I would love nothing more than to feel the agony of a Game 7.
The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings will duke it in the do-or-die game later this afternoon. It has been easily the most captivating series of the first round, and the stakes have been a big part of that.
The Warriors are trying to defend their crown and prove that the golden age of Warriors basketball (pun intended) hasn’t run its course. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings are trying to prove they have finally broken the curse. They have a chance to turn their first playoff appearance since 2005-06 into their first playoff series victory since 2003-04.
You gotta love the theater!
Win or lose, I’d give about anything to see the Bulls in this situation again. As emotionally draining as it is, these types of series and games are what fans dream of. We have to go all the way back to the 2014-15 season to find the last time the Bulls clinched a first-round series. As for the last time they did it in a Game 7, we have to go back to the 2012-13 season when they took down the Brooklyn Nets.
Do you remember how insane that first-round matchup was? Three of the games were decided by six or fewer points, and one of the games went to triple OT. And, yes, that was the famous Nate Robinson game! He dropped 34 points off the bench, 29 of which came from the 4th quarter and in OT. The Bulls ended up winning 142-134 thanks to seven of the eight players who appeared in the third OT finding the bottom of the net. As for the Nets, only three of their six players who entered the final OT scored. Anyway, you can look at the full box score here. Oh, the memories!
Also, here are the highlights!
Jamal Murray is who I kind of hoped Zach LaVine would become by now. While folks have questioned Murray’s true impact in moments, he’s been able to rise to the occasion almost any time he’s stepped into the playoffs. He was the driving force for the team’s monster Game 1 victory over the Phoenix Suns, scoring 34 points with 9 assists. Over his six playoff games thus far, Murray has averaged 28.3 points with nearly 7.0 assists on 48.4 percent shooting from the field and 46.2 percent shooting from downtown.
JAMAL MURRAY was asked “Is it Bubble Murray or is it healthy Murray?"
"I'd say it's healthy Murray. I don't know how many times I gotta prove myself for y'all to believe in my game or believe in what I do."
I still think LaVine has a couple of awesome playoff games in him. He’s too good of a scorer not to, and let’s not forget that he played through his first-ever playoff appearance with a bum knee that needed surgery. I’d also be remiss not to mention that Murray gets the benefit of playing with a two-time MVP in Nikola Jokic. That can’t hurt!
I know the Suns have yet to reach the mountaintop, but they probably deserve even more respect as a true playoff threat. I mean, Kevin Durant knows how good they are …
Is Joel Emnbiid about to win his first? I say yes.
A Kia Performance Award from the 2022-23 NBA regular season will be announced on @NBAonTNT. Tune it at 7:00 PM ET on Tuesday night for the reveal. pic.twitter.com/HJ9Umtgati— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 30, 2023
Can’t wait for Victor to be a Bull!
Before playoff hoops start… #NBADraft prospect Victor Wembanyama and Metropolitans 92 tip off the day on the NBA App!
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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NEWSLETTER
