest chokers in the history of the NBA! It’s not going to happen but would make this series worthwhile and enjoyable to say the least.
Here’s my prediction. Bulls win today and lose in Game Five. If they don’t, I’ll be even more disappointed with how they’ve chumped out this series.
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