Chicago Bulls Playoffs Schedule 2012: Odds & Predictions for First-Round Series

After a lockout-shortened 2012 regular season, it’s time for the No. 1 overall seeded Chicago Bulls to begin their run towards an NBA championship by going through the Eastern Conference.

With the pesky Philadelphia 76ers on tap in the first round, the Bulls will be facing a team very similarly built, but with far less firepower. In what should be an epic defensive battle, the No. 8-seeded 76ers will face a Chicago test too tough to tame.

The NBA playoffs are the time when legends are made, and this may be the year for the Bulls to find their next big playoff hero. If a player like Derrick Rose can get going early and punish the 76ers, his confidence could become contagious and carry this team to big things.

Keep it here for complete Chicago Bulls' first-round playoff schedule and all the odds and predictions you can handle.

Check back for more on the National Basketball Association as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s NBA Page to get your fill of all things basketball.

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Superstars Who Must Shine

With the Philadelphia 76ers led by defensive-minded head coach Doug Collins, the Bulls must be ready for a defensive struggle.

That means the two following offensive stars must step up big.

Derrick Rose

After missing over 20 games this season, Chicago needs the 2011 league MVP to step up and take the playoffs by the throat.

With a tough defender in Jrue Holiday at the point, Rose will have to elevate his game to MVP-worthy levels if the team wants to make it out of the first round.

I expect an amazing series from Rose, who will have 25 points and 10 assists per game during this series.

Luol Deng

After missing several of the team’s last few games to end the regular season, small forward Luol Deng will have to be close to 100 percent to help the Bulls get over the hump that is Philadelphia.

Not only does Chicago need Deng and his ailing ribs to fill the hoop, he has to defend the most versatile Sixer on the court in Andre Iguodala. With injuries and tough defense hampering him, Deng will have a subpar average of just 12 points per game through the first round.

Role Player Who Must Emerge

To call power forward Carlos Boozer’s time in Chicago anything but disappointing would be an understatement and completely false. While the star hasn’t been terrible, he has been far from the superstar free-agent acquisition he was billed as.

Boozer is a defensive liability with a nice shot more than anything else.

With that said, the Bulls will need to depend on that shot if they want to walk away with a series win. Sixers forwards Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young are good, but they are undersized and can be scored on.

If Boozer gets the ball down low early and starts putting pressure on the low post, the Sixers will be forced help and the Bulls can kick out to the open man. Boozer and his 15 points per game better come ready to play.

Strategies to Watch

Offensive Strategy

Hand the ball to Derrick Rose and let the star point guard do his job. That’s the strategy on the offensive end until the Sixers prove they can stop it. While Chicago’s strategy should be to go at whoever is playing shooting guard for the Sixers, the Bulls' lack of depth at that position make the effort there futile.

All hope is not lost, though.

With an advantage at the center position and a close battle at the power forward position, the Bulls can play an inside-out offense that utilizes dishing the ball out to the perimeter from the low post to find shots.

All of this becomes necessary if Rose can’t do it on his own.

Defensive Strategy

With Philadelphia’s inconsistency in the offensive zone, the Bulls can play any kind of defense and shut down the Sixers. I think they end up playing a man-scheme that allows their best defenders to block the 76ers' top stars.

I do have one wrinkle I’d work in though: Rose would have Holliday and Deng would have Iguodala as man-to-man, but I would have the power forward and center playing zone defense down low. With Boozer’s inabilities, Joakim Noah would have to be the guardian of the hoop, no matter who is driving toward it.

Last-Second First-Round Odds and Prediction

Bulls in Six Games

The Chicago Bulls have played the Philadelphia 76ers three times this season so far, but they will see enough of each other over the coming days to last a lifetime. This first-round series will be a defensive war that could get very chippy.

With the Sixers having the heart of a champion, they will win two games, but their lack of consistent scoring will be the death of them. The Bulls are just too good to be bounced in the first round by an inexperienced team like the Sixers.

Chi-town moves on after just six games. Maybe next year, Philadelphia.

Bulls Odds: 77 percent chance of series victory

Full First-Round Schedule

Game 1 - Sat. April 28, Philadelphia at Chicago, 1 p.m., TNT

Game 2 - Tue. May 1, Philadelphia at Chicago, 8 p.m., TNT

Game 3 - Fri. May 4, Chicago at Philadelphia, 8 p.m., ESPN

Game 4 - Sun. May 6, Chicago at Philadelphia, 1 p.m., ABC

Game 5 * Tue. May 8, Philadelphia at Chicago, TBD

Game 6 * Thu. May 10, Chicago at Philadelphia, TBD

Game 7 * Sat. May 12, Philadelphia at Chicago, TBD, TNT