Costly one for the Bulls

Roman sez:

"The way I see it, the Bulls just lost their first-round series."

That's the way I see it too. This was a "game 7" situation for the Bulls, and they came up short. By failing to take care of business, as their counterparts in Cleveland did, they blew a golden opportunity to enhance their chances of advancing deep into the playoffs.

The Net's game thus became a preview of things to come.

Live by the Jumpshot, die by the Jumpshot. No inside game amd the Bulls are done. The Heat will take them down.

People talk about the Heat like they are the second coming of the Lakers from 6 years ago. Puullleeaassee - Bulls have home court and if they can get out and run, they will win in 6.

Mark has the post of the day "Bulls came up short" sums up the whole season/team. Pax - You came up short by not pulling the trigger on that trade! Too short in the coaching area, too short in the post, too short at 2 guard and too short at point. It is now time to start making plans for next year. We need size. Time to part with Gordon, Hinrich, Duhon, Barrett and even Noch if need be. Get some length in here ASAP!

The Bulls were once the blueprint for how to build a team. We ruled the 90's with long guards and stars!!!! And we go out and get this coach who repels stars like the plague! This current loss was hand delivered by JASON KIDD, who upped his game to show his former coach and nemisis Oscar-the-Grouch, that you dont have to be in boot camp to be a good NBA team. Ben Wallace is probably crying in his pillow! Fortunately for him, the pillow is stuffed with the Bulls money.

Pax - dump this guy and save yourself 3 more seasons of disappointment. Dump him immediately after the playoffs, and you have a chance to hire a coach and attract some stars and free agents. Once again, I had to endure braids flying all through my television!!! First Etan Thomas and now Miki Moore!!! Once NBA vagabonds, but now showstoppers vs. the Bulls. Ole Oscar was outcoached by his little brother Lawrence Frank (who actually smiles). And I have to say it wasnt a difficult plan. They ran 10 post plays, hit the boards and smothered the guards WITH THEIR LENGTH!!! Cute lil lova-Bulls were out-hustled, out-matched, and out-coached. Whole squad almost fouled out. We were almost down 20 before we made some substitions.

Jeff - Bulls wore the right color last night, funeral black. Wizards have a better chance than they do.

Signed...grimm reaper.

WOW! I can't believe how harsh some of you people are on the bulls.They had the best regular season since you know left and have the best record against the west of any E.C. teams.O yea they have the best defense in the league next to the rockets and have a young jermaine o'neal in ty thomas.There is a lot more positive things about this group then negative and you people should be thankful that this club got turned around the way it did instead of teams like boston ,new york, atlanta and so on .Are they championship material,NO.Can they beat the heat and make a run against the pistons and cleveland,YOUR DAM RIGHT THRY CAN.Its not the end of the world having the 5 seed its just tougher but who's the hardest working team in the nba,that's right our CHICAGO BULLS!

How quickly fans drop off the bandwagon. The Heat are not the same team that they were a year ago. They have taken a step back, while the Bulls have improved. With homecourt, a definite athletic advantage, and a Bulls team going in with a chip on their shoulders, I can see this team take out and expose an older Heat team. My prediciton, Bulls over Heat, 4-2. Side note, please burn those black uniforms, they would even lose with those jerseys during the Jordan era.

I saw buzzards hovering around the Berto Center. They were wearing T-shirts that read "Heat in 5"! LOL!

Keith old buddy I love your tenacity and think you change your name to lifetime-southside-pitbull. I'm not ready to get out the Saran as you suggested quite yet. As John Jackson stated in his article today the series against Miami will hinge on how well the Bulls Defend against Shaq. I still believe they can take Miami in 6 games and advance and believe it or not I am actually glad that Miami will be the first round opponent. Why you ask? because if they beat Miami in the first round it will legitamize them as a contender. They have beaten Miami and Detriot on the road this year and quite handily I might add, and did not lose to either team at home. Jeff is quite right in his evaluation of how many people are viewing Miami but a less than 100% D. Wade may actually be their undoing. I still like the Bulls odds of getting to the second round. Keith I have a crow in a cage here, a weekand a half from now we'll see which of us gets to eat him. from past experience Keith if you season him heavily with lemon/pepper crow isn't too bad. lmao

Well, it sure isn't what we all wanted. I do have some concern that Noce was allowed to play so much and Tyrus so little. We are here to win, not make a point. Also, Skiles refuses to play Tabo against Carter even if that would be a better match up or put Deng on Carter and Hinrich on Jefferson. Take something away from Carter!
It is time for the team to step up and realize they are good, they just need to play solid. They didn't do that in the first half and paid for it. There is so little room for error on this team.
All of the above being said, as Scott says,"run it down their throats." That should be their motto for the playoffs. They have the potential, lets see if they really want it. We all have opur doubts.

