Chicago sports March Madness round of 8 results and Final Four preview

Final Four Preview:

1) Cubs win 2016 World Series vs 5) Patrick Kane’s OT goal to win 2010 Stanley Cup

It says a lot about your team when you’re making a deep playoff run, there is not a single person alive who can remember the last time you won a World Series. 108 years is a very long time, and that was how long Cubs fans had been waiting for their team to get back on top in 2016. When Theo Epstein took over as President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs in 2012, he made a promise to end this generation-long drought, and after just five seasons of rebuilding and coming close to reaching the world series, Epstein finally delivered. Given the #1 seed in this bracket for a reason, the moment the Cubs finally ended their drought and curses will be a moment fans will certainly remember for the rest of their lifetime. While this moment dominated its way to the final four, it will have its first challenge finding itself matched up with another moment that holds special in Chicago fans hearts, especially those who love hockey.

When the Blackhawks dynasty was beginning to form in 2010, the team reached its first Stanley Cup since 1992. Led by young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (both 21 at the time), and sensational goalie Antti Niemi, the Hawks saw themselves win their division with a record of 52-22-8. After defeating the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks in the first two rounds of the Western Conference playoffs, the Hawks swept the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals to set up a matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final. With the Hawks up 3-2 heading into game six in Philly, the team wanted to win then and there to avoid a potential series-deciding game seven. With the game tied at three in overtime, it was Kane who stepped up and put in one of the craziest goals in recent memory to clinch the Hawk’s first Stanley Cup victory since 1961, a 49-year drought, which was the longest of any team in the NHL at the time. However, it was Toews who took home the MVP for his consistency over the course of the playoffs.

2) Blackhawks score two goals in 17 seconds to win 2013 Stanley Cup vs 3) Derrick Rose’s buzzer-beater to defeat Cavs in 2015 playoff game

While the first Stanley Cup victory in the Hawks 2010’s dynasty was unforgettable and memorable because it was the first, their second run for the Cup ended in an even more memorable way. After finishing the lockout-shortened season with a league-best, 77 points, the Hawks defeated the Minnesota Wild in the first round in five games, before finding themselves down three games to one in the second round against their rival Detroit Red Wings. After being eliminated in the first round of both the 2011 and 2012 playoffs, the Hawks were eager to not fall short once again. They came back and beat Detroit in overtime of game seven, sparking a fire that led to them beating the defending champion Los Angeles Kings in five games, putting them back in the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2010, matched up against the Boston Bruins. Here they got themselves into the same spot they were in 2010, up three games to two on the road, wanting to end the series right then and there. Only this time overtime didn’t look probable, as the Hawks found themselves down 2-1 with just under two minutes remaining in the game. However, forward Bryan Bickell stepped up and put in a goal to tie the game with 1:16 remaining. Hope was restored in Hawks fans watching everywhere, and just 17 seconds later Dave Bolland followed in Bickell’s footsteps and put in another goal to put the Hawks up 3-2 with just 58 seconds remaining. The Hawks held the Bruins scoreless and brought the Cup back to Chicago after a two-year period of falling short.

While this moment, like the Cubs winning the World Series above, dominated in its first two matchups, it will also face a real challenge in the final four being matched up with the most memorable shot in young Bulls fans heads. In 2015, the Bulls entered the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs coming off a matchup with a mediocre Milwaukee Bucks team, winning in six games, before having to face the Lebron James led Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2010, the Bulls had found themselves matched up with teams led by James on three occasions, and lost each series in five games. James had dominated the Bulls since he came into the league in 2003, and while Bulls star Derrick Rose showed promise to put an end to the king’s reign in the East, injuries seemed to have derailed that. Until 2015, when the Bulls appeared healthy and ready for one last run with their core of Rose, Jimmy Butler, and Joakim Noah. With the series tied at one game apiece, a crucial game three was on the line in Chicago with the game tied at 96 with just three seconds remaining. Looking to get a good shot to end the game and not have to go into overtime against James, the Bulls would inbound the ball from the sideline on their side of the court. Rose received the inbound on the left side, dribbled over to his right and put up a three-pointer in the face of Cavs big-man Tristan Thompson. The shot banked in and the crowd went nuts as teammates lifted Rose in the air, making his famous “act like you’ve been there before” face. The shot put the Bulls up two games to one over James and was the first time fans had real hope they could end his reign in the Eastern Conference.