Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls Eastern Conference Playoff First Round Series preview
Two most trophied Eastern conference teams will meet for the fifth time in the first round, looking to add to their collection of banners. The Boston Celtics have slowly established themselves as a major player in the league, but haven’t been able to advance in the postseason ever since the Big Three era. The Bulls are trying to find their identity yet again. This group of veteran players have some experience of going deep into the playoffs, but will have to fight their age as much as their opponents.
#1 Boston Celtics vs. #8 Chicago Bulls
The Celtics and the Bulls played four very different games in the regular season. Twice, it was the Celtics who looked formidable, reading and stifling Chicago offense to dominate. The other two times, Chicago used their size and positioning to control the paint. Advantage on the glass has allowed them to achieve their victories. Each team protected their home court. First three games were played before Chicago traded Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott away. Al Horford missed second duel, and Wade and Mirotic missed the third.
Regular season results:
10/27/16 CHI 105 – BOS 99
11/02/16 BOS 107 – CHI 100
02/16/17 CHI 104 – BOS 103
03/12/17 BOS 100 – CHI 80
Each side have covered in their wins and all four encounters ended in overs. The average line the books have gone with was 209.5.
In the first game of this series, the Bulls have pulled an upset, taking the close opener. They did it by the regular season recipe – by taking all the rebounds. The game was overshadowed by Celtics star Isiah Thomas’ mourning for his sister death.
Playoff results and schedule:
Game 1 – CHI 106 @ BOS 102 – (4/16/17, Sunday)
Game 2 – CHI @ BOS (Tuesday 4/18/17, 8:00 PM ET – TNT )
Game 3 – BOS @ CHI (Friday 4/21/17, 7:00 PM ET – ESPN)
Game 4 – BOS @ CHI (Sunday 4/23/17, 6:30 PM ET – TNT)
Game 5 – CHI @ BOS (Wednesday 4/26/17 – IF NEEDED)
Game 6 – BOS @ CHI (Friday 4/28/17 – IF NEEDED)
Game 7 – CHI @ BOS (Sunday 4/30/17 – IF NEEDED)
Celtics in the rearview mirror
The Boston Celtics have been flirting with almost all free agents during the past couple of postseasons and a subject of many trade talks, but have been patient and added piece by piece to build this roster. Last summer, they’ve got Al Horford, long time Hawks center to bolster the frontcourt and he has performed admirably.
Their previous acquisition, Isaiah Thomas, continued his rise to the stardom, breaking some Celtics scoring record en route to a season that might get him few MVP votes. They take pride in their depth and are looking to build from within, but some bench players haven’t made the desired strides. Despite winning the East, the Celtics haven’t really been able to put their mark on this season so it feels like the seeding was gifted to them by the Cavaliers.
Boston Celtics Betting Trends:
ATS Score: 40-41-2
Over/under Score: 40-39-4
Bulls in the rearview mirror
This was not a season the Bulls have hoped for when they added veteran backcourt duo of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade in the offseason. It was a poor fit from the beginning as both of them have limited range and need to have the ball in their hands to contribute, as the Bulls best player, Jimmy Butler does. On top of that, they had an overload of power forwards that need time and a head coach who still hasn’t been given a chance to install his preferred run-and-gun offense.
Instead, the Bulls were forced to unload some of their assets in the midseason, benched Rondo for incompetency and struggled with their outside shooting. Wade was even called off for the season as the Bulls gave up hope on reaching the playoffs, but a late burst of wins somehow got them in. They play with physicality, attack the rim and go after the missed shots. The Bulls are a solid defensive team when motivated, and they look to keep teams in half court sets.
Chicago Bulls Betting Trends:
ATS Score: 43-40
Over/under Score: 33-49-1
Matching them up
Isaiah Thomas has repeatedly proven that he’s the game changer for the Boston Celtics, scoring at the crunch time and on the knowing defenses that try to throw anything and everything on him. He’s quicker than most of the point guards and is not bothered by bigger defenders as he got used to shoot threes over the outstretched arms of his defenders, and blows by to penetrate the paint when closed down. The Bulls will use Rondo on him, once a tricky defender with long arms and quickness, but not since his own Celtics days.
On the other hand, the Boston Celtics will have their best two defenders, Bradley and Crowder placed at Wade and Butler. It’s not a perfect matchup as Crowder doesn’t possess the same speed as Butler does, so it will require some helping out. Wade will probably have trouble with Bradley non-stop movement on the offensive end, but Butler will be able to rest on D or take turns on Thomas and Bradley. Amir Johnson is the elephant in the room. He can’t guard Mirotic on the perimeter and doesn’t create any mismatch on the other side as the Bulls can put Lopez on him, so the Celtics are likely to downsize and put Crowder on Mirotic, or go with the stretch forward on their own, Kelly Olynyk. Neither team have reliable scorers off the bench, so anything they get feels like a bonus and can decide the outcome of a game.
Series prediction
Boston in 7. It’s not as close of a series as some, but the Celtics already dropped one at home and still have issues with Thomas availability and mindset. If they can take one in Chicago and get the home court advantage back, they are unlikely to lose the series as they are a more talented team. Punters should watch the under opportunities as the series is going to slow down.
Series MVP
Al Horford. The Celtics all round big man is having his way with the Bulls this season, creating havoc in their defense. He plays the low post, the high post, can pop out for the long ball and is passing the ball from double teams with the best of them. He needs to find his inner Barkley and be more aggressive on boards and ask for ball on the offensive end even more.
X-factor
That’s got to be Nikola Mirotic. The Montenegrin turned Spaniard long ranged shooting can change this series. He came into the postseason playing as well as at any time in his career, but is still a streaky shooter who can drop 20 points one night and disappear the other. If the Bulls are going to complete the upset, they’ll need him to stretch the Celtics defense with his 3-pt shooting.
