Sometimes we are all guilty of getting ahead of ourselves, guilty of riding the bandwagon of a player, or even a team.  Every year there is a “sweetheart” team or player that everyone falls in love with.  This year that player is Derrick Rose, and the team is The Chicago Bulls.  Most NBA fans are guilty of this, including myself to a certain extent.  Rose is outstanding, and The Bulls look as if they are the “it ” team in 2010-11, and probably for years to come.

While Chicago is up 3-1 in their first round series against Indiana and clearly in position to advance to the second round, is their reason for concern?  Let’s put aside Rose’s sprained ankle for a moment and look deeper.  Is Indiana a bad match up for The Bulls?  Is Chicago dangerously looking ahead to the next series and possibly further down the road?  Or is Chicago perhaps, dare I say it, a touch overrated?  Now it is safe to say that they will advance on and begin to run in to the upper tier of  The Eastern Conference.  Can they beat Miami, Boston or Orlando?, sure they can.  But I sure do not feel as confident as I did a couple of weeks ago. 

 Just to be fair, we have seen other big teams start slowly in their first round series’, San Antonio and Los Angeles to name a couple.  Those 2 teams have been their a number of times in the past, and find a way to wiggle out of trouble.  The problem with Chicago is that they have never been in this position before, and when a team mightier than the Indiana Pacers gets in there way, how will they respond?  They are barely squeaking past the Pacers in this series, coming from behind to steal a couple of games.  What happens when they fall behind 2-0 or 2-1 in a seven game series against Miami or Boston?  What happens when one of those teams focuses all there energy on punishing Rose as Indiana did in Game 3?  Had The Pacers bought into that philosophy from the start,  Chicago would be in even deeper trouble.

Now don’t misunderstand me, Rose is a great young player, and The Bulls are an exciting young team that had an exceptional regular season.  But the Playoffs are a long and winding road, and this first series has to make you skeptical.  Without a consistent second option,  The Bulls in my opinion will not get out of The Eastern Conference.  We have to assume that Joakim Noah may not have another 21 point 14 rebound performance for a while.  Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer have been inconsistent, how much longer can Rose carry the load?

Unfortunately for Chicago, Indiana has accomplished one thing in this series if nothing else.  They have laid out the blueprint on how to disrupt The Bulls.  Make Rose pay for penetrating into the paint over and over.  He may get to the foul line, but in a seven game series he will wear down.  Believe me Chicago,  Boston and Miami are watching.

 The Chicago Bulls walked off the court following a 96-90 victory against the Indiana Pacers yesterday with a disappointed look on their faces.  The overall mood in the Bulls locker room after the game would lead you to believe that they had just lost Game 2 of their first round series against the Pacers.  They have done what every home team looks to do, win the first two games at home.  This is usually a good sign for a team, especially a young one.  They have expectations of themselves, and their performance in Game 2 was not up to their expectations. 

Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 36 points on 11-25 shooting from the floor, a performance Bulls fans have come to expect.  Carlos Boozer, who Chicago desperately needs to be the second weapon behind Rose, added 17 points to go along with 16 rebounds.  Boozer’s performance has been inconsistent lately, a problem that may not rear its ugly head against the Pacers, but surely will in later rounds.  This inconsistent play in the first two games may be the reason that they, as a team, were not happy with their performance.  Perhaps they understand that they will need more than just Rose in order to win a NBA Championship.  Boozer’s solid Game 2 performance will go a long way, but they will also need major contributions from Luol Deng and Joakim Noah if there to be able to get past Boston, Miami or Orlando. 

You got the feeling that not only did the Bulls win Game 2, but also seemed to lay the tracks for a Game 3 victory and furthermore, a short series.  The Pacers, who played well in Game 1 and most of Game 2, have nothing to show for it, and looked like a deflated team in the fourth quarter of Game 2.  Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough, who burned Chicago for 22 points in Game 1, was held to 2-12 shooting from the field in Game 2.  Indiana star forward Danny Granger led the Pacers in Game 2 with 19 points, but needed 14 shots to get those 19 points. 

You look at the Chicago Bulls struggling with the Indiana Pacers and you know they could use another scorer, that they have nobody on the roster who can hit an open shot.  The Bulls continue to rely on one player to score, pass and to lead them to the promise land.  That recipe usually comes up short for teams, which is why most people are picking Miami or Boston to get to the Finals.  Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant had Shaquille O’neal, then Pao Gasol, even Tim Duncan had Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.  Only Allen Iverson in recent memory has been able to single handedly carry an overachieving team to the NBA Finals, only to lose to the two headed monster of Bryant and O’neal.  Is Rose that capable already at the ripe age of 22?  Is this possibly the beginning of a special player and a special career?  Miami and/or Boston most assuredly will have something to say about that.

