Going Upstairs: Pacers-Bulls Game 5 Recap

Game four turned out to be exactly the wake up call the Bulls needed. It took a loss for them to realize they couldn't get away with playing the way they did, but it was worth it. Had they made that incredible comeback and won on Saturday, it would have only reinforced the bad habits this team had been playing with all series long, and likely would have resulted in quick loss in round two.

Going Upstairs: Pacers-Bulls Game 3 Reactions

This was one of those games where you want to take a shower afterwords and never talk about again. So on that note, I won't give too much analysis, and just be happy with the victory.

Going Upstairs: Pacers-Bulls Game 2 Reactions

I stayed up late to watch this one, secretly hoping the Bulls would put it away early so I could go to bed. I guess that's too much to ask for in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

The Bulls won another thriller that looked awfully similar to the Game 1. The only difference is that in Game 2 I actually feared at one point that the Pacers would put it away, primarily because Derrick Rose had a sub-par first three quarters. You'd think I would have learned by now after a season's worth of MVP performances that no matter how poorly Rose plays all game, he always shows up in quarter number four. As was the case last night.

Going Upstairs: Pacers-Bulls Game 1 Reactions

For the most part, this was one of the most frustrating games to watch all season.

Coming in as favorites to win the East, we all, including the players themselves, likely overlooked the Pacers. But Indiana gave the Bulls their best, making big basket after big basket. All game long we waited for the big run that would close the gap and eventually put the game away, but it never happened. At least not until the game was at it's most crucial moment. With about three and a half minutes left, Boozer fouled Hansbrough on his fast break dunk to put the Bulls in a 10 point hole. It was at that moment I almost turned off the game.

Going Upstairs: Rose answers every call

Derrick Rose isn't one to pay attention to what others say. Or so we think. Behind the driven, yet humble, superstar is someone who loves to prove people wrong. He doesn't come out and say it, but watching him day in and day out, year after year, you can see it on the court.

Take, for example, when people said he couldn't shoot. That was the knock on him coming out of college, and even when he shot 49% last season (5th among point guards league-wide), he was still critiqued for his lack of range. So what did he do? Well, his improvement from the three-point line has been well documented, and was the first hint we got that Rose had a special work ethic.