Geez, what's up with all the negativity? Sure, this team is not ready to compete in the Finals, and every time they play another dominant team their lack of any threat in the post (especially on offense) is glaring, especially when the shooting is not there. But all this "ZOMG TEH SKY IZ FALLIGN" nonsense is a little uncalled for. Personally, I'm grateful for quality basketball having come back to Chicago after those years of trash after the dynasty years, and it took quite a while to get here so addition by subtraction is not the answer.

Also, although Miami was probably the toughest first-round opponent the Bulls can have, I'm not really getting all the Miami love. The Bulls are better than the team that lost in the first round last year... but they have a shot, Miami is solid, but no juggernaut. Everyone is acting like it's almost over, and ESPN's announcers were pretty irritating when they kept repeating "the Heat will be in the Eastern finals" over and over.

The Bulls are an embarrassment. Kirt dribbles for 20 out 24 seconds on the shot clock. Gordan can't dribble. They have ZERO low-post game, and they have more UNFORCED turnovers that any PRO-team I've ever seen. One and done....AGAIN.

Skiles was my boy from college but he CAN'T coach.

time for paxson to take some heat for the way he contructed this team. miki moore dominated ben wallace- scary to think what mickey mouse might do to this joker. maybe shaq and zo will embarass him into retiring. hinrich is an immature leader that has made sure it won't take miami until game 5 to wake up. heat sweep the bulls.

Keith - you make some good points but given your Knick love ("can go toe to toe with Dallas"), it's hard to really buy in to your valid arguments.

In retrospect, not trading Deng worked out well. Had they traded him, they would have played 7 weeks with Gasol and who at forward with Noch out? How would that have readied them for the Heat? If Wade is not 100%, the Bulls will win in 5. Any team with Antoine Walker is ripe for at least 7 ill-advised shots per game which will help the Bulls.

Roman responds: Gasol is soft, and he's not in the playoffs. Neither is KG or Curry or a bunch of other stars.
And I'm not a big Antoine fan either, but you have to give him some due. He's won championships in college and the NBA, and he was a major contributor for both. We're putting together an all-time NBA team from Chicago, and I have Walker on my second team.

This goes for Keith, lifetime southsider. How many posts do you need to say that you don't like the Bulls? All your repetitive posts remind me of a petulant child desperate for attention.

Roman responds: I agree. It's enough already. In fact, I'm starting to waver a bit and think the Bulls have a chance. I wouldn't put my money on them, but I think they have a shot.

It will interesting to see how bulls rebound from huge let down in NJ. The bulls played the heat about as tough as anyone else did in the playoffs last year, so this should be another hard fought series. I think another year of experience along with home court and the added parts this year will help them out. I pick bulls in 6.

I think we have a better chance to get to the second round now. The Heat are overrated and I think the Bulls will take them to school. GO BULLS

I agree, It's hard to side with Keith, with all the "Knick/Isiah Love" he's been posting... Only if we had Curry, Jerome James and Jared Jeffries, right Keith? ;-)

but we all know that the Heat was the worse possible match for the Bulls in the 1st round. Say what you will about walker, payton and the rest, but they are veteran players that know what needs to be done to grind out a 7 game series.

Now the bulls will put up a fight, maybe go 6 games, but I just don't have the faith that the bulls can beat the heat 4 times. Hope I'm wrong...

This is a different Jeff. I tend to agree that the Bulls could have a tough time in this series. I wouldn't be surprised either way if they won or lost. Although I definitely agree with an earlier poster who says live by the outside shot, die by it. Until they get a post up player who could score inside this team will only go so far.

You all know the WE cable channel? It shows old dramas and sit-coms from the 70's and 80's. Anyway, what theme song do you prefer? The one from the "Rockford Files" or the one from "Baretta"?

Roman responds:‘‘Keep your eye on the sparrow'' is one of the all-time greats. Sammy Davis, Jr.

Time to pile on Skiles again. His team came out extremely flat. It's not a question of them "needing" to win this game, it's a question of them "wanting" to put themselves in the best possible position. I think this last game was a huge game for them from a progress standpoint, from a "Putting your foot on the throat of your competition" standpoint. It was a chance to show that they have grown and are ready to take that next step. Seems like a leadership issue(Skiles)

They have been to the playoffs the last two years, and were basically fodder. They had a chance to distinguish themselves by wrapping up the number 2 seed, but with them losing it only makes them look like what everyone says about them being a player away. I think the Heat sucks, but they don't match up well with them, and I think the ref's are going to hand the series to them just like last year.

The young Bulls showed true colors versus N.J., their most important game of the year to date. Now their future rests on containing the big guy and the fact Wade may be just a bit rusty. Not much of a silver lining but this is the hand we dealt ourselves. O.K. Scott, show us what you got?

Suck it up boys, they ran into a streaking Nets team, and lost on the road. Big deal. If Wade's not 100%, I like the Bulls in a sweep. If he can play ok, make it the Bulls in 5, 6 at the most. These guys play hard. Believe a little. Just stay away from giving Gordon the last shot if there in a close one.

Rockford Files.

"We're putting together an all-time NBA team from Chicago, and I have Walker on my second team."

