It hasn't been an easy series so far and this won't be an easy game. But we've just had 2 days off instead of 1, and if we win this one, we go up 3-0 and are very close to getting an extra week of rest for things like Noah's ankle.

This is a big game to win for long-term positioning.

Rose has a rough shooting night, gets some help scoring from the other guys.

10 seconds left on the clock down the stretch, Rose gets the ball out front, 2 guys break off on him, Rose breaks for the lane, 2 more guys break on him, 5th guy starts breaking towards him, but Rose is already passed all of them. The entire Pacers roster tried to break off on him and he was already at the rim before any of them got there.

Nice breakdown of that last play.

This has been a tough series for the Bulls for a number of reasons: The Pacers are longer and more athletic than the Bulls are and the Pacers have shot the ball better. This series has been played almost exclusively in the half court (almost all playoff games are) and with those aforementioned factors...has made it very tough on the Bulls. It also hasn't helped how the Bulls bench (other than Korver in the 4th) hasn't won their battles.

Fortunately the Bulls are far superior in rebounding the ball. They're a much better defensive team than the Pacers (although you wouldn't know it by watching this series). The Bulls having the best player in the series really helps as well.

What we can't overlook is that the Bulls have DESERVED to win all of these games as they have done more late to win it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. These competitive games will only be good for the Bullies as they advance.