Kerr for 3.

A Bulls victory to build on
By Steve Kerr

Monday, May 14, 2007 3:29 am EDT
Remember back in the early Jordan days, when the young Chicago Bulls just couldn't seem to get past the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs? It took several painful years, but eventually Chicago overcame its demons, figured out the right formula and knocked off the Pistons to get to the NBA finals.

When the Bulls finally did beat Detroit in a sweep in the 1991 East finals, it was a result of years of work, experience and resilience. It didn't happen all at once. Chicago had to take incremental steps each season, getting closer and closer to the Pistons before finally breaking through.

I thought of that Sunday while watching the modern-day Bulls avoid a sweep at the hands of Detroit. The analogy is appropriate, given that again Chicago is the young team trying to knock the veteran Pistons off the top of the hill. If that's the case, then the significance of the Game 4 win can't be overemphasized for the victorious Bulls.

Learning how to win in the playoffs is a process, and for a young team, every playoff game provides a valuable opportunity for growth. Chicago isn't going to win this series, but the experience gained Sunday will help the franchise next season, and the season beyond that. Every time a team plays in the pressure-packed situations of the playoffs, it gains knowledge for the next time around. And every time a team can win a game like that, its confidence grows.

We always hear about playoff experience, but what does it really mean? I'm not sure if I can describe it, but I can see it when I watch San Antonio and Detroit play. They know what they're doing, they're comfortable even when they're behind and they seem to always believe that they're going to win.

John Paxson deserves a lot of credit for building a team that is capable of growing from experience. Think about the players he's brought in -- they're all winners. Luol Deng came from Duke, Kirk Hinrich from Kansas, Ben Gordon from UConn -- all top college programs that routinely go deep in the NCAA tournament. Andres Nocioni won a gold medal with Argentina. Ben Wallace won an NBA championship with Detroit before joining the Bulls.

The point is, when you have players who understand the value of hard work and sacrifice, it's easier to learn from past experiences and move forward. No matter what happens the rest of the series -- and I think the Pistons will close out the Bulls in Game 5 on Tuesday -- Sunday's win was huge for Chicago. It was part of the overall process of becoming a champion.