Lets take a look at and preview the NBA Playoffs, beginning with the series that start on Saturday.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Chicago Bulls VS #8 Philadelphia 76ers
The Bulls are definitely the favorites in this series. The 76ers started out the regular season on fire, but have cooled off considerably since the All Star Break. The Sixers are lucky to have even made the Playoffs, while the Bulls played much of the season without Derrick Rose, their best player and still earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago led the NBA in point differential, scoring 508 more points than they allowed in the regular season. The Bulls win because of their defense, as they led the NBA in fewest points allowed giving up just 88.2 PPG. (points per game.)The key for the Bulls in this series is to get Derrick Rose integrated back into the flow of things, as he missed a large portion of the second half of the season. The Bulls will need a healthy Rose to win this series, but they will really need him in the ensuing rounds of the Playoffs..
Philadelphia is also good defensive team, led by all world defender Andre Iguodola. The Sixers were third in fewest points allowed, as they allowed just 89.4 PPG during the regular season. Philadelphia had by far the fewest turnovers in the league, averaging just 11.2 a game. The team with the second fewest turnovers, The LA Clippers had 13.3 per game. The Sixers will not beat themselves in this series. Philly does have trouble scoring the ball ranking 22 during the regular season with an average of just 93.6 PPG.
The biggest difference between these two similar teams is rebounding. The Bulls are the best offensive rebounding team in the NBA as they average 13.9 offensive rebounds per game. The Sixers were 22 in offensive rebounds per game averaging just 10.7 a game. The Bulls also grab a league best 6.7 more boards than their opponents per game. This is not good for Philly, as they grab a half board less than their opponents per game.
The Pick-Chicago in five games-The Bulls have more depth and more talent than the Sixers. They will also crush Philly on the glass and smother them defensively. The Sixers also do not have Derrick Rose, and struggle to score. This does not bode well against the best defensive team in the league.
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