Post by Miege22 on May 16, 2021 22:44:19 GMT -5
In one of the most remarkable comebacks in league history, the Chicago Bulls(!!!) are the new NBA champions! Coming off of back-to-back first round losses, the Bulls welcomed a new owner who took the team in a dramatically different direction. Gone were Marcus Smart, TJ Warren, Andre Drummond and Christian Wood. In their place was Julius Randle, Khris Middleton, Rui Hachimura and a host of key signings. However, the regular season was rocky. Injuries, COVID and a fairly tough schedule resulted in a sub-par 8-6 record. Still, that was good enough to win the division and clinch the third seed. Once the playoffs started, this team took off.
In a sign of things to come, the Bulls demolished a short-handed Heat team. While the Heat sold at the deadline, and had numerous injuries in the playoffs, the Bulls put up numbers that would have beaten EVERYONE in the first round. Even with that result, it felt as though they would need a couple of breaks to take down the #1 team in the conference, the Tampa Bay Bull Sharks. They got more than a few breaks, as Tampa Bay lost 7 players to injuries or COVID. It came down to the final day, and the Bulls shrewdly pulled their remaining players to hang onto turnovers and clinch a spot in the Finals.
It should be noted, at this point, that the Bulls somehow managed to get past the Bull Sharks with Donovan Mitchell missing the series. The outlook was not good for Mitchell as the Finals started, and, sure enough, he ended up missing the entire round. As we reached the final weekend, it looked like the Mitchell loss would be the difference. Seattle lost multiple games from KPJ, Beal, Harden and Schroder, but they still led by 91 points going into Friday. After the Bulls only took 7 points off that deficit on Friday, it looked like they would fall just short. But that's when the Finals MVP took over. Julius Randle poured in 33 huge points on Saturday to help buoy the Bulls to a monster day. It knocked 66 points off the lead, and set the stage for arguably the most dramatic Finals finish in league history. With guys dropping like flies, the Bulls got 20 points from Randle to keep pace with Bradley Beal, making a late return for the Sonics. They then got 60 combined points from Pat Williams, D'Angelo Russell, Tyler Herro, and Isaiah Roby. There were some tense final minutes, as the Bulls had to hope they held onto a tie in turnovers. Once the final seconds ticked away on the last game, the result was clear. Chicago had done it.
The league now welcomes a new team to it's most hallowed ground. The Bulls have become the first 1st time champion since the 2017 Houston Rockets. They're just the fourth Eastern Conference team to win the title, and just the sixth franchise in the history of the league to win it all. They'll head into next year with every player under contract, and some cap space to burn.
Join me in congratulating the Chicago Bulls!