aaaaaand NOW! The Starting Lineup for YOUR CHICAGO BULLS!!
At Point Guard, from Memphis, 6-3, #1 ..DERRICK ROSE!!
At Shooting Guard, from UConn, 6 ft 3 on a good day, # 7 BEN GORDON!!
At Small Forward, standing 6-6 from Miami, JOHN SALMONS!!
Eating Souls since 2006, you starting Power Forward, standing 6-9, TYRUS THOMAS!!
The Man in the Middle, inventor of the Earthball shooting form, 6-11..JOAKIM NOAH!!
Key Bench Players: Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Tim Thomas
Coach:
POINT GUARD
ROSE(16.8ppg/6.3ppg/3.9rpg) vs RONDO (12.1ppg/8.4apg/5.2rpg)
Quite possibly, the one position where the Bulls cannot afford to not have the upper hand. . Rose has been a revelation this season and is peaking at the right time averaging about 20ppg and 7 apg in his last 7 games. His ability to get to the rim at will and find teammates will be crucial in this series. He would have dominate his position against his older opponent for the Bulls to have a shot in this series. Rajon Rondo has had a breakout year, averaging career highs in almost every category and is an all-defense candidate. He can absolutely harass opposing PG's on that end. He can push the tempo and his vision is very impressive, when he is on, the Celtics are damn near unbeatable. His perimeter sht remains his weakness and Rose should bait him into taking that shot as much as possible.
SHOOTING GUARD
GORDON (20.7 ppg/3.4 apg/3.5 rpg) vs ALLEN (18.2ppg/3.5rpg/2.8apg)
Another matchup the Bulls need to win. Gordon is one of the elite open shot makers in this league and the Bulls need him to be on his game early and often from the perimeter. Using screens, getting to the basket, nailing threes in the half court and in transition will be key as we need all the spacing we can get. His fellow more heralded UConn Alum has a similar game and is THE deadliest shooter in basketball. Ray will play primarily off the ball and run defenders ragged around screens. BG needs to be very disciplined defensively and tail Allen as much as possible particularly in transition where he thrives.
SMALL FORWARD
SALMONS (18.5ppg/4.2rpg/3.2apg) vs PIERCE (20.3ppg/5.7rpg/3.6apg)
Salmons has been nothing short of spectacular since his arrival from Sacramento averaging about 19 ppg on high percentages. He has however been hampered by a groin injury that kept him out for a couple of games. Since then, he has been below average and his numbers for April have him at 15ppg on just 38 % shooting. Hopefully a bit of rest will give him a chance to refuel as he'll be going up against 6-7 star SF Paul Pierce. Pierce is one of the more versatile forwards in this league, can shoot from anywhere, can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, and adept at making plays for others. His production has been great this year. In the 4th quarter, the ball will be in his hands and he will be responsible for making plays, both for himself and his teammates.
POWER FORWARD
THOMAS (10.8ppg/6.4rpg/1.9bpg) vs GARNETT (15.8ppg/8.5rpg/2.5apg)
Thomas has been an enigma for most of his career. On a good day, he is everywhere on the court, blocking shots, rebounding, running the floor, moving the ball, throwing down dunks and hyping up the crowd and teammates. On the other hand, there are days where he visibly slacks on positional defense, doesnt close out properly, falls in love with his jumpshot and takes some wild ill advised shots. the Bulls need the good Thomas in the worst way as he has game changing potential with his quickness and athleticism. His opponent the fleet footed and vastly more refined Garnett. KG has been a Bulls killer for the majority of his career and looks to keep doing just that. It is very likely that he dominates this matchup as TT has shown the propensity to get lit up by perimeter oriented big men. Garnett anchors the stout Celtic defense and will look to deter Rose, Gordon et al from driving the lane
CENTER
NOAH (6.6ppg/7.6rpg/1.4bpg) vs PERKINS (8.5ppg/8.2rpg/2.2bpg)
Joakim has made remarkable strides this season. he has cemented his place as one of the top offensive rebounders in the league. What he lacks in strength, he tries to make up with intensity and raw hustle. He needs to up his game and continue to crash the glass like a maniac. The Celtic defense is bound to make the Bulls shoot a below average percentage and hence, any second chance opportunities will be very welcome. He goes up against the heftier but slower Kendrick Perkins. A very good interior defender and a bear on the offensive glass himself. Jo will have to work early in possessions to make sure Perkins doesnt set up shop in the paint. That will spell immediate disaster for the Bulls if he dominates inside. On missed shots, Jo should run the floor hard in transition as Perkins cannot keep up with him in terms of footspeed.
