Bulls Fail to Beat Pacers for Ninth Straight or Perfect Division Record

I don't know how Derrick Rose, player extraordinaire of the Chicago Bulls, can possibly be overlooked as an MVP. He certainly doesn't get the press that members of the Miami Heat do, but that doesn't change the fact he is a cut above some of even the best players in the NBA. Even with Rose's stellar play the Bulls just lost their first game after attaining eight wins in a row.

Conner Brunner, an NBA writer, has posted an article at the NBA website titled "Bulls-Pacers Notebook." This article recaps the Indiana Pacers' win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

Chicago was down by 15 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 95-80. However, Rose scored 19 of what had to be Chicago's final 22 regular-time points to lead the Bulls to an amazing comeback whereby they tied the game at 102 points. Rose capped his MVP performance by making three "You can't miss any or we lose" free throws with just 1.12 seconds left on the clock. While the Bulls ultimately lost, they would have lost in regulation had Rose missed any one of the three free-throws. Instead Chicago lost in overtime by Indiana making up for the fourth-quarter let down by holding them to one successful shot and winning 115-108.

The game by all accounts belonged to the Pacers. They had good leads in every quarter including, as our reference article says, "13 during the first quarter, 17 during the second and 20 during the third.

Perhaps the Chicago Bulls took the Indiana pacers a little lightly. After all the Pacers are still trying to get that eighth playoff spot while the Bulls are currently first in the Eastern Conference However they will not take them lightly again if that was the case.

Derrick Rose was quoted as saying, "That's a team we could possibly see in the playoffs. I can't wait to play them again."

Indiana has beaten three playoff teams. They could be coming together at just the right time. However one thing is certain, they prevented the Bulls from going undefeated in the Central Division which would have been a first in NBA History.

It's just like NFL football. When two teams meet from the same division the records and relative strengths of the teams go out the window.

We'll have to wait and see if Chicago and Indiana see each other in postseason.

Reference:

NBA.com Website, Conrad Brunner, "Bulls-Pacers notebook"