I just had 12 heart attacks

Wow. What a sports day in Chicago.

The Cubs rout the Cards to avoid the sweep. The White Sox lost. The Bears had a draft I was actually very happy with (more on that to come). Oh yeah, and the Bulls also played. Ho-hum.

That Bulls game, an absolute must-win, was only one of the greatest, most exciting basketball games I've ever seen. The game was won and lost in my head about 37 different times. In chronological order:

WON: 0:16.6 remaining in regulation Bulls up by 2 and at the free-throw line.
LOST: 0:09.8 Tyrus Thomas only makes 1-of-2, and then Ray Allen hits an inexplicably wide-open 3 with under 10 seconds left. Sure it's only tied, but Boston has all the momentum.
WON: 0:00 Derrick Rose gets a decent look on a runner, which caroms off the rim and appears to be tantalizingly over the hoop. But instead of dropping through, it actually ends up well past the cylinder; the camera angle only made it seem like it had a chance.
LOST: 2:00 remaining, first OT Allen hits a jumper from in the lane to put the Bulls down 5.
WON: 0:26.6 Still trailing 107-105, John Salmons strips Paul Pierce and passes ahead to Kirk Hinrich, who draws a huge clear path foul, meaning two free throws and possession.
LOST: 0:21.0 Hinrich only converts 1-of-2, and then Ben Gordon's 18-footer rims out.
STILL ALIVE: 0:18.9 Pierce makes 1-of-2, and Gordon draws a shooting foul that sends him crashing to the court on a drive with 9.8 seconds remaining. In addition, Brad Miller fouled out to put Pierce at the line.
LOST: 0:09.0 Gordon misses first free throw, hits second. Allen then nails a pair to make it 110-107.
STILL ALIVE: 0:04.5 After Celtics fail to foul, Gordon hits a crazy off-balance fadeaway 3 and triumphantly grabs his crotch.
LOST: Celtics still have 4.5 seconds to work with.
STILL ALIVE: 0:00 With Hinrich defending against the drive, Rajon Rondo's 20-footer at the horn is way long.
WON: Bulls hold Boston scoreless for first 3:15 of second overtime.
UH-OH: 1:44 remaining, 2nd OT Up 112-110, Bulls miss chances to build the lead on three consecutive possessions. At 114-110, Gordon clanks an open 3, and Boston answers with a Big Baby Davis dunk.
WON: 1:25 Joakim Noah slams one home on a sweet bounce pass from Hinrich, and then blocks a Ray Allen shot. The teams trade misses, and Noah makes first of two to put Bulls up 117-112 with 35 seconds left.
UH-OH: 0:35.0 Noah misses second. Since the closing seconds of regulation, Bulls have split every pair of free throws they've had, going 4-for-8.
C'MON!: 0:27.3 With only one big in the game, Bulls can't rebound a Rondo miss, and Noah preposterously fouls as Pierce hits a putback. After he makes the free throw, the lead is down to 117-115.
UH-OH: Bulls run bizarre play taking the ball from mid-court, barely avoid a 5-second call, and can't connect on the inbounds to a double-teamed Salmons.
WON: 0:26.6 Salmons is "fouled" trying to corral the pass, makes 2-of-2 to put Bulls up 4.
UH-OH: 0:19.2 With Noah still the Bulls' lone frontcourt player, they fail to run down Allen's missed 3, and Pierce hits a wide open one after Salmons bites on a shot fake. Bulls lead 119-118.
WON: 0:00 Salmons hits a pair of free throws, then blocks Pierce's game-tying attempt and the horn mercifully sounds. Bulls win 121-118.

I seriously think my heart rate was at least 150 by the end. Just a total rollercoaster. There were so many heroes, it's basically impossible to single out one guy. Rose carried them for most of the fourth quarter, Gordon hit huge shots at the end of regulation and the first OT, and Salmons came alive in the overtimes, scoring 11 of his 20 after regulation and coming up with the game-ending block. Hinrich's D was rock-solid. Noah had some huge moments in the 2nd OT, and both he and Thomas had double-doubles and three blocks. Even my whipping boy Miller added 12 points.

The game was back-and-forth pretty much the whole way. The biggest swing came in the final three minutes of the third quarter, when the Bulls surrendered a 12-0 run to turn a 65-58 lead into a 70-65 deficit. At one point that I actually stopped watching because I was convinced I was jinxing the Bulls, and that they played better when I wasn't paying attention to them. So I followed the GameCast instead, before deciding it wasn't working when they fell behind in the first OT. I therefore give myself partial credit for them coming back to win.

So what does it mean for the rest of the series? Assuming the hammy Gordon tweaked during the game is OK -- which it might not be -- I still don't think the Bulls can win it. Even if they could somehow steal Game 5, they'd return to Chicago with everyone expecting them to win, and see Game 3 if you want to know how they fare under those conditions. No, this team is at its best when it can play the no-one-thinks-we-have-a-chance card. The lower the bar, the better they do. As soon as they feel some expectations, they turtle.

Even with the bed-crapping Game 3, the series has been unbelievably entertaining. The Bulls have played surprisingly well during crunch-time, when they consistently faltered during the season. They've shown heart, athleticism, toughness, smarts, and actual ability. The best part is, it's all been gravy; as my friend Adam mentioned in a text, it's really about next year anyway. Each game they play now makes them that much better in the future, and that's why I'm praying for seven.

Even if the Bulls did pull out Game 5, I'm certain they'd come back and lose in Chicago. So I don't see any way they can take the series in six, and I just don't think they can win a Game 7 in Boston. But I sure as hell would love to see them try.