Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Like most of the small amount of players that made it through the Bulls’ roster turnover from the 2009-10 to 2010-11 season, there was a certain degree of uncertainty as to whether or not Joakim Noah would be a Bull this season.

Despite the reluctance to cut him lose by many fans and those involved within the organization, Noah looked like he was going to be the key centerpiece of a potential deal to acquire former Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. Before the season began, many were almost hoping for Noah to be cut lose in favor of Anthony.

But rather than alienating Noah with these types of trade rumors, the Bulls rewarded him with a contract extension last summer, signing the former Florida Gator to a five-year extension, worth $60 million.

The good news didn’t end there for Noah, as he finally got a little help in the paint. The Bulls made Carlos Boozer their big free agent acquisition last summer, locking him up for five years and $75 million. Many assumed that with the defensive dominance of Noah and Boozer, combined with the offense that the former Utah Jazz forward brought, the Bulls would have an unstoppable duo up front.

Those expectations failed to be realized, for the most part. Boozer missed the first month of the season, which was followed by a slew of injuries for Noah.

The intense center for the Bulls would go on to play a career-low 48 games. Even in those games, Noah wasn’t exactly the same, and his intensity was noticeable lower in consistency, no doubt due to the string of injuries he experienced this season. The worst of those injuries included a thumb injury, for which Noah underwent surgery and missed 30 games.

His stats on the season were about what you would expect from Noah, save a hope for a little more out of his offensive skills this year. He still averaged 10.4 boards per game, but that went along with just under 12 points per game. Like Kareem Abdul-Jabaar said recently, if Noah focused on his offensive game this summer, he could be a monster in the paint.

In the playoffs, one event marred the whole run for Noah and the Bulls, more for the former than the latter. Noah was seen on television calling a fan a vulgar name, most likely relating to the homosexual community. As it so often does today, the term Noah used was treated with great scrutiny, and he incurred a hefty fine and had some apologies to make following the incident in Miami.

The summer to get healthy should do wonders for Noah. But there are certainly things he needs to improve upon in the offseason if he wants to help the Bulls take the next step. If Carlos Boozer is still with the team, barring some miraculous trade of the veteran big man, Noah will have to work on his play with his running mate, whom he never completely gelled with this season.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

If you’ve read any headlines since the Miami Heat knocked off the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, then you know virtually no one else stands a chance in this postseason. Not the Dallas Mavericks, who swept the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and surely not the Oklahoma City Thunder or Memphis Grizzlies.

Of course, the Bulls were just a stepping stone for the Heat, as well, given their troubles in getting past the Atlanta Hawks in six games. After all, the Heat beat the Celtics in five, and have been proclaimed unbeatable.

Well, there is a reason they play the games. Yes, it was impressive to see LeBron James and Dwayne Wade lighting it up together against the Celtics, but who did they really beat? A banged up, old Boston team, which had a point guard playing with one arm, in Rajon Rondo, and a frontcourt that included an aging Kevin Garnett and a should-have-retired-years-ago Shaquille O’Neal, who made less of an impact on this series than Brian Scalabrine did for the Bulls.

Not to discount the Heat, though. Obviously they’re a top tier team, given that potent backcourt. James and Wade are both all-NBA talents, which certainly showed against the C’s. Sure, they lack depth and a strong frontcourt, but they are still as deadly and explosive as any team remaining in these playoffs.

But to completely dismiss this series as over, as some have already done (looking at you Skip Bayless) could be considered nothing short of absurd. Yes, the Heat have great players, but the Bulls have proven this season that they have the all-around talent to keep up with anyone in the league.

At this point, dismissing the Bulls is irresponsible. They actually match up against the Heat much better than one might realize, even if many have already tossed the Bulls aside as an easy opponent for Miami.

In fact, the Bulls hold an advantage over the Heat, which could end up shaping this series. That advantage lies in the both the frontcourt of the Bulls, and their depth.

There is certainly no shortage of talent down low for the Bulls. After a few tough games in the playoffs, Carlos Boozer found his stride in Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hawks, along with the fact that he plays next to one of the most intense, and a top notch guy on the boards, in Joakim Noah.

Beyond those two, the hat still goes deeper. Taj Gibson has shown that he can stick with anyone in the league and is proving to be a key cog in the Bulls machine. There’s also Omer Asik, who is a beast on the boards and a solid backup for Noah, as well as the veteran big man Kurt Thomas, who is fresh after seeing little time to this point in the postseason.

