Losing games, gaining faith

There’s no such thing as a good loss, just like there’s no such thing as a good time to catch a cold. Coming out on the short end always stings, especially when it’s the last game of the season. The 2008 Cubs were swept in three games after having an amazing regular season, and that was tough to handle. The 2008 Bears fell on the final day of the regular season when a win would have earned them a playoff birth. And just yesterday, the 2008-09 Bulls lost in Game 7 of the greatest first round series ever. Three tough defeats, none of them close to qualifying as good.

That being said, this Bulls team gave me a lot more than expected. Before the season, I predicted Chicago to finish ninth in the East, behind current Lottery-bound teams Washington, Toronto and Indiana. I said that they lacked the post scoring and experience to make a post-season run, and that this season would be judged on how much Derrick Rose and Vinny Del Negro improved. Turns out I was just a bit off.

Success for the Bulls was pushing the defending NBA Champs, the Boston Celtics, to the edge of a cliff so far that several players probably barfed from the high altitude. Success was winning the most dramatic playoff game - Game 6 - the NBA has seen in years. Success was getting major performances out of guys whom that was expected (Rose, Ben Gordon) and those who surprised (Joakim Noah, John Salmons).

I’m not saying I’m glad the Bulls lost, far from it. The second quarter of Game 7, where everything slipped away and exploded like a greasy water balloon, still runs through my mind 24 hours after it took place. Those thoughts will persist in my skull for a good month or so before I’m over it. (You think I’m kidding? I seriously had Vietnam-like flashback of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS for a good two years before I finally let it go) For the life of me I can’t figure out what Tyrus Thomas was doing on the bench most of the game while Brad Miller was on the floor stinking it up. And why was nobody ever within five feet of Eddie House?

But the way the Bulls fought this entire series against a team of guys with rings on their fingers was impressive. After the heart-breaking loss in Game 2 and the blowout in 3, the Bulls could have easily folded their cards, walked away from the table and saved their chips for next season. Instead they raised their bets, made the Celtics uncomfortable with the pressure and pulled out two amazing W’s (Gm’s 4 and 6). And even though they had their worst quarter of the season at the wrong time, the Bulls still clawed back and made it a four-point game with four minutes to go. If a team full of young, in-experienced players could do that (missing arguably their top player in Loul Deng), imagine how dangerous Chicago can be moving forward.

Celtics 109, Bulls 99 was not a positive. But eclipsing expectations and showing true grit are both positives, and while the defeat stings, it may wind up proving to be a turning point in Bulls history. Call it the best of a bad loss.