Regular Season Head-to-Head Results:
October 27th in Chicago – Bulls won, 105-99
November 2nd in Boston – Celtics won, 107-100
February 16th in Chicago – Bulls won, 104-103
March 12th in Boston – Celtics won, 100-80
The #1 Boston Celtics face off against the #8 Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics are favored to win the series and dish that fade to Rondo. The scrappy Chicago Bulls are expected to push the Cs to the edge and force a competitive series.
The Cs, led by all-star point guard Isaiah Thomas, finished as the top team in the East with a 53-29 record. Keep in mind that the Celtics are in Year 4 of their rebuild and have the highly-coveted Brooklyn Nets draft pick for this upcoming draft. :Isaiah:
This season, Isaiah averaged a career-high 29.1 ppg while shooting 46% from the field, 91% from the charity stripe, and 38% from the 3. He also averaged 6 dimes a night. The fascinating (and surprising efficient
) play from Isaiah earned him league-wide respect, admiration, and MVP consideration. 
He's the Celtics' go-to guy on offense and has made a strong case for himself as a top 10 player in the league. Moreover, as a 2x all-star that's averaged 20+ ppg in the last 2 seasons, he's proven that he's the real deal. Where Isaiah goes, so does the Celtics' offense. :allgood:The max-contract addition of Al Horford during the offseason proved to be a huge success for the Cs, as evidenced by their standing in the East. The preseason expectation for the Cs was to finish as a top 3 seed with at least 50 wins. The Cs have obviously exceeded expectations and Horford was a big reason why. Although he had a less-than-stellar start, Horford finished his first season as a Celtic with 14 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg and 1 bpg while shooting 48% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. Although not the sexiest of averages, Horford's style of play fits in seamlessly with Coach Brad Stevens' offense. He's the point-forward that the Cs need.:billrusselloldheadstare:
Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, and the rookie Jaylen Brown have all also contributed the Celtics' success this season. Although he leaves A LOT to be desired offensively, Marcus Smart's defense and grit is a game-changer; he's among the league's best individual defenders. Avery Bradley, despite missing a significant portion of the season with an Achilles injury, added another dimension to the Cs offense (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 46% FG, 39% 3P) and proved why he is first-team all defense. Jaylen Brown has throughout the season justified why he was selected with the 3rd pick this summer. His versatility, athleticism, and raw talent makes the 20-year old a keeper for the franchise. :prayersup:
He's earned the trust of Stevens and his teammates and has earned plenty of minutes (and starting appearances). 
The Cs can score with the best of them as they average 108 nightly and are the 8th-ranked offensive team. Even on defense, the Cs have two very good defenders in Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart. Both can guard against multiple positions.
BUT WE CAN'T REBOUND FOR shyt :GhostfaceStare: Because the Cs are such a clusterfukk when it comes to rebounding, we often concede second and third chance scoring opportunities on defense to opposing teams and, at times, miss easy second-chance scoring opportunities due to our inability to rebound.
The Cs inability to rebound forces us to rely on outscoring the opposition. Although this strategy may work against most teams (and presumably Chicago), the Cs' lack of rebounding can be exposed something serious by a legit contender.
The Bulls just barely squeezed into the playoffs with a 41-41 record, which they clinched in the final game of the season.
Chicago Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo makes his playoffs homecoming to Boston, where he was a 4x all-star and won the 2008 NBA championship with Pierce and Garnett.
The additions of 3x champion and former Finals MVP Dwyane Wade and Rondo during free agency had many around the league viewing the Bulls as a top team in the East. Wade and Rondo both were expected to bring this Bulls team a much-needed winning mentality and were expected to help shoulder the offensive burden that usually falls on the shoulders of all-star small forward Jimmy Butler. Butler, Wade and Rondo were expected to be a legit big 3 in the East and the prospect of such a big 3 had Chicago thinking big entering this season.
However, the Bulls have had a crazy ass season to say the least.
