The Bulls and Pacers met four times during the regular season with Chicago winning three. On Saturday, in Chicago they will meet for a fifth time, but this time it’ll be the start of the “second season”, the NBA playoffs. On paper it’s the #1 seed against the #8 seed, but the playoffs have taught us time after time that seeds mean nothing. Will this be the start of a playoff run that will end with a seventh title for the Bulls or a first for the Pacers? A closer look at both teams will help figure out who might come out of this series on top.

Point Guard

Derrick Rose is having arguably the season of his life, one that most feel will end with him hoisting the league’s MVP trophy. Darren Collison’s second season has gone basically the same as his rookie year from a statistical standpoint, but watching him you can see that’s becoming more comfortable running the offense. If there’s any point guard in the Eastern Conference that might be capable of keeping up with Rose on a fast break or staying in front of him in the half-court set it might just be Collison. Rose will have the ball in his hands alot so we will get to see from very early on if he’s up to the task. Rose in such a zone right now that’s it’s hard to see him slowing down anytime soon though.

Edge: Bulls

Shooting Guard

Neither Paul George or Keith Bogans generally contribute heavily on the offensive end and typically make their presence felt on the defensive end. In the matchup between these two it wouldn’t surprise me if they combined for about 10 points a game and essentially cancel each other out. Bogans does have an edge when it comes to outside shooting sporting a 38% from beyond the arc and 89 made threes this season, but George’s 6′8” height advantage and wingspan over the 6′5″ Bogans may be enough to eliminate the space Bogans would need to get his shot off.

Edge: Push

Small Forward

This might be the best matchup on the floor on most occasions. With Granger being the top scoring threat the Pacers have, Luol Deng will have the opportunity to make a huge impact on this series on the defensive end if he can contain him. Offensively, Deng is no slouch himself averaging 17 points with 144 three’s made. The same can be said for Granger on the defensive end. Equally as effective as a defender, Granger could go a long way in helping the Pacers make it out of the first round if he can keep Deng under wraps. With the amount of offense the Pacers run through Granger and number of shots he will probably take it’s hard to see him having a minimal impact unless Deng plays all-world defense.

Edge: Pacers

Power Forward

Tyler Hansbrough will probably start, but Josh McRoberts will see significant time here as well. Both have played well this season, in particular Hansbrough over the last month or so. Carlos Boozer has missed 23 games this season due to various injuries, but when he’s played he’s looked very similar to his two-time all-star self. He’s settled for his jumper a bit more this year than in year’s past, but he’s still a threat in the post as well. Defensively, he’s not the best and the good thing for Chicago is that neither Hansbrough or McRoberts have a vast array of offensive moves to throw at him. Individually he’s better than what the Pacers have, but in quantity they make it up.

Edge: Bulls

Center

Like Boozer, Joakim Noah has been hampered with injuries for most of the season, only appearing in 47 games, but his impact on the defensive end is noticeable when he’s been in the lineup. His 10 rebounds per game, along with 48 steals, and 155 blocks shows that he’s more than capable of controlling the paint. He won’t have any plays run for him, but his ability to get to the offensive glass can’t be ignored by Roy Hibbert. In his third season, Hibbert has become what the Pacers hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first round of the 2008 draft. While he isn’t the theft Noah is, he’s essentially his equal in the rebounding and blocked shot departments. With an improving post game he will make Noah work on the defensive end and could get him into foul trouble. Much like the shooting guard matchup, baring either guy getting into quick foul trouble, these two will probably cancel each other out.

Edge: Push

Bench

If the Bulls win this series, their “Bench Mob” will probably have a large say in it. Tom Thibodeau is fortunate to have one of the deeper, more effective benches in the league. On many occasions this season Chicago has extended leads or even eliminated deficits with it’s bench on the floor. Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, and Omer Asik have all played significant roles off the bench at different points throughout the season and Thibodeau won’t hesitate to call on any when the situation presents itself. Josh McRoberts and Jeff Foster see considerable minutes up front off Indiana’s bench. Neither is expected to provide a huge offensive lift, but they could be key in helping on Boozer. Brandon Rush can provide some scoring punch. A key could be Mike Dunleavy, who’s started in his career both in Golden State and when he first arrived to the Pacers.

