The Chicago Bulls were in prime position to upset the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics until Rajon Rondo went down with a thumb injury.
Now, they'll also have to try and come back from going down 3-2 while Jimmy Butler tries playing through a banged up knee. Butler, their leading man, has struggled during the Bulls' three-game losing streak.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters during a conference call Thursday afternoon that Butler is dealing with soreness in his knee and will undergo treatment prior to the game, reports Nick Friedell of ESPN. Butler is still expected to play in Game 6.
The Bulls will need Butler to be the star player if they plan on not only forcing a Game 6, but surviving a Game 7 in Boston. Butler has been up-and-down through the series, but scoring 14 points in two of their three losses won't do.
Butler is shooting just 38.5 percent in the Bulls' losses and has been even worse from beyond the arc, a dismal 18.2 percent.
Making matters worse, the only game during Chicago's nasty playoff fallout is his highest-scoring game in that stretch - his series-high 33-point outburst in Game 4 - was mostly done at the line. He went 19-of-23 from the charity stripe.
An ailing knee may be the source of all of this, and this could stem from knocking knees with a Celtics in Game 4. Butler was also noticeably favoring his knee throughout Game 5, so it's clear something is wrong in that department.
The Celtics have seized full control since Rondo fractured his thumb and could close out the series in Game 6 in Chicago on Friday. Boston started the series down 0-2, blowing their home court advantage with the scent of an upset in the air.
The Bulls falling apart without Rondo is one thing, but add a dinged up Butler into the equation and there's a big problem. Perhaps the 41.4 minutes per game workload that Jimmy Buckets has taken on isn't helping matters.
The problem for Chicago is they need every bit they can squeeze out of Butler to survive the first round. Rondo is reportedly working hard to return as soon as possible, and if they can extend it even by a game it could be enough time for Rajon to come back.
Hoiberg is calling Rondo a "longshot" for Game 6, but reports indicate Rajon is eyeing a fast return from his injury.
Hopefully the knee pain nothing serious for Jimmy, who may be headed for an earlier summer vacation than he'd like barring a surprising resurgence from the Bulls. Chicago fans certainly don't want any more knee injuries derailing their stars.