What do the Heat have down low? Chris Bosh. Now Bosh has had a good postseason, but he was also playing against a Celtics frontcourt that looked very sorry in their series in the past week or so. Joel Anthony certainly isn’t in a league with Boozer or Noah, meaning whichever one Bosh does match up with, will have an extremely favorable matchup in this series.

Of course, there’s still that outlandish advantage the Heat have in the backcourt. Yes, the Bulls have the league MVP in Derrick Rose, but Miami boasts two of the game’s best players in Wade and James. Wade will most likely guard Rose, but luckily for the Bulls, Rose can keep himself fresh on the defensive side of things, with Keith Bogans expected to match up with Wade with the Bulls on D. There’s also the matter of that Luol Deng guy, who is a pretty great defender, matching up against James.

Say what you want about the Bulls not blowing teams out in the playoffs or not looking overly impressive. The fact is, that this team is sound from top to bottom, and has as much depth and defensive skill as any team in the league. They’re not built to blow teams out, and whether they come out on the winning or losing side of this series, each game should prove to be a close one.

On paper, you see the names of Wade and James and assume the Heat have an outstanding advantage over the Bulls in this series. But Chicago is the better overall team, with a better frontcourt and more depth, meaning this is going to be an extremely close, and nerve-racking series for Bulls fans, no matter the result.

The early stages of Chicago’s Game 5 on Tuesday night had all the makings of what Game 3 was for the Bulls. They jumped out to an early lead and looked to be running away with it, but the persistent Hawks would stay in it until the late-going in this one, with the Bulls eventually grabbing the 95-83 win.

The Bulls started off hot, leading by 11 points after the first quarter. Rather than Derrick Rose taking the early shots, which he did, it was Luol Deng who had the hot hand, scoring the first seven points for the Bulls in this one. As the Bulls pulled away early, Keith Bogans scored eight consecutive points to help the Bulls jump out to their early lead.

But the Hawks would not be denied. Aided by another sound performance from the youngster Jeff Teague, as well as some solid play early from Josh Smith, the Hawks crept back into this one in the second and early third quarters. Towards the end of the third, they would eventually hold their first lead over the Bulls.

It wasn’t as if the Bulls were playing poorly, either. The Bulls shot almost 49 percent from the field and were sound defensively, but the Hawks were also solid in their shooting, finishing with about a 48 percent. Even with the Atlanta rally, though, the Bulls held a one-point lead after three.

After blowing a double digit lead that they held early, many were certainly weary of the Bulls heading into the game’s final frame. Searching for energy, the Bulls got it from the usual source, as well as one that was a bit more unexpected for some.

The Bulls outscored the Hawks 26-15 for the quarter, with Rose accounting for 11 of those points. Coming up with another 11 of them was Taj Gibson, who did  not score in the previous three quarters. He provided a nice spark off the bench, which was absolutely necessary on a night in which Joakim Noah and Kyle Korver combined for zero points.

Atlanta didn’t do themselves any favors on Tuesday either. Despite a solid night from Josh Smith, and another sound performance from Teague, the  Hawks’ major scoring threats, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, fell silent once again. The two combined for 17 points, and 15 of those came courtesy of Johnson.

Even though it wasn’t the prettiest win for the Bulls, this shouldn’t come as anything new to fans. This isn’t a team that’s going to blow many teams out, even if they were able to decimate Atlanta in the regular season. Expect another gritty performance when the Bulls try and close out the series in Atlanta on Thursday night.

Well, that was ugly.

The Chicago Bulls couldn’t have played much worse against the Atlanta Hawks, bookending the game with sluggish play in their 103-95 loss to Atlanta on Monday night.

It didn’t help that the MVP, Derrick Rose made just two of his 10 shots from the field in the first half, including going 0-for-7 in the opening frame. Given that he has been Chicago’s no. 1 scoring option this postseason, that’s a recipe for disaster.

It helped even less that Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah combined for just 17 rebounds, a surprise given the reemergence of Noah over the last stretch of games against Indiana.

But the real kicker on Monday night was Joe Johnson. A guy the Bulls targeted briefly last summer prior to his re-signing with Atlanta, there was no stopping Johnson, even for a defense like Chicago. He shot 12-of-18 from the field, including 5-5 from beyond the arc, torching the Bulls for 34 points on the night.

