Das Okaaaay....

The Chicago Bulls haven't failed many tests this season. By now you've no doubt heard that the Bulls haven't lost two games in a row since the beginning of February, and they haven't lost three in a row all season. That's all fine and good, but that's the regular season. This is the playoffs, where the game is way more intense, and the pressure is on in every possession of every game. Game 3 was certainly a microcosm of that line of thinking.

While there will certainly be many media members that will use the word "pivotal" to describe the Miami Heat winning game 3, but I will not be one of them. That's not to suggest that Game 3 wasn't important in this series. It was important, but not for the reasons many people will think.

Many people will say that Carlos Boozer's awful defense was to blame for tonight's loss, and overlook his 26 points and 17 boards. Others will point out the awful game Joakim Noah had (1 point, 5 rebounds) as a main factor. Many Heat fans will point out that Chris Bosh was on a mission tonight during his 34 point orgasm, in addition to the Heat playing terrific physical team defense. And where would I be without mentioning that the conspiracy theorists will no doubt point to the inconsistent and, at times, awful officiating as the biggest culprit for the Bulls loss.

They will all have a point to some degree, but that's not the way I see it. The one with the biggest responsibility for this loss, wears #1. Derrick Rose, in short, was not "Derrick Rose, league MVP" tonight, and he is the reason the Bulls did not emerge victorious this evening.

You've seen me write it for quite some time, dear readers. The Bulls formula for success this season, (more or less), has been to wear out their opponents for three quarters, and then Derrick Rose takes over and puts teams away in the fourth quarter. Rose had two fourth quarter points tonight. The Heat continue to double team Rose as they have all series, but made several adjustments which confused Rose and didn't allow him to distribute as he normally has been able to. Statistically, it added up to 21 points, with 8 assists in 41 plus minutes.

When Rose is on his game, he has around 30 points and double digit assists. You can look at his last 7 playoff games numbers to see he's been around these numbers until recently. You can also see in those numbers that shooting 30% from the field is a rare occurrence for Rose as well.

Rose himself said after the game, "I guess I have to be more aggressive. They're closing down the paint. They're a good defensive team and loading up on one side. We have to find a way to get easier baskets." I agree with him.

With all that said however, this series is far from over. Give credit to the Heat and the oft-maligned coach Erik Spoelstra. They adjusted. They had a plan for the Bulls, and it worked. It's now the Bulls, specifically Tom Thibodeau's move. Thibs will need to come up with a new plan, and I have no doubt he will. He has all season when faced with similar situations. The fact that he needed to do that before tonight's game, doesn't bother me.

If the Heat are going to count on Chris Bosh doing this every night, and Derrick Rose being a non-factor from here on out, then that's good news for the Bulls. I have complete confidence in Thibs, Rose, Noah, Deng, and Boozer to rise to the occasion and even this series with a win in game 4.

Now if we can somehow get Noah to stop using gay slurs on camera....