Coach Fred Hoiberg finished the season as the worst-ranked coach in the league. ESPN Ranks Fred Hoiberg as worst coach in the NBA
Hoiberg, who was originally hyped as an offensive guru, has struggled in implementing a modern offense for this Bulls team and has lost the respect of his players. In fact, Wade (19 ppg and 5 rpg on 43% shooting) and Rondo (8 ppg, 7 apg, 5 rpg) have become so disillusioned with Hoiberg that they reportedly flat-out ignore his plays and instructions. NBA Scout Believes Bulls’ Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade Ignore Fred Hoiberg
As the season progressed, Bulls' management couldn't decide whether to blow up the roster and trade Butler (24 ppg, 6 rpg, and 6 apg on 46% FG and 37% 3P) or build around him for the future. The Bulls ultimately kept Butler at the trade deadline.
Moreover, Rondo was benched mid-season for 5 games by Hoiberg to save him from himself. :cmonbreh:
Hoiberg also benched Wade following an in-season fiasco that erupted after a January loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls blew a 10-point lead and Wade and Butler both unleashed rants on teammates not caring enough. Wade was benched for 2 days.
Wade also suffered an elbow injury towards the end of the season that forced him to miss 11 games. He returned just before the season ended.
Rondo suffered a late-season injury to his wrist and cannot be 100% entering this series.
Despite their timultuous season, the Bulls managed to retain control of their playoffs destiny and found themselves in a position where they clinched the 8th seed by beating the Brooklyn Nets (:OzilWink: )like a drum in the last game of the season.
Although the Bulls are not expected to win the series, they can certainly cause problems for the Celtics and may even stretch the series to 6 or 7 games. Although they rank 20th among all teams on offense, the Bulls have the 9th-best defensive rating and that will certainly pose problems for the Celtics.
Hoiberg has question marks surrounding his ability to coach but the competitiveness and winning pedigrees of Wade and Rondo and Jimmy Butler's insane athleticism and scoring ability always keeps the Bulls within a shout.
#celtsgang :GladBrad:
@Jutt @Ill @R.E.N. Spells Ren @VMR @vbamz @Raquinotj @KevJ @SchoolboyC @Bernie Madoff @JBone4eva @Stress Welker @Sub Kr4zy @unit321 @UpAndComing @Suiken @JLR Steez @craigsagersuit @insidious @Listen @fact @Codeine Fiend Dream Team @JarrodG @William Heavy @yamomzb @YeLovesBoston @Shamrock32 @coose @GrindtooFilthy @jimihendrixheadband @34TheTruth @JJ_ALL_DAY @patscorpio @chief_keef_stan @The Situation @Grano-Grano @Chef Mello @TyThePoet
Bulls brehs
@GoldenGlove @Populair @cornercommission2k12 @Kane @Brozay @wild100sboy @CHICAGO @3Rivers @HNIC973 @The G.O.D II @bb4life @prime @cellsius @smARTmouf @wise prophet @Rice N Beans @Anonymous Being #17 @So-Chi @nefarious @Willstyles @MidwestD @J-MIL @Jplaya2023 @tkislive @beaniemac @iceberg_is_on_fire @Malik B. Gordon @5StarElite @philmonroe @Denno @jerniebert @Milk N Cookies @El Jefe @kevthesureshot @jwinfield @Abso831 @606onit @Originalman @Free Max B @CarltonJunior @bsmooth @Lootpack
Lehhhgooo, brehs :larrylegendtowel: This shyt's gon be lit!
Series' TV schedule:
Game 1 in Boston: Sunday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 2 in Boston: Tuesday, April 18, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3 at Chicago: Friday, April 21, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4 at Chicago: Sunday, April 23, 6:30 p.m. (TNT)
*Game 5 in Boston: Wednesday, April 26, TBD
*Game 6 at Chicago: Friday, April 28, TBD
*Game 7 in Boston: Sunday, April 30, TBD
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