Not sure about that Romo but I will admit I'm biased against Walker, who doesn't play any D and never saw a "3" he didn't like. The guy is like 6'9" and plays like he's the 2 guard..such is the NBA these days.

I wish I had a list as I would think there are more than 4 forwards that are/were better than Walker. The reality is that after Garnett and Aguirre, there is a HUGE gap in talent at the forward spot from Chicago. I would also take Eddie Johnson ahead of Walker...come on people...help me!

Roman responds: The list runs Sunday. Taylor Bell includes Garnett in his list, but I don't. He played here for one school year. That does not make him a Chicagoan in my book. My first five: Isiah, Dwyane, Aguirre, Mikan, Issel. Second five: Cheeks, Hardaway, Walker, Kerr and maybe Eddie Johnson. Now I forget. Actually, I don't think it was Johnson.

After a day to clear my head, I went out and purchased a can of Buzzard-be-gone to spray at those pests hovering over the Berto Center.

Roman/fellas, please forgive my "petulance", and multiple negative posts. I was quite upset yesterday (I wear it on my sleeve) and I let it get the best of me. Believe it or not, I am a huge Bulls fan, but I am also a huge CHICAGO fan. I root for Chicago natives like Eddie Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Mark Aguire, Q Richardson, Doc Rivers, etc. But all of that is secondary to Chicago. I root for Chicago first, even the Cubs - barring the crosstown classic.

There is not a team in the league more prepared than the Bulls. Work, work, work, work, work. No one will fight harder. No one who will defend more. You will find no better response from the players who NEVER complain. No headbands, No rap music just good soldiers and good guys, from winning programs with floor burns and heart and hustle. No shoe contracts and video sponsorship and stuff like that. THIS KIND OF TEAM - SHOULD NEVER EVER LOSE. Especially in the league where all of the players are LAZY, have bad character (headbands and rap music and don't want to practice) and are coached by inferior coaches who are only getting by off of the athletes talent. When the Bulls lose, you have to ask why. Bulls have the hardest working team I ever saw. Skiles should be coach of the year. And with home court advantage, they should sweep the Heat. Bunch of over the hill guys with another coach getting by off the star's talent.

Roman responds: Man Keith, you're a little manic here. Sweep the Heat? I don't think so. D-Wade is not over the hill. Injured? Yes, but he's about 80 percent, which is a ton. Miami's a dangerous team. I think the big fella has one more big playoff run in him.

Keith I think the only team in danger of being swept is the Wizards. Yes Roman, Shaq has one good play-off run left in him but with D. Wade only 80% and Hinrich playing his usual dirty defense ( a little sarcasm there just in case Pat Riley reads this) I don't believe the Heat can beat the Bulls unless Posey, Walker and Mourning become big factors. Mourning scares me but Posey and Walker have a tendency to disappear at times and Payton is playing on borrowed time. Look for Nocioni and Deng to step things up and an occasional infusion of energy from Thomas and Sefalosa gets them to round 2.

Dawn, who is Kirt? I love our team this year and last year and I love watching the hustle from this team. I like our chances against the Heat better then any other team besides the Washington Wizards. Roman, I can't wait when the Bulls take this series so I can rub it in your face when your next blog starts out "Well the Bulls won and I was wrong. How are our chances against the next team". GO BULLS!!!

Roman responds:I've completely flip-flopped. My prediction tomorrow's paper will say Bulls in 7. Call me John Kerry.

this afternoon will tell alot about how far the Bulls will go into9 the play-offs. if they take game 1 it will be Bulls in 6. if they take the series against Miami thier confidence will be high going against Detriot and they have beaten the Pistons in Auburn Hills once this season. if the Bulls get to the second round and split the first 2 games in Auburn Hills they take the series in 6. in the other EC bracket it seems everyone has already written the Raptors off possibly because of thier lack of play-off experience. but they can not be taken lightly. look for them to take the Nets in 5 and extend the Cav's to 7 and possibly upset King James & co. regardless of who comes out of the east I don't see anyone beating Dallas or the Spurs one of which is likely to win the west. should the Suns somehow win the west, the Bulls, Cav's or Raptors would make a much more interesting finals than the Pistons or Heat.

John Kerry, all of the "experts" picked the Bulls in 7. That's an interesting read. You should've stuck with your original prediction just to be different. I agree with the outcome, but I'm gonna say "Bulls in 6" just to disagree with all you experts at the Sun-Times. GO BULLS!!!!!

Roman responds: The list runs Sunday. Taylor Bell includes Garnett in his list, but I don't. He played here for one school year. That does not make him a Chicagoan in my book. My first five: Isiah, Dwyane, Aguirre, Mikan, Issel. Second five: Cheeks, Hardaway, Walker, Kerr and maybe Eddie Johnson. Now I forget. Actually, I don't think it was Johnson.

I saw TB's list...how could I forget Terry Cummings! He didn't have the # of years but he would have USED Antoine Walker.