It wasn’t as if he was getting tremendous help from the rest of his mates on the offensive side. Josh Smith struggled from the field, shooting just 3-11, and only one other starter, Jeff Teague, scored in double figures.

It’s a rarity that the Bulls’ bench mob finds themselves outplayed, but that was the case on Monday. Jamal Crawford touched the Bulls for 22 off the bench, seeing 35 minutes of gametime.

On the Bulls’ side of things, C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer were a combined minus-25 off the bench for Chicago. The only real source of scoring off the bench came from Kyle Korver, who dropped nine on 3-4 shooting from long idstance.

If there is a positive to pull from this game, it’s that the Bulls probably couldn’t have played a much worse game than this, and were still in it for the majority of the game.

It’s unlikely that we’ll see Derrick Rose have another putrid shooting night, having gone just 11-27 on Monday, but he also needs to take less shots than he did in Game 1. With Luol Deng having the hot hand, going 8-12, he needs to have the ball in his hands more often against a softer defensive team like Atlanta.

With a day off on Tuesday before Wednesday’s Game 2 at the United Center, you can be sure that Tom Thibodeau will have his squad ready to roll as they attempt to even up the series.

Chicago Tribune Photo (Scott Strazzante)

Saturday’s game was very similar to the other three games played in this series between the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls. Unable to blow out the No. 8 seed Pacers in any of the first three, the Bulls’ woes finally caught up to them in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, which closed the gap in the series to 3-1.

Even more disconcerting about the loss was the injury to Derrick Rose, who rolled his ankle and had to be examined in the locker room. He did return, but didn’t have the same, explosive capabilities he typically has on that ankle.

On Sunday, Rose was seen in a walking boot and had an MRI performed, but the results of the test were negative. The Chicago brass is hopeful their star point guard will be good to go in time for Tuesday’s Game 5, but even with the status of Rose up in the air, there are still quiet concerns about this Bulls squad.

The general reason for the concern is the fact that despite they carry the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s playoffs, the Bulls have been unable to put away the Pacers for good in any game this series. They’ve showed resilience in being able to come back in each of the three wins, and nearly a fourth, but should they really be needing to come back against a team like Indy?

The other big concern, even bigger than Rose’s injury, is the play of Carlos Boozer, who has been ugly so far, with Game 2 as his only decent performance in the first four games. He’s hit the boards hard, but has struggled from the field (6-15 on Saturday) and has been a turnover machine.

But the Bulls knew what they were getting in Boozer: a guy who will add a few to the ‘win’ column in the regular season, but isn’t the most polished postseason player. That has certainly been the case thus far into the playoffs.

However, Boozer’s struggles and the tight games against Indiana are no reason for the Bulls or their fans to  be concerned.

Boozer seems to be pressing, as many Bulls did at home in the series’ first two games, and it shows on the court. He’s been turning the ball over at an extremely high rate and has been more of a liability than an asset, much different from that guy who performed so well for the Bulls down the stretch of the regular season.

But the fact that his battery mate down low, Joakim Noah, played so well on Saturday should end up benefiting Boozer. With both dominating the glass, combining for 27 boards on Saturday, Boozer can have a bit of the scoring load taken off of his shoulders if Noah continues to re-emerge and prove how healthy he is moving forward.

What most people have to realize about this Bulls team is that they’re not the type of team that is going to constantly blow teams out, especially in the playoffs. Sure, they had some runaway games during the regular season, but Tom Thibodeau and co. preach that defensive philosophy that has made the Bulls so successful this season. They’re going to be in some nailbiters, but this team has proven all season that until that clock reads 0:00, they’re going to be in the game, if not leading.

Even with Rose in a walking boot on Sunday, the concerns over his injury don’t seem to be too great. Many figure he’ll go on Tuesday, and if not, the Bulls should be able to feed off of the energy from the fans at the United Center to grind out a possible series win.

In short, there’s really no need for Bulls fans to hit the panic button, even if it wasn’t an easy, clean sweep of the Pacers. I have a hard time believing the Pacers wouldn’t be giving a squad like Boston or Miami the same type of trouble as an 8-seed. If Thibs and the Bulls make the necessary adjustments moving forward, and Rose gets back to full strength quickly, this team will be fine.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Despite carrying the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed heading into the postseason, with a better record than the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and Boston Celtics, there were still concerns surrounding this Bulls squad. Questions ranged from a secondary scoring option behind Derrick Rose to Carlos Boozer‘s track record in the postseason.

