The Bulls' Fourth Quarter: Oh, the futility

At long last, the NBA regular season arrived at a somewhat merciful end. I will admit to watching some of the final night of action, games that had real seeding implications. For Bulls fans, we did not learn until the final night that Chicago gets to face a far more beatable Brooklyn team instead of a stronger Indiana squad in the first round of the playoffs. While the Nets certainly make for a more winnable series, what's really the reward? You get to be the next team to lose to the Heat? Yeah, maybe it won't be as embarrassing as getting pummeled in the Finals, but let's just say that I am not expecting to be asking to watch any Bulls games in June. Not even much of May. Certainly not without, well ... you know. That guy. 

There's a part of me that still quietly clings to the "Wouldn't it be cool" scenario in which Rose returns for the first game of the playoffs, the same point in the last season that was his last game. Or maybe Game 3, the first game in Chicago. No announcement, he's just suddenly in the starting lineup.

Of course, the reality is that you'll be watching the same group you've been seeing all year, still banged up and still grinding it out. Hell, even with Rose, that likely just means the team loses to Miami in five or six instead of four. There's admirable aspects to this year's Bulls team, but there just isn't much point beyond hoping for one playoff series win this year.

The top three teams in the division ended up just as I expected, but the Cavaliers ended up being worse than the Pistons I thought were going to be the bigger disaster. Not that my predictions are really going to be worth much, but I suppose that at least my ultimate championship winner prediction looks good to live up to that pick. 

I suppose that there should be a little more optimism about the fact that this team's season is not technically over. As I mentioned in my last update, the Bulls have overcome a lot of injuries (with that one exception) to finish ahead of, say, a Hawks team that shouldn't be making more excuses at this point. The Nets strike most Bulls fans as a decidedly more beatable team than the Pacers, and indeed, there's good reason to think Chicago can win a seven-game series with New Jersey. There's always the concern of whether you're going to get the good Nate Robinson who sinks ridiculous threes, or you're going to get the bad Nate Robinson who allows easy baskets right before putting up a terribly forced shot that gives the ball right back. However, I don't think I've made any mention this year of the encouraging play from Jimmy Butler. I'd say pump the brakes on thinking the team's solved its shooting guard issue, but it certainly has at least found a wing player who has exhibited explosive qualities to get to the basket and whose defense could probably be credited with helping Deron Williams have a more woeful game than usual in one contest with the Nets this season.

I will save my prediction for the forthcoming Bulls playoff series until tomorrow evening when I post all of my picks.

NOTE: Photo taken from here