Edge: Bulls

Conclusion

This will be a fun series to watch and anyone thinking that a 1 vs 8 matchup means an automatic sweep for Chicago hasn’t watched Pacers play this year. The Bulls might have the edge in overall talent level, but the energy and effort that Frank Vogel’s team has been playing with lately can’t be ignored. An always raucous Indiana crowd that hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2005 will surely do more good than not in their home games. I think the Bulls bench, dominance at the United Center, and that guy Derrick Rose will ultimately see them get past the Pacers and into the second round. It won’t be as easy as some think though, I’m predicting Chicago in 6.

Every Chicago Bulls fan remembers the 120-112 defeat at the United Center without Carlos Boozer on November 4^th and the 103-95 loss at the Garden on Christmas day without Joakim Noah. The Bulls weren’t ready to lose to the only team they haven’t defeated in the NBA yet. On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, with Spike Lee, Scottie Pippen, and other ‘celebrities’ present, the Bulls played hard for their 61^st win, 103-90.

Earlier this morning, news broke out that Derrick Rose was dealing with a head cold. When asked if Coach Thibodeau would limit his minutes, Rose responded with:

“If I ask him to limit my minutes, he’ll probably look at me and walk away anyway. But I’m fine; I’ve been playing with colds my whole life, especially coming from Chicago.”

Rose led the way with 26 points on a 10-for-19 shooting. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah started tonight, both recovering from ankle injuries. Boozer had an incredible inside game, grabbing 22 rebounds and scoring 14 points. Before leaving the game with 8:09 remaining in regulation, Noah scored 13 points, going seven-of-seven from the free throw line. Noah got tangled up on Billy Walker’s foots, tweaking his right ankle.

Injuries do not stop there for the Bulls. Ronnie Brewer hustled for a loose ball before spraining his thumb. He left with about eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.

However, after trailing by three at halftime, 55-52, the Bulls opened the first seven minutes of the third quarter with a 26-4 run, leading 78-57. The Knicks came right back and made their own little run, bringing it in within seven, 91-84, with eight minutes left in regulation. Once CJ Watson set Rose up for a three pointer, 94-84, they were in cruise control. Watson chipped in nine points and two steals off the bench. Luol Deng scored 23 points and grabbed 10 boards in the Bulls’ eighth win in a row.

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points in his first game against the Bulls in Knicks uniform. Bill Walker scored 18 off the bench, Toney Douglas chipped in 13 for the Knicks, who are 42-39 on the season.

Bulls Extras: Bulls final game will be at the United Center Wednesday night when they host the New Jersey Nets…Wednesday night will mark the first night since 1957 that every NBA team plays their final game of the season…Bulls outscored the Knicks in the third quarter 32-18…New York Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire was out for tonight’s game…Bulls outrebounded the Knicks 51-33…Bulls made 24-27 from the free throw line, Knicks only made 14-17…

It was a battle to the final second Sunday afternoon in the Chicago Bulls’ 102-99 victory at Amway Center vs. the Orlando Magic.

Derrick Rose led the way with 39 points, 15 of them came in the first quarter, on a 13-17 shooting (three-for-five from downtown). This game had its moments, however, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen a player like Rose keep fighting despite the Magic’s comeback towards the end. He wouldn’t give up, and he put his body on the line on four consecutive drives, in which he took hard hits that landed him on the floor. He kept the Bulls in this game.

In the post-game interview, Rose stated:

“It’s my will; my heart won’t let me stop…”

With 14.2 seconds remaining in the game, Rose drove the lane and kicked it out to teammate Taj Gibson inside; he was fouled and split two free throws making it a 98-96 Bulls lead. On the miss, Luol Deng rebounded, and then Jason Richardson fouled Rose who made two at the line with nine seconds left, giving the Bulls a four point lead at 100-96. Richardson then hit one from downtown to cut the deficit to one with 2.7 seconds left, 100-99. On the inbound, Carlos Boozer was fouled by Ryan Anderson, and hit his free throws, 102-99. With two seconds left, Jameer Nelson, who hit a half court shot at the buzzer before halftime, was guarded by Rose and hit a three pointer up top to tie the game, however, he didn’t release it in time; the referee called it no good after review.