Of the concerns listed about the Bulls, none of them appeared to include the Bulls’ second unit, which has been affectionately named the “Bench Mob”. The bench was something the Bulls spent a great deal investing in this offseason, and it paid off in the regular season.

In almost every game of the regular season, secondary players proved to be a key element of each of Chicago’s 62 wins. Kyle Korver was always there to hit the big shot. Taj Gibson was Mr. Everything off the bench. Kurt Thomas and Omer Asik stepped up their respective games in the absences of Boozer and Joakim Noah.

But early in the postseason. These guys have been nearly nonexistent. Pile that on top of the struggles of the starters outside of Derrick Rose, and you have yourself a decent explanation as to why the Bulls are having issues putting this Indiana Pacers squad away in the first three games in the series.

One guy who has shown up in the first few games has been Kyle Korver. He’s seen a bit of an increased role with Keith Bogans contributing nothing to the offensive load, and Korver has been there to hit the big shots that Derrick Rose hasn’t taken. Korver is averaging 10 points per in the first three games, and hit that big three-pointer in Game 1 to propel the Bulls to the come-from-behind victory.

But while Korver has filled the role he was brought in for, the rest of the Bench Mob’s members have been almost invisible on the court in the earlygoing of this postseason.

Kurt Thomas saw heavy minutes in Game 1, with the struggles of Boozer, and was a plus-11 on the day to go along with his six points. His 24 minutes have been the most anyone off the bench has seen in the series against Indiana, with only Korver coming close to touching that type of playing time.

On Thursday, we saw a little more of Gibson. With Boozer, again, struggling to hit shots and hold onto the ball, Tom Thibodeau went with Gibson to fill some of those minutes that Boozer took to the bench for, finishing with six points and five rebounds on the night.

But overall, this bench unit has been a disappointment in the series with Indiana. Much of it goes back to their inconsistent minutes that they’ve seen so far, with Thibodeau relying heavy on his starters as they fight to get out of this first round against Indiana. Rose and Deng both saw at least 43 minutes of action on Thursday. Hard to crack the rotation when the starters are seeing time like that.

But even when they’re getting the opportunity, these guys have not impressed the way they did in the regular season. A unit that could hang with anybody with their stout defensive abilities and capability of scoring a few points to, the bench hasn’t lived up to the hype in the first three games.

It’s a small sample space, but something that will need to improve if the Bulls are expecting to make a serious run at a title. After all, this is just the Pacers, right?

Chicago Tribune Photo

There’s really only one word you could use to describe Derrick Rose‘s performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon: unbelievable. Or is that unbelieva-Bull?

Actually, to this point, the greatness of Rose should come as a surprise to virtually no one. He’s done it all season. You know when it comes down to it, he’s going to be the one on this Bulls squad to step up, and step up he did in Chicago’s 104-99 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

By all accounts, the Bulls did not turn in their best performance in their playoff opener. They actually turned in one of their poorest performances of the entire season.

Chicago found themselves outplayed by Indy in the majority of this one, with the Pacers coming out as the more physical team and carrying more energy, mostly due to the presence of Tyler Hansbrough.

For many, it’s the first time really hearing Hansbrough’s name since he was a standout at the University of North Carolina just a couple years ago, but had the Pacers managed the win on Saturday, it would have been Hansbrough that got them there.

Always the scrappy player in college, Hansbrough brought that energy to life, scoring key baskets for Indiana down the stretch, and really taking Carlos Boozer, who played his college ball at Duke, to school throughout Game 1. It was a rough go all day for Boozer, who had one of his worst games since signing with the Bulls last summer. C-Booz managed just 12 points and six boards in the playoff opener.

Boozer wasn’t the only one quiet for the opener, however. Joakim Noah shot just 5-12 from the field, while the typically potent bench unit scored just 12 points, if you take out the 13 that Kyle Korver dropped, including a key three pointer to give the Bulls a 102-99 lead.

However, Noah did make up for his struggle shooting with his dominance on the boards and of Josh McRoberts. Noah snatched 11 boards on the day, while also blocking three shots. Two of those were blocks of McRoberts in the game’s final seconds, coming on back-to-back shots.

But with the bulk of his squad coming out flat to open up the series with Indy, it was Derrick Rose as the glue that kept the team together, and eventually put them over the top.

