As series shifts to Chicago, why it's time to believe in Bulls
The championship era Bulls used to make a habit of losing Game 2 of playoff series.
They'd slack off a little bit, give the opponent some hope with the series tied 1-1, then win twice on the road and make the Game 5 series-ender in Chicago a formality.
That sort of scenario is certainly possible in the Bulls-Bucks series.
But it seems like Milwaukee has lost its championship mettle of last year and isn't going to last long in these playoffs.
Keep in mind, the Bucks beat Phoenix for the title last year on July 20, about a month later than usual, due to the delayed start of the season. The short turnaround, after spending a few months in the Orlando bubble in 2020, could be taking a toll.
Then Khris Middleton, the Bucks' second-leading scorer, left Game 2 with a knee sprain and will likely miss a few games, if not the rest of the series.
In just a few days, the Bulls went from having no chance against the defending champs to a golden opportunity to pull off a first-round upset. Game 3 is Friday at the United Center.
While Milwaukee's tank is dwindling, none of the Bulls' Big Three logged any playoff time last year. Two of their key guys, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams, missed large chunks of the season with injuries.
Logically, the Bulls are the fresher team, and they took advantage of the seven-day pre-playoff break for a season reset. They got in the gym, set aside their dismal finish and went to work on a defensive game plan.
"We understood, especially the older guys, what happened in the regular season doesn't matter any more," Nikola Vucevic said after Wednesday's win. "I think our approach is very different going into the playoffs. We had a good week of work."
So far, MVP finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo has been just about unstoppable, as expected. Center Brook Lopez, who missed most of the season recovering from back surgery, has been very good.
Middleton and Jrue Holiday have not met their typical level. Designated shooters Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen haven't shown up. Wesley Matthews, 35, isn't a guy to count on for a scoring burst.
It's possible the Bucks could pull together this weekend at the United Center. Antetokounmpo could deliver an even greater performance. The role players could deliver under pressure.
Pulling out a first-round playoff series under adverse circumstances is what championship-caliber teams do. But as mentioned above, this team doesn't look like it's going to last very long, especially considering the other top seeds in the East - Miami, Boston and Philadelphia - didn't go very far in last year's playoffs.
Key injuries changing the playoff landscape has become a trend in the NBA. Milwaukee's title run was aided by Kyrie Irving's absence in the second round. Phoenix marched to the Finals by beating the Lakers without a full-strength Anthony Davis, Denver without Jamal Murray and the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard.
Maybe Middleton's knee sprain will be the bad fortune that ends Milwaukee's title defense. Injury fate caught up to the Suns as well, with Devin Booker expected to miss several games with a hamstring strain.
But the biggest reason to believe in the Bulls right now is the way they played in Milwaukee. After falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter of Game 1, the Bulls have been the better team. The defense is forcing turnovers, they're getting contributions from the stars, and might be the more motivated group.
In Game 2, the Bucks made more 3-pointers and had twice as many free-throw attempts as the Bulls - but still trailed by double digits most of the night.
The Bulls have squelched the pessimism that engulfed the team at the end of the regular season. Now they have a chance to keep it under a rug this weekend.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports