The Chicago Bulls are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference right now. The Boston Celtics are not.

Are the Boston Celtics Done Being Contenders?

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Despite the recent success of the Celtics (10-4 over the last 14 games), the Bulls are playing far better even without their star point guard Derrick Rose nursing a back injury.

With Rose being a game-time decision tonight, the Celtics' red-hot streak may have them giving Chicago the toughest test they have faced since watching Rose go down.

Don’t count the Bulls out just yet, though.

Bulls center Joakim Noah tells ESPN about one of the biggest strengths of this Bulls team:

Our depth is our greatest strength right now. Obviously we know that we need everybody healthy (come playoffs). This is definitely not a sprint, it's a marathon.

Noah is 100 percent right, and I am taking the Bulls to win this game outright because of their depth at almost every position (shooting guard excluded). Even without an MVP like Rose in the lineup, the Bulls have the talent to win now and going forward.

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Boston does not.

If Paul pierce or any of the Big Three were to go down for any extended period of time, the team would fall from the playoff hunt fast. With aging legs, that gets more likely by the day.

With the shortened season, there are more games in fewer days and the Celtics just can’t manage. If they do make the playoffs, they will get trounced by a team like the Philadelphia 76ers, made up of young players with energy to spare.

While this is still a great matchup in the regular season, it won’t be the Eastern Conference Finals preview anytime soon.

 

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