May 15, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) is pressured by Chicago Bulls small forward Jimmy Butler (21) during the first half in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls fought it tooth and nail, but on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, their season officially ended when the Miami Heat blew an early double-digit lead and then rallied back from a double-digit deficit to escape with the 94-91 win. The Heat will move on to face the winner of the series between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The game felt, in more than a few ways, like a microcosm of the Bulls’ season. The Heat jumped out to an 18-2 lead as Chicago seemed mired in the same funk they’d shown in game four. Big picture-wise, that matches up with the Bulls being under .500 in late November after blowing a 27-point lead to the Milwaukee Bucks, unless you prefer their late-December malaise, when they lost consecutive games in blowouts, had a game cancelled due to snow and then lost at home to the Charlotte Bobcats. The surge to take a double-digit lead of their own toward the end of the first quarter and into the second was their January hot streak, when they went 12-4 and sat just games behind the Heat for the best record in the East.

Of course, the Heat would eventually respond and retake the lead. The Bulls’ offense disappeared, much as it did in February, March and April, when Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich, Rip Hamilton and Marco Belinelli all missed time with various injuries and the Bulls went 17-2o as they limped into the playoffs.

Chicago didn’t go down quietly, however, even after Miami regained control. Nate Robinson hit a three to make it a three-point game, and the Bulls got the stop they needed. This would be when Chicago fought through injuries and the flu to beat the Brooklyn Nets on their home floor in game seven and then took their talents to South Beach and shocked the Heat.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Nate, only on the floor because of injuries to Hinrich and Derrick Rose, forced up a three that would have tied the game and missed. The Bulls got the rebound, but Hamilton — only on the floor because Luol Deng was out — couldn’t do anything with it. The ball wound up with Jimmy Butler, who played all 48 minutes in five of the Bulls last seven games after Deng went down and only got his chance to start because Hamilton and Belinelli got hurt, and he had to put up a three at the buzzer. Alas, he missed.

And so begins an offseason that figures to be much more palatable than last. Barring a move to amnesty Carlos Boozer — which is extremely unlikely — the Bulls’ starting five is set for next year. Rose, Deng and Hinrich should all be healthy by then. Daequan Cook, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nazr Mohammed and Rip Hamilton will all most likely be gone. Robinson and Belinelli are undetermined. But more on that tomorrow.

For now, I leave you with this: The 2012-13 Chicago Bulls may not have been the most talented bunch, but they left it all out on the floor. So we salute them, and bid them a restful summer. May they come back even stronger in the fall.

May 6, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls small forward Jimmy Butler (far left) greets teammate center Joakim Noah (center) as power forward Taj Gibson (far right) after defeating the Miami Heat in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. The Bulls won 93-86. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bulls 1, Miami Heat 0.

It’s an impressive-looking thing, isn’t it? The Bulls, sans two of their three best players and Kirk Hinrich, took their talents to South Beach and punched the defending-champion Heat in the mouth. They deserve all the credit in the world for that. Jimmy Butler was incredible. Nate Robinson did Nate Robinson things. Marco Belinelli was clutch.

But — and here comes the wet blanket — it’s one game. There are going to be at least three more such games played.

It was just two years ago that the Bulls — complete with the original Bench Mob and MVP Derrick Rose — opened up the Eastern Conference Finals with a 20-point shellacking of the Heat. Taj Gibson was dunking everywhere, things were great, and everyone figured the Bulls were on their way to their first NBA Finals since Michael Jordan was in town.

Yeah, not so much.

Hell, we just saw this two weeks ago! The Bulls were on the receiving end of a beatdown from the Brooklyn Nets in game one of that series, only to come back and win the series anyway. The Heat are immensely talented, and it’s hard to believe they’ll miss as many open looks as they had in game one. That doesn’t mean Chicago can’t win a few more games or even the series — I fully expect them to win game three at home on Friday — just that nothing’s been remotely decided yet.

Now, if they win game two tomorrow night, well…that’s something else entirely.