Chicago Bulls lose to the Miami Heat in the NBA Eastern Conference Championship

It seems with the NBA it is only the last five minutes that matter. Especially during the regular season the rest of the game is simply an exercise to make sure the game is close enough to provide a chance when the game is played with intensity - the last five minutes. I made the mistake of letting myself care about the Chicago Bulls this year. While I have always been a fan of the Cubs and Bears, I had never been enthusiastic about the Bulls. During their glory years I lived on near Seattle and the Bulls were the nemesis any team in the West, including my beloved Sonics. Having moved to Chicago I gained some appreciation for the local team and they did have Kirk Heinrich from the Kansas Jayhawks. Of course they traded him away but a hero was developing in Derrick Rose. Yes, he played for Memphis in college, but KU defeated his team for the national championship and by all accounts the local kid is a very decent human being. Good kid grows up from bad part of town and becomes a hero. It is a compelling story.

At the beginning of this season I only expected the Bulls to make it to the second round. Somewhere along the way though, I got hooked. Then my heart was no longer balanced by my brain. I do not know if it was the feel good story and humility of Derrick Rose, the team oriented winning, or the hope provided against to disappointments from the Bears, Blackhawks, Cubs, and White Sox, but I allowed myself to dream this could be the year the Bulls win the NBA Championship. I should have known better. The Bulls, like the Thunder (née Sonics), showed their youth in the final five minutes of several games, especially the final games of their respective series. Last night's loss collapse by the Bulls was particularly painful. As the Bulls in the Jordan-era learned from the defeats by the Celtics and Pistons, I hope these new Bulls grow from these playoffs and start an equally impressive championship run.

Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.
- Edwin Markham