Spoiling a sweep and a brilliant effort from Chris Carpenter for the Cardinals on Sunday,  Matt Kemp belted a two-run walk-off home run off St. Louis closer Ryan Franklin to hand the Cardinals a 2-1 loss and salvage the final game of a 3-game series.   The blown save was Franklin’s fourth in five opportunities, ballooning his ERA to a hefty 11.57.  Kemp’s home run was his second off Franklin already this season, having hit a solo shot off the Cards’ closer on Thursday night. 

The Cards’ offense was silenced by Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley, who tossed eight shutout innings, surrendering just two hits and striking out eleven.  Cardinals’ starter Chris Carpenter did his part to match Billingsley, coming away from Sunday’s contest giving up only five hits in seven innings, while striking out five and walking none.  Only one runner made it to third base.  After giving up 11 earned runs for a 0-2 record and 5.82 ERA over his first three starts, Sunday was his best outing yet.   “I felt like I had good command with my cutter and commanded the fastball on both sides of the plate,” Carpenter said.  ”It is a pretty good lineup, and I was able to do pretty well.

The good news is that despite the tough loss on Sunday, the Cards’(8-7) have to be feeling pretty good finishing up a 10-game West Coast swing with a 6-4 record.   ”We won the series and really competed well,” Tony LaRussa said.  “It is a tough loss, but any time we win a series, it is a good thing.”  They return home to Busch Stadium for three games against the Washington Nationals starting Tuesday night.  With the exception of Billingsley’s performance on Sunday, the Cardinals offense has really hit their stride.  Third baseman David Freese is 15 for his last 30 at the plate and drove in the only run on Sunday, while Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols have found there power strokes.   Berkman and Pujols hit two home runs each in Friday Night’s 11-2 drubbing of Los Angeles.  The red hot hitting couldn’t come at a better time because after the Nationals come in for three games, the division leading Cincinnati Reds come in to town for three games.  The Reds series will prove to be an early measuring stick for St.  Louis, with Cincy seemingly the cream of the crop in the National League Central. 

Now that Albert Pujols seems to have gotten going after a slow start, the biggest concern for manager Tony LaRussa and St. Louis has to be closer Ryan Franklin.  He has started the season blowing four out of five save opportunities, and it won’t be long before fans start to look for a change.  Jason Motte would be the clear cut choice as Franklin’s replacement, and has gotten off to another solid start this season.  As we’ve seen, LaRussa has alot of confidence in his closer, and most assuredly will give him another, if not many more chances to redeem himself so early in the season.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Motte was the closer before too long, even by the end of the month.  It seems like the right choice for now, and for the immediate and long-term future.  I know it’s only mid-April, but these losses count just like the losses in August and September.  It’s better to stop the bleeding now.

     Just another game in the season for the Charlotte Bobcats.  A poor shooting night along with 16 turnovers lead to an 89-77 loss to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.  Charlotte, just two games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot, had another golden opportunity to close the gap on the Pacers.  Playing without Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas, Charlotte managed to shoot 45.2% from the field, connecting on just 1 three point field goal.  Dante Cunningham and D.J. Augustin combined for 40 points, while the rest of the team scored just 37, a poor effort against an Orlando team gearing up for the playoffs.  Howard led the Orlando offense with 26 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with 4 other Magic players scoring in double figures.

     With tonight’s loss, it gives the Bobcats slim chances of sneaking into the playoffs.  Once again fans are forced to look to the future and wonder what can be done to make the first of many steps needed to make this organization a perrenial playoff participant.  They have an advantage playing in the Eastern Conference, where it seems like every year a couple of teams with sub .500 records make the playoffs.  Although Paul Silas is a good basketball man and an NBA  “lifer”, he in my opinion not the man for this situation, and neither was Larry Brown before him.  This team needs an overhaul, and it starts from the top. 

     Although Rod Higgins is the General Manager, it is clear who is making the decisions for this organization, majority owner and the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan.  As wonderful a player as Jordan was, he may be equally as bad as a talent evaluator.  This organization has had high draft picks for several years now, and have little to show for it.  Who’s to blame?  For everyone of their first round draft selections I can give you players they passed on, no brainers!  Back in 2005 when they drafted Sean May ahead of Danny Granger.  By the way, where did Sean May go to school?   You guessed it,  the University of North Carolina.  In 2007 they drafted Brandan Wright, another Tar Heel, ahead of Joakim Noah.  Or in 2009 when they drafted Gerald Henderson 12th overall, ahead Ty Lawson, Jrue Holiday, Darren Collison and even Tyler Hansbrough.   Hansbrough, the College Player of the Year, was the one time they should have drafted a Tar Heel and didn’t!

   The bottom line is that major changes need to be made, both in the front office and with player personnel.  Unfortunately until the changes are made, Charlotte will forever be 2 games out of the final playoff spot every year, always on the outside looking in.