Deng scored 15 points, 11 came in the third quarter along with five assists and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer chipped in 12 points (eight in the first quarter and four in the fourth) along with six assists. Gibson led the Bench Mob with nine points and 11 rebounds in the Bulls’ 60^th win of the season and 19^th win in the last 21 games.

Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Quentin Richardson were out serving their suspensions, while sharpshooter JJ Reddick missed his 15^th game in a row due to a lower abdominal sprain.

Center Ryan Anderson started in place of Howard and had a career-high 28 points, which included a four-for-eight shooting from downtown and 10 rebounds.  Richardson scored 24 points and had three steals and Nelson chipped in 17 points, 11 assists, and three steals. Former Bull, Chris Duhon went three-for-three on the floor and one-for-one behind the arc for seven points in 13 minutes.

The Bulls started strong, shooting 70% on the floor in the first quarter, when they hit their first 10-11 FGs; however, turnovers caused the Bulls some grief. They turned the ball over 21 times. In the end, the Bulls finished shooting 60% on the floor and 54% behind the arc and held the Magic to 43% on the floor and 50% behind the three-point line.

The Chicago Bulls will visit Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks Tuesday night.

Bulls Extras: Chicago Bulls are now 60-20, this marks the first time since the 1997-1998 season and this is the sixth time in franchise history they’ve reached 60+…The Magic are 1-3 without Dwight Howard…Rose went 10-10 from the free throw line…The Bulls will face Indiana in the first round of the playoffs…The Bulls can still finish with the best record in the NBA, which can get them home court advantage throughout the playoffs and have two remaining games.

The Chicago Bulls clinched the number one spot in the East Friday night with a 93-82 win visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Carlos Boozer led the way with 24 points, 12-18 on the floor, and 11 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer led the Bench Mob with 12 points, six-for-nine, and had three steals in the second quarter. The Bench Mob contributed 34 points on the night.

MVP candidate, Derrick Rose, had somewhat of a quiet night, scoring 11 points on a four-for-ten shooting, and dishing out eight assists. However, one doesn’t have to score big points to be MVP. Rose leads by example. He’s humble and just wants to win, whether he scores 30 or 10. In order to win a championship, it takes a team, supporting roles. Like, I’ve mentioned in previous articles, the players Gar Forman, John Paxson, and Tom Thibodeau have brought and molded together, have stepped into their roles and are in playoff form.

With 4:35 remaining in the first quarter, Luol Deng inbounded a pass to Rose, who drove over Semih Erden for a three-point play, giving the Bulls a 19-14 lead. In the final seconds of the third quarter, Rose crossed over Baron Davis for a layup, extending their lead to 78-63.

The Bulls have shared the ball and made the extra pass, doubling the amount of assists the Cavs dished out, 30-14.

Chicago shot 49% on the floor while holding Cleveland to 44%.

JJ Jackson scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers who are 17-62 on the season. Daniel Gibson chipped in 14 points on a six-for-nine shooting.

The Bulls will be heading to Orlando this Sunday for a 12:00 pm tipoff.

Bulls Extras: The Bulls are now 59-20 on the season with three games remaining; the next two are on the road…They are only one game away from winning number 60 and can still catch up to the San Antonio Spurs for the number one record in the league.

Who would’ve imagined that the Chicago Bulls would be holding on to 1^st place in the Eastern Conference, 4 games ahead of the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics with just 4 games remaining in the regular season and 2 games away from win number 60?

Thursday night the Bulls tied the (regular season) Boston series at 2 a piece with a 97-81 win on a very special night, during an untelevised halftime at the United Center, the Bulls unveiled a bronze bust in honor of Scottie Pippen.

The atmosphere at the United Center resembled the one during Game 6 in Round 1 of the 2009 Playoffs, in which the Bulls forced the Celtics to triple overtime and a Game 7. The Bulls were in playoff form tonight.

With a minute left in the first quarter, Derrick Rose crossed over Rajon Rondo and drove past defenders with an up and under layup, giving the Bulls a 26-16 lead. Rose scored 16 of his 30 points in the first half, while the Bulls defense shut Rondo out in the first half 0-3 (finished with 7 points, 3-10, 6 assists). Rose also dished out a total of 8 assists.

