BULLieve

For many Chicago fans, the surreal numbness that came after Saturday’s depressing win over the 76ers is probably fading as the city, with the highest of expectations, mentally prepares itself for Game 2 tonight. The Bulls, I hope, are many steps ahead of us.

I’m a big believer in Coach Thibodeau. If this crazy, condensed season has proven anything, it is that the system which Thibs has employed (and more importantly that the players have bought into) is much greater than the superstar who leads it. No doubt, my love for Derrick Rose is as much as any other person who still refuses to call the Sears Tower the Willis Tower. Yet, as the season progressed, I found myself more and more impressed with how well the Bulls played without Rose. The ball movement was spectacular and the team play highlighted just how selfless the players really are. Granted, during those games, the Bulls played with the hopes and promise that their MVP would be back when it counted, to lead them against the best of the best. But that still doesn’t take away from the fact that Chicago minus Rose is a very dangerous team, especially now that they will be playing like they have nothing to lose.

Except they do.

Sitting atop the NBA with every Game 7 being played in the United Center gives the Bulls every reason to believe they are still the team to beat. Win at home and you win the title - simple as that. Of course that’s easier said than done, but to the Chicago fans who chose despair instead of hope upon hearing Saturday’s devastating news, I ask this question: Why give up now?

The Bulls beat the Heat twice in Chicago in games where Rose either did not play or was a non-factor. They also knocked out other top eastern conference teams without their MVP including the Pacers and the Celtics. I get it, these are the playoffs and this is where superstars shine. This is where you need to have your go-to-guy who has no fear of taking the final shot, night after night. But there is one thing in basketball history that has been proven time and time again—basketball, at its core, is a team game. No matter how great the player (or even players), the better team will always win. We saw this back in 2004 when the Hall of Fame Lakers lineup crumbled to the Pistons, and as recent as last year, when future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Dwayne Wade could not carry the Heat past the Mavericks. If there is one thing the Bulls have shown us this year, it is that they are one of the best teams in the NBA - not because of their lineup, but because of their play. It’s a beautiful thing when every player trusts his teammate to take the final shot.

It’s a shame that Coach of the Year awards do not carry into the playoffs. I believe that Thibs will get his team back on track if he hasn’t done so already. All year long, he has made the right decisions to guide the Bulls to the top and there is no reason to believe that he will stop now. Playing Rose into the last minute of Game 1 was the right decision by Thibodeau (see Clippers/Grizzlies Game 1 for further proof). Not only were the 76ers on a run, but it should be highly noted that Rose’s injury was non-contact. The season had taken its toll on Rose’s body and his knee would have eventually buckled whether it was in a game, during practice or even walking down the stairs. It’s unfortunate that it occurred in the opening game of the playoffs, but there is absolutely no reason that Thibs should be handed any sort of blame. After everything he has done for his players, for this organization and for this city - as an avid fan I will not let one (completely justified) decision on Thibodeau’s part shake my belief that the man knows what he is doing.

Declaring Rose out for the rest of the playoffs does provide some closure though. There is a different mindset knowing that your best player will not return and working with what you have. In addition to Thibs, it’s important that the Bulls’ inspirational leaders like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng point out how accomplished this team is without its MVP to the rest of the locker room. It’s important that the Bulls come out with energy and no loss of enthusiasm in their next game. It’s important that fans inside and outside of the Madhouse on Madison continue to BULLieve in a team that has never given up nor given any excuses. The road will not be easy, although in all honesty, it never really was. Game 2 will be pivotal in deciding how the rest of the postseason plays out for the Bulls. Either they will come out flat, still clearly lamenting one of the biggest sports hits this city has ever taken, or the Bulls will not lose their step as they continue to chase their first title since the Jordan era. My money, and my heart, are on the latter.

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