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Mike Dunleavy isn’t the face of the Bulls. But in some respects his season of injury and disappointment mirrored the fate of the Bulls, who Wednesday close the 2015-16 season in the United Center against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bulls will not be in the playoffs. On the whole, rather playing Philadelphia at this time of the season looked like …

The ball, shot by Doug McDermott bounded high over the rim where Cristiano Felicio glided in, jumped, and as the ball reached its zenith like a balloon floating away, cupped it in his large right hand and in one motion slammed it back through the basket. Then Justin Holiday, step back 14 footer, transition three from Jimmy Butler. And then …

Perhaps the opponent ledger says it all—even if it’s mostly indecipherable—about this 2015-16 Bulls season that remains one Bulls loss or Indiana Pacers win from being eliminated from the playoffs. With Saturday’s 105-102 win over the conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls finish 7-1 against against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, 3-1 over the Cavs.

But the …

And then there was one, one Bulls loss or Indiana Pacers’ win separating the Bulls from a destiny they and most everyone else around the NBA never considered possible six months ago.

“Just (not) the way we wanted the season to end up, not (what) we wanted,” said Jimmy Butler with 25 points as the Bulls were overrun down the …

Who figured when Thomas Paine famously wrote, “There are the times that try men’s souls,” he may have been looking toward Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls’ 2015-16 season.

“It’s tough, tough,” Hoiberg was saying at practice before the Bulls were to play in Miami Thursday. “I’ve always been a guy that…as a long shot to make it in this league, …

Jimmy Butler Wednesday didn’t quite say the Miami Heat has no chance Thursday against the Bulls. But to paraphrase the Bluto speech from the Animal House movie that was been used—unsuccessfully, mostly–for motivation this season, “He’s not taking this anymore! Wade, he’s a dead man! Whiteside, dead. Deng…”

Of course, the only actual dead man walking anyone has seen around …

It’s now with Tuesday’s 108-92 loss in Memphis time for the tragic number for the Bulls—the number of games to be eliminated from the playoffs—in a season that started with joy and hope and appears to be ending as a basketball tragedy.

“I told the guys,” related Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. “I said, ‘I never quit in my life and …

If the Bulls are going down for the count in this battle to make the playoffs, at least they are going down fighting.

The Bulls Sunday allowed a 19-point lead get away—16 at halftime—and they let the Milwaukee Bucks get within a point three different times in the fourth quarter. But Aaron Brooks, E’Twaun Moore and Jimmy Butler each time …

And just like that after trailing by seven points with 43.3 seconds left in perhaps the most important game of the Bulls season Saturday, there was Jimmy Butler hustling over in front of a driving Reggie Jackson for what looked like an offensive foul, an amazing chance to get the ball back with 20.4 seconds left and a chance to …

The games keep coming, big as they are for the Bulls, as well as the injuries. Both Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, after frustrating efforts this week to play through injuries, were unable to play Saturday as the Bulls faced the Detroit Pistons in the contest for the last Eastern Conference playoff position.

Gibson was uncertain right up until 30 …