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I can’t think of many people (including myself; not including Chicagoans) who thought that the Bulls would make it out of round 1 against a Brooklyn Nets team making its inaugural playoff debut. However, nobody said that they wouldn’t make it a fight. Turns out they won that fight—the first ever game 7 road win in franchise history.
There’s no denying that the Bulls are up against a fight in an elevated weight class against Miami. Fresh off of the announcement of the 4th MVP for Lebron James, putting him in a class of legends, Lebron recently stated that “he doesn’t know his own ceiling”. That's scary considering how efficient he was this past season.
We know the Bulls won’t make this an easy series for Miami. But everyone is wondering if Derrick Rose will return to the floor and give the Bulls a punchers chance at eliminating the defending champs.
Keys to Victory – Rebounding and second chance points
The Miami Heat are extremely efficient; especially Lebron James. In the first round, he averaged 24 ppg, 8 rpg and 7 apg, while shooting 63% from the field. (Who is this guy?) The Bulls will need to score a lot to keep pace with Miami regardless of their defensive prowess. To do that, they’ll need to dominate the battle of the boards to keep things competitive.
X-Factor – Tom Thibodeau
Although Erik Spoelstra is a phenomenal (and underrated) coach, Tom Thibodeau is cut from the same cloth as Doc Rivers. If there’s a coach who understands how to get the most out of his players, it’s Thibbs. Oh, and he knows defense.
Prediction – Miami Heat in 5
Without Rose, it’s improbable that a battered Chicago Bulls can take down a well-rested defending champion Miami team. No doubt Derrick Rose can change the complexity of this series with an appearance. But even with him on the court, it would be tough to fit such an integral part of the offense into the Bulls system this late in the game.
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