Bulls have reason to feel good about chances against Boston
BOSTON - No one on the current team was there, but the Bulls have been in this exact position before.
They won Game 1 in Boston during the 2009 playoffs and didn't win the series. In fact, they lost Game 2, then got pounded at home in Game 3, so momentum can change quickly in any playoff series.
The Bulls seemed to be in a good mood at Monday's practice in downtown Boston, a day after winning the series opener 106-102. The challenge is not to feel satisfied with a single victory. Game 2 is Tuesday at TD Garden.
"We didn't come here just to win one game," Jimmy Butler said at Monday's practice. "We came here to win, period. That means winning this one we've got coming up.
"We want to win. And I think we're capable of that. But we've got to get better. We can't get satisfied with the one win we got last night. That's why we're here today - to learn, get better, watch this film, and go out there again tomorrow."
Yes, this series could turn quickly, but some interesting things happened in Game 1. Maybe the best way to put it is, let's examine a few reasons for Bulls fans to feel optimistic about this series, along with a little ice water.
Comparative performance
The optimistic argument starts here: The Celtics played reasonably well in Game 1. You can't really say they turned in a clunker and will be much better on Tuesday.
Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points. The Celtics made 14 3-pointers and shot 37 percent from long range - ahead of their regular-season averages in both categories.
Boston's biggest problems included a 53-36 rebounding deficit, but rebounds have been an issue all season. The Celtics also didn't get many contributions beyond Thomas, Al Horford and Avery Bradley, but that's another season-long concern. What else is new?
As expected, the Celtics rode a wave of emotion at the start of Game 1, but couldn't put the Bulls away. They gave up the lead early in the second quarter when their subs were in the game.
In short, this seemed to be a fairly typical performance from Boston, and the team's deficiencies won't go away overnight.
Bulls are getting better
You can say it was a fluke for Bobby Portis to hit 8 of 10 shots from the field, but one of the biggest reasons for the Bulls' late-season surge was improved confidence from the younger guys.
Maybe Portis won't be that good, but there were games late in the season when Nikola Mirotic or Paul Zipser found the hot hand. Sometimes it was Joffrey Lauvergne or Denzel Valentine. Those last two guys didn't play in Game 1, but it's always possible they'll get their chance.
In mid-March, it was easy to think none of the Bulls' young guys were keepers. By now, it seems perfectly reasonable that a bench unit of Portis, Zipser, Jerian Grant and Cristiano Felicio - all playing their first NBA playoff games - could outplay the Celtics subs.
Bulls due for reversal
Here's some bad news to keep in mind: The Bulls have won three games in a row, including their last two in the regular season. So they're due. Due for an awful performance.
That's been the Bulls all season. They played well at times, but were never able to string more than three or four good games together.
If the Bulls can keep things close into the fourth quarter, they probably can win four out of seven games against Boston. If they stink up the place twice in this series, then they'd need to win four out of five close games. That's not likely to happen.
The Celtics aren't a great No. 1 seed, there's no controversy in that statement. They finished with a 53-29 record, just 12 games better than the Bulls.
But the Celtics might be the league's scrappiest team. They finished first in the East by playing hard every night, being well-coached and basically maximizing their potential. A let up of any kind by the Bulls will likely result in failure.
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