On brink of sweep, Bulls still wary of Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS–Now that the Bulls hold a 3-0 lead, many people will assume they’re going to wrap up their best-of-seven series with the Indiana Pacers in Game Four on Saturday.

The Bulls are not among those people.

“A close-out game is the hardest game to win, because they’ve got nothing to lose,” said Carlos Boozer, who’s been through a few close-out games in his career. “We expect their best game.”

Here’s another reason: Even though the Bulls are 3-for-3, each game has been a nail-biter that could have gone either way in the final moments.

“They’re going to come out firing,” Korver said. “We’re going to have to play well.”

Chicago sports fans need look no further than the Blackhawks, who have won a pair after being down 3-0, to know that strange things can happen in playoffs.

On the other hand, basketball isn’t hockey, where surprises are more common. And unlike the Blackhawks, the Pacers are a young team that’s still feeling its way, not the defending champions coming off a difficult regular season.