Bulls Suffer an Epic Meltdown

By - Kris Fletcher

I just witnessed a meltdown of epic proportions.

The Chicago Bulls led the Miami Heat by 12 points with 3 minutes remaining, only to see the Heat close the game with an 18-3 run to win 83-80 and advance to the NBA Finals.

Photo by: Charles Rex Arbogast

I don't think a big enough deal is being made out of what an utter collapse, and rally for that matter, this actually was.

Even the broadcast team calling the game acted like it wasn't that big of a deal as it was transpiring. Don't get me wrong, I understand Marv Albert pretty much already has a foot in the grave, so he's not as full of life as he once was. I know Steve Kerr is a former Bull, so obviously the fact that this was happening to his old team couldn't have sat very well with him. I'm also fully aware that Reggie Miller once scored 8 points in a 9 second span to lead a comeback win, so I'm sure no rally is really that impressive to him. But still, they should have been more enthusiastic about what was going on. Isn't that their job?

Think about it. Up 12 points with 3 minutes left. That's a four possession game, and that's only if you hit 4 three-pointers at that. Not to mention the comeback was against a very solid defensive team as well. Or so everyone thought anyway.

Everything Chicago could have possibly done wrong in the games final 3 minutes, they did. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 8 points over that time span. Wade even had a 4 point play during the stretch, as he hit a three and was fouled by Derrick Rose in the process, which quite frankly was absolutely inexcusable if you're a Bulls fan.

Photo by: Nam Y. Huh

While we're on the subject of Derrick Rose, anyone else noticed this guy makes a habit out of being on teams that fold up like an accordion on the biggest stages? The game tonight had the same feeling as the 2008 NCAA championship game. On that night, a Derrick Rose-led Memphis Tigers team was up 9 points on the Kansas Jayhawks with 2 minutes remaining, only to cough it up and lose in overtime, 75-68.

I know the Bulls were facing the "Big Three" and all in this series, but it was actually Derrick Rose who was named MVP this season, not James, Wade or Bosh. So for him to jack up 120 shots in the series and only score a lousy 117 points, is just flat out atrocious. That's not MVP-like, it's way closer to being garbage-like.

Or simply put, Michael Jordan, the guy he's trying to emulate, would have never played a series like that. Jordan also wouldn't have allowed his team to blow a double-digit lead in the final minutes of a game.

There are now two instances where Derrick Rose has allowed that to happen.

You know, once you're tagged as being a choke artist, it's kinda hard to lose the label.

Just saying.