Rose wasn’t the only offensive weapon the Bulls used. After the Celtics 6-0 run at the start of the third quarter, the Bulls answered back with a 10-0 run led by Luol Deng, who scored 11 points in the third quarter (finishing with 23 points and 6 rebounds). In an 11 minute span (from the final 3 minutes of the third to about 4:07 left in the fourth quarter), the Celtics were held to only 2 FGs, the dagger came with 5:04 remaining in regulation when Rose drained a 3 pointer over Delonte West to extend the Bulls lead to 17, 85-68.

The Celtics are the best in field goal percentage (0.488), but the Bulls held them to 38% (20% behind the arc). The Bulls shot 47% on the floor and 41% from downtown. The Bulls defense also forced the Celtics to 12 turnovers, 9 of which were steals, 3 of which belonged to Bench Mobber, Taj Gibson. They also shared the ball and dominated on both ends of the court, holding the big three to only 32 points (Paul Pierce to 15 points, Kevin Garnett to 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen to 7 points, forcing Allen to 0-3 from downtown).  Carlos Boozer scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Chicago’s 17^th win in 19 games and will visit Cleveland Friday night.

Bulls Extras: Bulls are 58-20, with one more win and they clinch the number one seed…After missing the last practice with a knee injury, starting guard Keith Bogans played tonight and shot back-to-back 3 point field goals in the first quarter…Joakim Noah sat out the last 15 minutes (ankle)…

It’s been quite a season for the Chicago Bulls franchise. A ceremony was held for the ‘91 NBA Champs (for the 21 year anniversary), former Bulls Artis “A-Train” Gilmore, Dennis “The Worm” Rodman, and the man responsible for brining existence to the Triangle Offense, assistant coach, Tex Winter, are going to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year, and current Bulls posted their 57th win this season with a 97-94 win vs. the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night.

The Bulls came out strong in the first half, outscoring the Suns 53-40, the Bench Mob chipped in 26 of their 33 points in the half. The Bulls even extended their lead to 22 in the third quarter, but the Suns battled back to within 10.
It’s rare when the Bench Mob is outscored, and in this case, they were 40-33 thanks to Vince Carter’s 23 points (9-22 FG; 3-6 3PT). With 4:21 remaining in regulation, Carter rebounded his own miss and tipped it in to cut the Bulls lead down to 2, 91-89.

The Suns did outscore the Bulls 54-44 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. After Carter brought it within 2 he went 1-7, including missing 2 layups (in the same possession) with under two minutes left, the Bulls defense forced a couple 24 second violations.

Derrick Rose scored 5 of his 19 points in the last 1:52 including a 3-point play involving a driving layup past Grant Hill. Kyle Korver split his free throws, extending the lead back to 3 with 13.1 seconds left.

Carlos Boozer had an all-around game with 12 points, 9 rebounds,  and 7 assists. Joakim Noah started after missing the last 3 games with a sprained ankle, he chipped in 12 points and 4 steals. Luol Deng went 7-16 for 18 points

Taj Gibson tallied 10 points and 9 rebounds while Ronnie Brewer added 10 points, 6 rebounds (4 offensive) and 4 assists for the Bench Mob.

Grant Hill and Channing Frye each contributed 13 points for the Suns. Former MVP Steve Nash dished out 16 assists and Marcin Gortat scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Bulls Extras: Bulls shooting 46.2% on the floor and 42.1 % behind the arc, held the Suns to 43.2% on the floor and 34.8% behind the 3-point line (8-23)…Bulls are 3 games ahead of Miami and Boston…The Bulls have won 16 of 18 while Phoenix has dropped 6 of 7…The Bulls will host the Celtics Thurday, April 7th, the same night the Bulls will unveil a bronze Scottie Pippen statue located inside the United Center on the 100 level concourse by gate 7 during halftime…Pippen statue is sculpted by Omri & Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, who is also responsible for sculpting the famous Michael Jordan statue unveiled in January 1994.

Revenge was sweet for the Chicago Bulls when they defeated the Toronto Raptors at the United Center Saturday night 113-106.

