Philadelphia 76ers: A Formidable Foe for the Chicago Bulls

Depth and defense. These are two keys which the 76ers will use to frustrate the Chicago Bulls in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs. The 76ers go on the road to face the No. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls.

The Sixers will face the reigning MVP and the team that had the best overall record. Even though Derrick Rose missed 27 games this season with a plethora of injuries, the Bulls still had a 50-16 record.  

The Sixers had one of the best starts of the season going 20-9, but then they plummeted back to mediocrity.  At one point, they were considered dead in the water after going 11-21 and would likely miss the playoffs.

They got hot at the end of the season, going 4-1 to finish the season and solidified themselves as the No. 8 seed heading into the playoffs.  

Avoiding the Miami Heat may not have been a goal the Sixers would admit, but it is an intellectual move. The Sixers were 1-2 vs. the Chicago Bulls and 0-4 against LeBron James and The Miami Heat. The Sixers depth provided problems for opponents this season and hopefully they can wear down Chicago.    

If the Sixers plan to win against the Bulls, they will have to get turnovers, make Rose take tough shots, and out-rebound the Bulls. The Sixers had the third-best defense in the NBA right behind the Indiana Pacers and of course the Chicago Bulls.

The Sixers had one of the deepest teams in the NBA. The Sixers have players that if hot can score at any time and opponents never know who the star of the game will be. This can play into the Sixers favor.  

When the Sixers buy into Doug Collins' defensive mentality, they are one of the most formidable teams in the NBA. The Sixers cannot just focus on Derrick Rose, as the Bulls have other areas in which they can hurt you, but with stellar defense they can make sure the series does not get out of hand.  

I’m not saying the Sixers will win this series in a sweep, but it will be really interesting to watch.

Prediction: Bulls in 6