Rose dropped 39, even after going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. Of the 39 he scored for the game, 21 came in the second half and 19 came off of free throws. But the most impressive moment for Rose was a sequence early on in the first quarter. After swatting away a Darren Collison layup attempt, Rose made a brilliant spin move at the other end and got the layup to go, cementing yet another play for Rose in Sportscenter’s Top 10.

Danny Granger, who acknowledged the chances of Indiana having success if they could stop Rose, likened the MVP candidate to a “stalker ex-girlfriend”, in that every time they were hoping Rose was done for the day, he kept coming back at them.

As ugly of a win as it may have been, the Bulls now hold the 1-0 edge in the series against the Pacers. Tom Thibodeau and crew are certainly aware of the fact that the Bulls won’t be able to breeze through this series without at least a little resistant from the eight-seeded Pacers.

With the day off on Sunday, expect the Bulls to come out hard after this scare in Game 1, as they host the Pacers in Game 2 of the series at the United Center, on Monday.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

After battling their way through the NBA’s 82-game schedule, in which they finished with the best record in the entire league, the 62-20 Chicago Bulls will clear their record to 0-0 when they open the playoffs at home against the division rival Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers come into the series as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, which hasn’t exactly been a reputable spot in recent years. As is typical of the bottom seeds in the East, the Pacers hovered around .500 all season, ending their season eight-games under that mark.

The Bulls’ feats of this 2010-11 season are well-documented. A squad that many expected to hover around 50 wins on the season surpassed nearly everyone’s expectations for the season, following the play of Derrick Rose on their way to their best season since their last championship, back in 1998.

Obviously, the biggest reason for the ultra quick turnaround has been Rose, who is easily the leading candidate for NBA MVP the season. If he wins it, Rose will become the youngest MVP in the history of the league.

However, there’s also the matter of Tom Thibodeau and the new mentality he has brought to the Bulls.

Even with 62 wins and the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed, the Bulls are still not satisfied. Thibodeau ran an intense practice on Friday, focusing on the play of Joakim Noah even after the rest of the team was finished. Noah’s play tailed off a bit in the latter portion of the season, mostly due to his health. Noah looks healthy heading into Saturday, making the Bulls’ frontcourt among the best in these playoffs.

Defensively, the Bulls are as talented in anyone in the league. The Pacers will have an extremely tough time scoring on the Bulls, as if stopping Rose, Luol Deng, and co won’t be a difficult enough task for the  young squad.

Offensively, the Pacers are led by Danny Granger, who scored almost 21 points per for Indy this season, along with his five boards a game. The Pacers boast a pretty solid frontcourt to match up against the Bulls, which is led by Georgetown product Roy Hibbert and his 7.5 boards per game.

The Bulls are hoping to make quick work of the Pacers, in order to keep themselves fresh for the latter portions of the postseason. However, they would be foolish to overlook them, as the Pacers were the only division foe to defeat the Bulls this season, and if Granger’s comments about Rose are any indication, they intend to give Chicago a fight.

However, an oversight of these Pacers doesn’t seem possible with Thibs at the helm. The first-year coach has his team’s feet still on the ground, and focused for the opening round, with the goal of winning a championship this year as the only thing on their mind.

Reuters Photo

The Chicago Bulls have done a lot of things this year that no one expected them to do. Thus far, they’ve claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, won over 60 games for the first time since the Jordan Era, and swept the season series with the Miami Heat.

One thing that they had not done before Tuesday night was beat the New York Knicks. That changed in Chicago’s 103-90 win at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

The Bulls got off to a bit of a slow start in this one, trailing by a 55-52 count at the break, but the real story in this one was the second half for the Chicago Bulls.

Heading into the break down by three, the Bulls exploded in the second half, going on a 26-2 run, which was led by who else, but Derrick Rose. The MVP candidate knocked down five of his seven shots en route to 13 points for the quarter, which was almost as much as the entire Knicks team for the frame.

Along with the scoring touch of Rose, who scored 26 points on the night, the Bulls were paced by the unbelievable night Carlos Boozer had on the glass. While his shooting percentage was a big blemish on the night for the Bulls, Boozer finished with 22 boards, and impressive number considering the Bulls grabbed 51 as a team.

With the good that the Bulls did on Tuesday, there was also a bit of a downside to the win. Already facing questions about the health and playing time of Joakim Noah, Tom Thibodeau was ready to give Noah an increase in playing time against New York.