On February 23^rd in Toronto, the Raptors came back in the second half and won 118-113. Their celebration was embedded into the brains of Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.

Toronto didn’t go down without a fight, however. Even though five Bulls players were in double figures, the Raps also have five in doubles, including starting guard Jerryd Bayless whose 17 of 26 points came in the 3^rd quarter to keep Toronto in the game.

Demar Derozan also chipped in 26 points, while Ed Davis scored 17 and grabbed 11 boards.

Derrick Rose led all scorers with 36 points in 42 minutes and dished out 10 assists. Carlos Boozer seems to be getting back into rhythm; he tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds. Luol Deng scored 17 off a 7-11 shooting.

The Bulls Bench Mob contributed 35 points; Taj Gibson led the squad with 15 points and 9 rebounds and Kyle Korver scored 10 (3-4 FG & 2-3 behind the arc).

Leandro Barbosa was the only bench player to score for the Raptors with 18 points.

The last two games, the Bulls have been outshot, percentage-wise. The Raps shot 50.6% off the floor to the Bulls’ 48.2%.

Although, Chicago managed to make 26-28 free throws. They’re ranked 27^th in the league.

The Bulls are now 3 ½ games ahead of the Miami Heat for first place in the Eastern Conference and are one game behind the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the league, with 6 games remaining.

Bulls Extras: Bulls center Joakim Noah missed tonight’s game with a sore ankle and is expected to reenter the lineup Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns…Coach Thibs has now passed Phil Jackson for most wins as a first year coach in Bulls franchise history…The Bulls are now 56-20…

It was a night of celebration for the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons Friday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Bulls earned their 55^th win of the season and their 11^th straight vs. long time rivals, the Pistons, 101-96.

Tonight also marked the return of former Piston and Bull, Dennis “The Worm” Rodman, who had the honor of having his jersey (#10) hang from the rafters. To top it off, he might be possibly joining the (Class of 2011) Basketball Hall of Fame (official decision will be announced on Monday). Seriously, no joke! The Bulls being in town is just icing on the cake.

The Bulls had a good start in the first quarter with a 31-21 run. Derrick Rose’s 13 of 27 points were recorded in the first quarter. Rose also added 7 assists and 4 steals in the Bulls’ 14^th win in 16 games.

Even though the Pistons shot a slightly higher percentage than the Bulls (52%-51.4%), the Bulls’ defense made up for it by forcing the Pistons into 20 turnovers, in which the Bulls scored 27 points off of 14 steals.

Carlos Boozer, who has averaged 29 point and 11 rebounds against the Pistons this season, tallied 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Luol Deng chipped in 15 points in 42 minutes.

The Bench Mob scored 25 for the Bulls, with Ronnie Brewer scoring 9 points.

The Pistons came within three points in the last three minutes of regulation. However, Kurt Thomas, starting in place of injured Joakim Noah (ankle), grabbed an offensive rebound to reset play in which Kyle Korver fed him for a baseline jumper with :57.7 seconds left, giving the Bulls a 95-89 lead.

Richard Hamilton score 30 points off of 9-14 shooting for the Pistons, while Tayshaun Prince chipped in 17 points and 6 assists.

With this win, the Bulls have a 2 game lead over Miami and 3 games ahead of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

“No One Like Dennis…”

For everything he’s done for Detroit (and later Chicago):

He’s a 5-time NBA Champion (2 with Detroit, 3 with Chicago), 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 8-time NBA All-Defensive Selection (7 First Team), 2-time All-NBA Third Team, and 2-time NBA All-Star.

He is the type of player that you hate to play against but love to have on your team. He sacrificed his body for loose balls; he was the guy who did the dirty work. A defensive-minded player, he was known for his rebounding skills and how he aggravated the All-Star big guy on the opposing team. He was known as the guy who studied how a player would shoot the ball fresh and how they shot when tired. He seemed to always know where that ball would bounce.

As a Bulls fan, I’m happy for Dennis, having a jersey is retired is huge! (I can’t wait for Chicago to hang up ‘91’). But, I’m even more excited that he has the opportunity to join former Bulls teammates Michael Jordan (’09) and Scottie Pippen (’10) in the Basketball Hall of Fame.