Monday, April 18, 2011
Posted: 9:08 a.m.
By Joe Collins
CSNChicago.com
No scenario? I see every scenario, I see 50 scenariosit puts me 50 moves ahead of you. Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) in the movie Limitless
If you have a chance to see the movie Limitless I suggest you do so. Better yet, watch the movie and then find a way to watch the fourth quarter of the Bulls game from Saturday afternoon. The similarities between the two might (ahem) blow your mind.
In the movie, Bradley Cooper plays a gangly, unkempt starving writer type named Eddie Morra. The guy is a mess. His love life is in shambles and he comes home every day to a filthy, one bedroom apartment that only Elwood Blues would appreciate. While walking on a New York street, he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law who comps him a magic pillof sorts. Figuring he has nothing to lose, Eddie swallows the tablet. Almost immediately, his brain kicks into a Ken Jennings-on-Jeopardy type of gear. He recalls specific information and long-since-forgotten data in a moments notice. The meds help him out of jams and catapults his career. In no time, hes a kingpin on Wall Street.
For three and a half quarters this weekend, the Bulls were Morra. They were disheveled. Awkward. Disappointing. And lets face it, losers. Maybe not losers in the figurative Dude, Im 40 and still live with my parents sense, but losers of the literal kind: the top overall seed of the NBA playoffs about to go down 1-0 to a patchwork quilt Indiana Pacers team lucky to own an 8-seed.
Then, the whole team took a magic pill and went Limitless.
NBA
You never want to be down 10 with three minutes left in the game, Bulls guard Kyle Korver said after Sundays practice. I think it shows a lot about the character of our teamto come back.
Korvers heroics were just one of the many side effects of that magic pill. His three pointer with 48.4 seconds left gave the Bulls their first lead of the day. Derrick Rose, a magic pill all by himself, set up Joakim Noah on a dunk and had a sweet layup himself to help chip away at the Indiana lead. The Bulls, somehow, flipped the switch at the right timeas we have seen so many other times this year - and inexplicably pulled out a victory.
(Before I get too far ahead of myself, with all this talk of magic pills and tablets, let me throw this disclaimer that I do not endorse drug use in any way, magic pill or otherwise. I know, I know, maybe its a bit muchespecially for a blog. But hey, its the times we live inyou know? Have to be safe rather than sorry! And I mean that sincerely.)
Anyway, the only time I can remember a team collectively taking a magic pill like that was during Game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals when the Bulls went ballistic on the Portland Trail Blazers. Their fourth quarter victory blitz was nothing short of astounding. Portland owned the game up to that point. Then Bobby HansenBobby Hansen - started hitting shots. Then Scottie Pippen took over at both ends of the floor. A 15-point deficit evaporated. Michael Jordan came in for a few dagger shots. Game over. The most intriguing part of Saturdays game is that we all knew it was coming. Deep down, we knew that the Bulls would find the magic pill and start dominating. Sure enough, they did. They were focused. Smart. Energized. I mean, did you have any doubt that Korver three-pointer?
One of the key plot points to Limitless is that Eddie is warned not to take too many of these pills because other people have succumbed to nasty side effects, including razor-sharp migraines (dont worry, if you havent seen it the movie, Im not spoiling all that much). At the very least, someone suggests, the doses should be spaced out and a person should never go cold turkey. And quite frankly, I hope the Bulls dont get addicted to their version of the magic pills either. Dont use them all at once, you know? Save them for, say, a series with the word Finals in it. Heck, a lot of pundits argue that the Bulls should have never been that position on Saturday to begin with:
The Bulls? The destiny team of 2011 about to lose on their home floor to the mediocre Indiana Pacers? Blasphemy!
But maybe this Bulls team just has an endless supply of magic. Its kind of their motif, you know? Theyve been known to get out to slow starts. They drag their feet. They let teams hang around. And just like in the movie Limitless, they know when to turn on the switch, refocus, and make everything clear again. They recognize when theyre in a muddled state. And theyre a force to be reckoned with when theyre in the zone. They take advantage of every scenario presented to them and take advantage accordingly.
As a fan, its pretty addicting to watch. If the Bulls can space out this sports prescription just right, their potential might be - dare I say - limitless.
Now, if only the Blackhawks could get a similar taste of the magic
Or something like that.
Reminder: you can catch game two of the Bulls-Pacers series right here on Comcast SportsNet. We will get you started with Bulls Pregame Live at 8pm, with tip-off to follow at 8:30. For the latest updates, be sure to follow our Bulls insider Aggrey Sam at csnchicago.com and on Twitter at CSNBullsInsider.