Bulls Threatening To Bury Celtics Early
As I write this, the Bulls are holding a substantial lead against the top-seeded Celtics in Game 2 of their first round series matchup. By the time I’m done, they will have secured a 2-0 lead in the series. This comes on the heels of a surprising Game 1, which Chicago won 106-102. After a late season surge pushed the Celts into first place in the East, they now find themselves in a bit of a nightmare situation. Why? Because the Bulls are suddenly looking like a cohesive unit–and at the very least they’re looking more dialed in than they were all season.
Sure, it took them until the final game of the year to secure a spot in the postseason. But now they’re playing like none of that ever happened. In the first game at the Garden, Jimmy Butler scored 30 points, 23 of them in the second half. Chicago’s young bench outscored the Celtics’ bench, 35-22, 19 of those belonging to sixth man Bobby Portis. Portis also grabbed 9 boards, helping the Bulls out-rebound the Celtics, 53-36. And that may very well prove to be their Achille’s heel in this series. In the first half alone, the Bulls led the rebounding differential, 32-16.
It was also a very emotional night for Isaiah Thomas whose 22-year-old sister died in a fatal car accident in Washington State the day before. The game began with a moment of silence, setting a somber but serious tone for the breakout guard. Thomas finished with 33 points but in the end it wasn’t enough to stop Butler and the Bulls.
After the game Butler had this to say: “We were so locked in all week. We knew their stuff, just like they knew ours. But we executed extremely well. We haven’t done that all season, but this is the right time to do it.”
Then came Rajon Rondo in Game 2, stunning the crowd on his former team’s home court with an 11 point, 14 assist, 9 rebound, 5 steal performance. Rondo’s show set the stage for the rest of the Bulls’ starters to reach double figures. Butler added 22. Robin Lopez added 18 and 8 rebounds. Dwayne Wade turned back the clock, matching Butler’s 22 points. And Paul Zipser came off the bench going 6 for 8 from the field.
Dwayne Wade stepped up against the Celtics in Game 2 – Photo Credit, Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
It’s kind of hard to imagine a 41-41 team sneaking into the no. 8 spot in the postseason and then playing the way the Bulls are playing right now. But Jimmy Butler isn’t fazed.
“Everybody’s putting in each work, watching film, working on their game,” Butler said. “That’s where your confidence always comes from.” He continued, echoing his sentiments from Game 1. “I’m not surprised because everybody’s so locked in right now.”
Locked in. That’s exactly what it is. The Bulls are leading this series because they’re locked in. They’re playing with uncharacteristic ferocity. They’re dominating the glass, having won the rebounding differential again in Game 2, 42-38. At one point they stretched a lead out to 19. By then, it was clear that Chicago was not going to head home without a fight. And moreover, maybe they aren’t going to head home at all.
Game 3 begins on Friday in Chi Town. The question on everyone’s mind has to be: can the Celtics mount a rare 0-2 comeback or is this the beginning of the end for Boston?
