Bulls trying for historic comeback
By Sean Lee

  Everything was looking good for the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs up until fairly recently. The team was playing some of their best basketball of the season, sweeping the Miami Heat 4-0 in a seven game series. The Bulls had managed to shut down Heat stars Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade and avenge their post-season loss the year before to the Heat.
  “That whole series was awesome,” junior Tommy Harvey said. “It was the first playoff series win for the Bulls in roughly 10 years. It made it look like they were going to be another great team for Chicago sports.”
  If only that success could have continued. The Bulls’ dominating success was short-lived as they ran into the Detroit Pistons in the second round. The Bulls faced the Pistons four times during the regular season, losing only once. With that in mind, few people expected the early outcome of the playoff series.
  The Bulls came into Detroit with high hopes, which were soon drowned by the Pistons. In fact, the team barely put up a fight, with a record setting loss 95-69. Those 69 points were a franchise low for Bulls playoff games. But everyone makes mistakes, right?
  One would think that after such a poor performance the team would bounce back, but that also wasn’t the case. Instead, the Bulls played arguably worse in Game 2. The Bulls who normally can be characterized by hustle, resiliency, and most of all energy, seemed to have left those traits in Chicago.
  The team came out flat, and trailed the Pistons 34-18 after just one quarter. But this is why it is a best of seven series, so teams are able to catch up.
  Midway through game 3 it looked like the Bulls would actually bounce back into the series. Well aware that going down 0-3 would force them into a situation that no NBA team has triumphed in, the Bulls stepped up their game, slightly. The Bulls worked their way to a 19-point lead in the third quarter, and things were looking up.
  It seemed as though when they truly wanted to control the game, the Pistons did with ease. For almost the entire second half, the Pistons came out on defense in a zone. The Bulls struggled against it, shooting 4-of-25 from the floor in the fourth quarter.
  “That third game was so disappointing,” Harvey said. “You never want to be down 0-3. Right now it looks as though the Pistons are the better team because of their experience.”
  There are three main reasons for the lapse in the Bulls’ success. The first would have to be the offense. Against the rock-solid Detroit zone defense, the Bulls failed to shoot over 35 percent from the field in the first three games.
  Also, the Bulls’ leading scorer during the regular season was not getting the open looks he was accustomed to as he also got into foul trouble early in the first two games. To accompany the poor offensive effort, the Bulls’ defense was visibly lacking.
  While they allowed only 93 points per game in the regular season, the Bulls gave up totals of 95 and 108 in the first two games of the series.
  Finally, the Bulls simply could not start and finish strong. Failing to keep up at the beginning of games and blowing huge leads at the end of games are not characteristics of good teams in the NBA.
  First, let this be known: no team in the history of the NBA’s best of seven series has ever come back to win the series after trailing 3-0. Despite that, being down 3-0 is not a complete death sentence, teams have rallied back twice in the NHL and most recently the 2004 Boston Red Sox overcame unthinkable odds. Regardless, the Bulls have some work to do.
  The team came out strong on Sunday and managed to work around the gritty Detroit zone defense. The Bulls were nearly shockingly reminded of Game 3 as a 23-point third quarter lead quickly slipped down do only a seven point lead with under five minutes left to play.
  Luckily this time the Bulls were able to close out the game with ease as they won 102-87. The victory sends the series back to Detroit where the Bulls have struggled in the past. Although things look slightly better for the Bulls, only eight teams in NBA history have overcome a 3-1 deficit. Despite the odds, the Bulls are maintaining a positive attitude and are focusing on one game at a time. The team is scheduled to play Tuesday in Detroit and with a win they return to Chicago for Game 6 on Thursday.