The Indiana Pacers played more consistent basketball than they have all season.  The only game in which their typical inconsistencies showed up was last night, the final game of the season.  Have to give credit where credit is due.  The Chicago Bulls found ways to win throughout the series, when Danny Granger and company could not.  The Bulls have a very solid group going forward, led by Derrick Rose.  They came out swinging last night, and not much was working for our guys.  Congrats to the Chicago Bulls....

Now, enough about the Bulls.  To go off of Tom's article,  this season was full of "what-ifs".  What if Coach Frank Vogel had a full off-season to prepare and get these guys going, what if this group had played as they did in this series all year....Regardless of the ups and downs this team took all of us through, they ended the season with a sense of excitement and optimism looking forward.  After all the criticism Larry Bird receives by us and others at times, he sits in his chair with a solid young coach, solid young core (with multiple "questionable" draft picks), and a ton of money to work with in the off-season.  If he returns, he can play with the money he created, and if not, he has put the this franchise in a great position moving forward.  

After the jump, check out the links of the day and let me know what everyone is most looking forward to this off season...cap space, head coach, draft, free agency, etc....a lot to be excited about!

Also, congrats to our Indiana Pacers!  It was stressful at times watching, but you guys showed great heart and we are excited about what you have in store for all of us true Pacers fans in the very near future...

• Box Score
• PACERS: Game Rewind - Bulls 116, Pacers 89
• Pacers have nothing to be ashamed of | Pacers Insider blog | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Notebook: Pacers' Granger fumes about Bulls' Noah | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Bulls sprint to early lead, trample Pacers late to take series | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Kravitz: Pacers may have lost, but this could be start of something good | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose takes over in 3rd quarter as Chicago Bulls advance past Indiana Pacers - chicagotribune.com
• Gibson delivered just what Bulls needed - Chicago Bulls Blog - ESPN Chicago
• 2011 NBA playoffs: Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose notches another career milestone - ESPN Chicago - Michael Wilbon
• Pacers Get Blown Out in Game 5, Go Fishing
• Bulls finally show dominance in close-out victory over Pacers - Blog a Bull
• Film Don’t Lie: The Pacers, The Bulls, And “Deep Impact” | Hardwood Paroxysm
• Bulls get best of a way-too-physical series - Chicago Sun-Times