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Chicago Bulls: How To Lose A Series In One Game, Featuring LeBron James

By Michael Saenz

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The Chicago Bulls are going to look back at Game 4 for years to come, wondering and playing the “what if” game — all thanks to a lot of their own doing and LeBron James

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Chicago Bulls fans are going to look back at Game 4 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals for years to come — wondering what exactly went wrong.

While it’s easy to just answer those inquiries with LeBron James. It’s not that simple.

After all, LeBron James didn’t blow a double-digit lead for the Bulls, nor did he force the Chicago Bulls into two extended offensive droughts — nearly a seven minute one in the second quarter and a four minute one to open the fourth quarter.

What LeBron did do, though, was put the dagger on Game 4 — and, quite possibly, the series.

What happened before that shot though, is what really doomed the Chicago Bulls. And they have no one to blame but themselves.

First, let’s set the table. Here’s a list of circumstances that were set coming into Sunday’s Game 4:

On the surface, even with just the Gasol news, the outlook looked bleak for the Bulls. Then, they hit the court. And that premise changed drastically.

The Chicago Bulls led by the score of 37-29 with 9:08 left in the second quarter. The Cavs called a timeout. Cleveland looked human. Chicago looked like it had a stranglehold of the series and was about to perfectly place a haymaker on the chins of the Cavs.

It just never came, and the next seven minutes would indicate differently.

Chicago went on a seven minute offensive drought and the Cavaliers went on a 14-0 scoring run. The Cavs were back in control. LeBron was attacking, Kyrie was getting to the free throw line and even Tristan Thompson was hitting jumpers.

The perfect storm.

Oh, and, of course, the Bulls couldn’t hit anything. They missed 13 straight shots. In a key moment of Game 4 — and the series — Chicago failed.

Instead of extending their eight-point lead before halftime, the Bulls entered intermission with a four-point deficit — and it probably should’ve been much worse than that.

Yet, somehow, to open the third quarter, the Chicago Bulls recovered. In the midst of a near collapse in the second quarter, they were filled with life again.

Chicago outscored the Cavs 23-12 in the third quarter to take a seven-point lead (68-61) entering the fourth quarter. Then it happened again.

The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with a four-minute offensive drought, while the Cavs went on a 7-0 run to open the quarter and tie the game. After everything the Bulls had fought for throughout the course of the game, the Cavs had erased it for a second time. It should also be noted, at one point in the third quarter, Chicago was sitting with an 11-point lead.

Gone. All of it.

Eight minutes later, LeBron James hit the game-winner — a long two from the right corner. But the damage was done.

The Chicago Bulls blew a game in which Kyrie was hobbling — he finished with 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting — LeBron was inefficient — shot 10-for-30 — and when they shot 20 percent (5-25) from three-point range.

In other words, the Bulls blew it. Not just Game 4, but the series.

Sure, the Bulls are going to say the right things heading into Game 5, like they’ve won in Cleveland before and that Game 4 was just one game. But momentum is HUGE in the NBA playoffs — and it just made a drastic shift in this series.

Thanks to the doing of Chicago Bulls — and LeBron James.

This dagger that LeBron James just hammered the Chicago Bulls with could very well be the equivalent to what he did to the Orlando Magic in 2009, but it sure feels much different.

The Bulls had every opportunity to take a series commanding 3-1 lead heading into Game 5. Instead, it’s a three-game series with two of the three in “The Land.”

Good luck, Chicago.

Next: History is repeating itself in the Warriors-Grizzlies series

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