Upstart Bulls take sudden exit

It looked like there was certainly going to be some major first round upsets in this NBA playoff cycle, but then suddenly everything collapsed on the upstarts. The Pacers... the Kings...the Lakers... after furious starts they are all either dead or suddenly on life support. And I thought the Bulls had the Heat reeling for sure, but then... boom... two bad games and it all fell apart. I can empathize with the anguish being felt by our friend Matt at Blog-a-Bull. Not too much, though -- the Bulls have a much brighter outlook than our Milwaukee Bucks. Here's something he can take comfort in, however: up until Game Five, the Bulls-Heat series had an eerie similarity to the first round Bucks-Pacers series of 2000... and in 2001 the Bucks came within an eminently makeable Glenn Robinson 8 foot baseline jumper of getting to play the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Perhaps their near miss is merely foreshadowing of better things to come.

(Footnote: I was hoping the Bucks could somehow pry Nocioni away from the Bulls this summer for some interior size. Fat chance now. That guy went big time against Miami.)