While Noah ended up playing 28 minutes, he wasn’t terribly effective and was limping noticeably after rolling his ankle. There were several plays throughout this one that a healthy Noah clearly would have made. He did finish with 13 points, but only three rebounds on the night.

Many might say that there’s nothing left for the Bulls to play for, having already reached the 60 win mark and grabbed the East’s top seed. However, there is one landmark that the Bulls have not yet reached.

When the Bulls hit the court on Wednesday night, against the New Jersey Nets, they’ll be taking a shot at grabbing the No. 1 overall seed in the entire NBA, which would assure them of home court advantage all the way through their postseason run, however long that might be.

It will take a strong effort from the Phoenix Suns to even make that possible, though. With the Bulls tied with San Antonio for the NBA’s top seed, the Bulls will need a win and a Suns win over their rivals from the Lone Star State on Wednesday to make that happen.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Professional sports bring out the best in fans and analysts: passion, pride, and a Pandora’s box of overused and clichéd words and phrases. Words like adversity and disrespect echo throughout the sporting landscape constantly. However, in the case of the Chicago Bulls, one of those overused phrases might just fit the bill.

Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers notwithstanding, the Bulls might just be among the more disrespected teams out there among contenders.

Despite holding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, boasting the league’s leading MVP candidate in Derrick Rose, as well as a pair of top notch big men, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, the Bulls have failed to garner much attention as a serious title contender.

Analysts have been quick to point out the Lakers and Spurs as their reasoning for counting out the Bulls. Even in the East, noted Miami Heat sympathizer Chris Broussard has said they are still a year away from being a real threat to hoist a championship trophy, saying he’d take both the Heat and Celtics in a seven-game series.

Others have been quick to point out that the Bulls rank in the bottom half of the league in team points per game, just one notch above the Boston Celtics, who are 21st in the league.

In doing so, many have completely discounted the real strength of this team: their defense. The Bulls are second in the league in opposing points per, trailing only, you guessed it, the Celtics. But while the Bulls are giving up about a half a point more per game than Boston, their point differential in each game is also more impressive than Boston, winning by an average of 7.39 points.

The Bulls also dominate on the glass, coming in at No. 2 in the league in rebounds per game, which trails only Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the fact that they are in the second spot in rebounds, the Bulls are also holding their opponent to the lowest rebound totals in the league, per game.

It’s that defense that makes the Bulls a completely legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, and quite possibly, the NBA.

The formula for beating the Miami Heat is a relatively simple one. Solid point guard play and winning the battles down low. Considering the Bulls boast, arguably, the league’s best point guard in Derrick Rose, that first part is a cinch. The second part requires both Noah and Boozer to be strong down low, against the Heat combination of Chris Bosh and Erick Dampier.

With Bosh one of the softest big men in the league, the Bulls have a formidable advantage down low, in addition to the point. The only concern becomes their ability to stop Dwayne Wade and LeBron James in a seven-game series. Given that the Bulls swept the Heat in their trio of meetings this year, I like those odds.

The team that promises to give the Bulls the most grief out of the Eastern Conference is the Boston Celtics. The two sides met a few years ago in an epic first round matchup in the playoffs, with the No. 8 seeded Bulls nearly upsetting the Celtics and their “Big Three”.

But that was a different Bulls team, with an unproven Rose and a still-raw Noah, along with guys like Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. This team is much deeper than that team from ’08-’09, and promises to give the Celtics a run for their money.

It’s no secret that the Celtics are favored by many to take the East, and rightfully so. They’ve been there before, and they have the depth to keep up with anyone in the league. However, that depth is also aging quickly. Shaquille O’Neal, who Boston is relying heavy on at center, has struggled with his health of late. Who knows if Kevin Garnett could hold up against both Boozer and Noah if he was the main man in the middle in the postseason.

Rajon Rondo has struggled at the point guard spot as well. But we saw these same struggles from the C’s last year, right before they made another appearance in the NBA finals. While the Bulls could handle the Heat in a seven-game series, a series against Boston would be an epic one, and could go either way, depending on the health of Boston.

While Broussard might be right, and the Bulls might be a year away, it’s hard to ignore what the Bulls have done to this point in the season.

With their capabilities on the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls certainly enlist the talent and skill to hang around with anyone in the league. Whether they can win a seven-game series against the likes of Boston remains to be seen. But there’s no question that this team has earned the right to be where they are, and are going to make some serious noise come playoff time.