THE BENCH
Hinrich needs to be a consistent player of the bench. His shot looks like its back to form and he is probably the best backup guard this side of Jason Terry. His ability to run the offense and play lock down defense will be instrumental. Brad Miller needs his mid-range shot to be on automatic. This will draw shotblockers away from the rim and open up lanes for Rose and Gordon to get to the basket. His passing out the high post should be a very valuable weapon to have as well. Tim Thomas should be ready to catch and shoot. Perhaps take advantage of a matchup by going on the block. That is all. Good Luck Charm
Re:Official Playoff Thread: Game 1, Bulls @ Celtics 1 Year, 3 Months ago
this sucks, bulls face celtics. phili went to overtime with the bench of cleavland. the bench, 3 starters as well as joe smith were benched for the game. verajao playes 10 mins and delonte west played 20. phili on the other hand, a miller 44 min, iguodola 47, young 37 their three best players barely won against the cavs bench and the scrubs that wont play in the playoffs.
bulls shoulda won tonight, id rather them play cavs or magic but not celtics. i just hope garnett is still hurt or very rusty. maybe ray allen will be in a slump and gordon will guard a smaller marbury or house.
anyways its gonna be a tough series, i doubt bulls will win but id like to see it taken to 7 games
Re:Official Playoff Thread: Game 1, Bulls @ Celtics 1 Year, 3 Months ago
sdeezy wrote: c'mon y'all...i know we're all down after that stinker tonite..but its over and done with, time to move on..positive thinking fellas
Your right man, and looking at the matchups it does not look that bad. We need Deng to lace up and come off the bench with Hinrich and Miller and make this a series. D-Rose needs to run! Run! RuN! D-Rose needs to shoot, pass, dunk on KG, and display his greatness once and for all. BG needs to be Hot! Hinrich needs to have that defensive fire and hopefully have his touch, Salmons needs to be productive and last but not least: Tyrus Thomas needs to play to his potential and use his athleticism(give me 20 and 10, 20 and 10, 20 and 10, average of 6 blocks).
If we play hard, well, together we CAN make it a series! YES We Can! Yes We Can!
Re:Official Playoff Thread: Game 1, Bulls @ Celtics 1 Year, 3 Months ago
Here's the series schedule:
EDIT: Added CST times in parentheses
Boston vs. Chicago
Game 1 - Sat April 18 Chicago at Boston 12:30PM ESPN (11:30AM CST)
Game 2 - Mon April 20 Chicago at Boston 7:00PM TNT (6:00PM CST)
Game 3 - Thu April 23 Boston at Chicago 8:00PM TNT (7:00PM CST)
Game 4 - Sun April 26 Boston at Chicago 1:00PM ABC (12:00PM CST)
Game 5 * Tue April 28 Chicago at Boston TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 30 Boston at Chicago TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat May 2 Chicago at Boston TBD TNT
I think it's essential that we come out swinging. We don't want them to get any momentum from the get go, hopefully we can keep the crowd at a minimum early in the game. And let's hope Tyrus remembers how to defend Big Baby from his LSU days.
Re:Official Playoff G Thread: Game 1, Bulls @ Celtics 1 Year, 3 Months ago
Newskoolbulls wrote: If Rose does not keep Rondo in front of him this series is over quick.
totally Agree with you. Stopping Rondo is the key, imo. If we can stop him from penetrating at will, we'll have a great shot at pulling off the upset. Pirce can have 30.
with KG possibly out, we may have gotten the best match up of the 3. theres still hope, things are looking up. only problem is i cant see game 2, i have class from 6 to 9 and cant skip it cause of a midterm. and last night gave me another reason to hate the cubs. i really wanted to watch the game last night at 2am like i did monday. i had class so when i got home there was about 3 mins left in the game. sadly i found out that the cubs game was being repeated at 2 am instead of the bulls... stupid baseball.
