Twice in a Day?!?

Today marks the first time I've blogged twice in a day, but given the outcome and end to the Bulls game I felt the need to hop back on and give my $.02 on what we saw and what's to come.  I write from my minimal experience as a junior high basketball coach, a two-year high school player, and a guy who has watched upwards of 60% of Bulls games in my life.  That number may not seem like much, but you have to remember I've lived in Florida, Washington State, and a "cable free" house as a youngster.

I thought the Bulls played a great game for about 40 of the 48 minutes.  There were a few lapses where Philly got in the bulls' grill, one which occurred in the middle of the third and towards the end of the fourth quarter.  The offense got stagnant, the D started to look slow, and Philly got a couple of easy buckets to shrink the lead.  I wasn't in full on "paranoid" mode, but felt the end of the game was getting sloppy.

The Rose injury was tough to watch.  I'm not an orthopedic surgeon, nor do I have an understanding of human anatomy--but that knee buckle was not a pretty sight.  He has been such a mensch throughout his career as a Bull, and seeing him go down was heartbreaking.   I immediately felt bad for Rose, and for Thibs, because I knew there'd be questions about whether he should be in the game.

In terms of Rose, it has been well documented that he is going to play no matter what.  So if his coach wants him in the game, he's playing.  And the guy knows how to play at one speed, so I can't fault him for playing hard down the stretch and going hard to the basket.  He's been snake bit with the injury bug (combining metaphors there), and it stinks.  No ifs ands or buts.

The other guy I feel for is Coach Thibs.  A good buddy of mine, and fellow die hard Bravo Kilo (also present for one of the greatest nights of my life..and his too) sent me a great article about Thibs in the New York Times.  I read this almost immediately after the injury and my heart goes out to a guy who works his ass off to be the best coach he can, and has sacrificed so much for his life's passion.  His story is really inspiring, and although many question the man's priorities (its pretty much just basketball), I respect his dedication to his craft, his respect for the game, and his desire to continuously improve himself and the teams he leads--just check out this graph for quantitative validation of his value to teams.  I actually sent him a thank you note last year for the work he did with the bulls--as a customer of his product he needs to know I appreciate what he does for me and fellow bulls fans.  Let's not forget, this team sucked sh*t for many years in the 2000's, and he has led them to back to back #1 seeds in the Eastern Conference.  Its clear this guy will only be satisfied with a championship ring, and Rose's injury could be a devastating blow to him as well.

So where does this leave us, bulls fans?  I suppose this is where we get into philosophical perspectives on sports, life, and what we do when the chips are down.  I've chronicled some of my ups and downs, and all of us have had them from time to time.  But I somehow have had it ingrained in me to look on the bright side despite having a few bumps along the way as both a human being and a Chicago sports fan.  And although this is certainly not the ideal, I'm not ready to give up on this team just yet.  Until they lose four games in a series, this season will continue, and I do think they can rally around the injury (provided it is extended) and make some noise in the playoffs.  Let's not forget, there are 11 other guys on that team who are "Chicago tough" and will not back down from this.

Another thing to keep in mind, strange things can happen when teams lose a star player.  Bill Simmons, a writer whose style I've ripped off in many ways, wrote an outstanding column that summarizes the "Ewing Theory" and other examples of teams who still found ways to win without a star, or after a "star" has left.  Interestingly enough, the most popular example occurred in 1999 when the Knicks lost Patrick Ewing to a torn achilles in the playoffs.  Those knicks went on to the NBA finals as an 8 seed, also in a strike shortened season.  The assistant coach for those knicks???  Tom Thibodeau.  If you want some inspiration, read this article which summarizes it all.

Finally, I guess this strikes at the core of all of us as sports fans, but it is so easy to be negative about sports--whether we're talking about the Bulls, the Hawks, the Cubs, or whoever.  Our radios are filled with guys (and gals) who spend their entire day, mostly griping about the state of sports in this town.  As a frequent listener of these programs, I too have my thoughts and ideas as to why things aren't always as good as we hope, but I really see no point in the blowhards who want to second guess a coach or a player after a situation like this.  Sh*t happens sometimes, and you're either on board with a team, or you're not.  And for me and the Bulls, well, that's a train I don't plan to hop off anytime soon.  So I'm with them through this, and hope you are as well if you've gotten this far through the entry.

I leave you with a little inspiration from a range of inspiring coaches and athletes below...feel free to post your own if it helps ya move on....its never over 'til we say it is and NO EXCUSES!!