Bulls aren't as tough as you think

[Employee8]

I hate to look past the Hawks, and I'm not counting on an easy series with them either, but if we do move on and face Chicago in the 2nd round, I don't think it'll be as tough as many seem to think it will be.

Still, it'll be a very tough match-up but I believe the Celtics can prevail.  Much of it has to do with our "last run" mentality and the improved play of our bench.  Individually, the Bulls have the advantage over us but the Celtics are greater than the sum of their parts.  Rebounding is always going to be our Achilles heel but I don't think that's going to do us in against the Bulls.  We'll be entering postseason play with all of our stars except for Ray Allen relatively healthy and that is going to be the key here.  There's no go-to scorer for the Bulls that they can depend on in crunch time.  Rip Hamilton?  Sure.  There's a reason they couldn't pull it out against the Knicks when the game came down to the wire.  And that's what happens in playoff games.  They're always down to the wire.

Looking back on the season, we had the unfair advantage of playing the Bulls in Chicago on the 2nd night of a back-to-back TWICE (both losses).  We beat them without Rose and lost to them in the early part of the season when we weren't really clicking.  We get a day off in between games in the playoffs.

It's full steam ahead for the boys in green against the Bulls.  Climb aboard.

[Fafnir]

If Derek Rose is healthy and effective I don't think we'll be able to overcome the rebounding edge Chicago is going to have over the Cs.

If he's as limited as he has been the past month then we can potentially weather the storm of extra possessions.

[snively]

If Derek Rose is healthy and effective I don't think we'll be able to overcome the rebounding edge Chicago is going to have over the Cs.

If he's as limited as he has been the past month then we can potentially weather the storm of extra possessions.

Chicago is such a tough match-up for us even without Rose.  So many great offensive rebounders and perhaps the best Pierce defender in the league in Deng.

But yes, with a limited Rose, even with heaps of offensive boards, we should have a decent chance to outscore them 4 games out of 7.

[Fafnir]

Deng's health is also a huge question. He shot lights out from deep one game, beat us going to the paint in another, and in the lone Bulls loss was awful and didn't even try to score.

Game to game his play is all over the place. He just has games where he doesn't shoot or attack at all.

[Lucky17]

One could say that the Bulls are also greater than the sum of their parts. They've risen to the occasion and played quite well when Rose's injuries have kept him out of their lineup.

[Fafnir]

One could say that the Bulls are also greater than the sum of their parts. They've risen to the occasion and played quite well when Rose's injuries have kept him out of their lineup.

Bulls win in large part because they rebound and defend well, Rose doesn't really impact those two elements of the game hugely when he's out.

[Donoghus]

Actually, I think they are.

They are going to be an extremely difficult team for the Celtics to beat in the playoffs even if Rose is only playing at 50-60%.  They're that deep and that good.  From a matchup standpoint, the Celtics are going to have a tough time dealing with their rebounding prowess and their team defense is superb.
They seem to thrive in some areas where the Celtics are weak.  That's a big concern of mine. 

That being said, the Celtics can beat them but only if they're playing at the tops of their game for 4 out of 7 games.  Bulls are prone to periods of offensive stagnation and if the Celtics can capitalize in those situations, I like their chances.

Also, like Faf mentioned and I mentioned in a thread a few days ago, Deng is prone to disappearing acts.  When that happens, the Bulls are a much different team and very beatable.  Combine that with a beat up Rose and the Celtics are in great position if they can convert their scoring opportunites and limit Chicago's second chance scoring opportunities often brought on by their rebounding.

[LB3533]

The Bulls can defend us well.

Hopefully KG at Center and Bradley will give them fits.

[GreenFaith1819]

For me, I think CHI poses perhaps the greatest challenge for BOS - including the Lakers, MIA or OKC.

Boozer has started to play well vs BOS, Joakim seems to give KG trouble, Deng plays VERY well vs Pierce, and DRose is...DRose.

Can they be beat? Certainly. But we'd need Ray, Pietrus, Steim...yep pretty much everyone healthy.

[SHAQATTACK]

Deng is their best player , Rose is the most athletic ....They can win without Rose , but not so much without Deng .  He is so under rated .  He does everything they need all the time . When he has a monster game they always win.

I still think Rose is hurtin  and its got in his mind and game  too.  I think we are ahead with AB and Rondo right now.   Its how to stop Deng and keep Noah from the 10,000 offensive rebounds and putbacks they get. 

What I'd give to have Anderson Verejao counter the Bulls inside quickness in the play offs.. 

[Celts Fan 92]

Deng is their best player , Rose is the most athletic ....They can win without Rose , but not so much without Deng .  He is so under rated .  He does everything they need all the time . When he has a monster game they always win.

I still think Rose is hurtin  and its got in his mind and game  too.  I think we are ahead with AB and Rondo right now.   Its how to stop Deng and keep Noah from the 10,000 offensive rebounds and putbacks they get. 

What I'd give to have Anderson Verejao counter the Bulls inside quickness in the play offs.. 

i kno ur thing is to post crazy stuff on here but u cant be serious wit the bolded lol Luol can barely create his own shot and has came up short in a lot of big situations Rose was the MVP last year

[slamtheking]

bulls will be a very tough out but C's could win the series if:
- Rose is not close to 100%.  He's the one player on that team that is a major risk to the C's for getting his own shots off at the end of possessions. 
- The C's gang rebound their defensive boards every possession and they box out the opposing player closest to them.
- The C's have at least 3 of the big 4 are on every game.  If 2 or more are off their game, C's lose.
- Steimsma gets some respect from the refs finally.  I hold out no hope Hollins or Williams will be of any use against the Bulls so Steimsma needs to be able to provide 25-30 minutes a game off the bench to rest KG and Bass.  He has to stay out of (phantom) foul trouble.

[2short]

Last year they had the lets stand and watch rose do everything.  With rose out so much this year the bulls have had to rely on the team game instead of rose doing everything.  Noah is so important to them, if he gets 15 rebounds or close to it a game we are in trouble.  Deng will bring great defense on PP, can Paul step it up?  If he can we are ok.  If he gets shut down i.e. 15 its a game an inefficient on offense we'll loose.  I'd rather play miami (not counting the refs) than chicago.

[thestackshow]

Rose's body wont hold up over the course of the playoffs.

Think about it, hes missed half of the season so far, and every couple of games comes up with a new injury that sidelines him.

Hes had injuries to every part of his body this season and can barely stay on the floor, you think hes miraculously going to be able to play the entire playoffs with no issues? His body wont hold up, just too many injuries hes gonna be a shell of himself this playoffs and the C's need to take advantage.

The reason Chicago plays so well without Rose is because they rely on offensive rebounds to score. They simply crash the boards and play good defense, if you do those two things you will always be able to keep your team in the game and let Rose close the game out with impossible layups and foul calls.

[Marcus13]

I completely agree they are a team full of good roleplayers but they're not overly talented...much like us, actually.  If Ray plays, I think we can beat them.