NBA Playoffs 2015: Latest Postseason Bracket and Standings
The Chicago Bulls are ready for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This was made very clear when Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy took turns abusing the Milwaukee Bucks and ended their first-round series with a 120-66 bang.
But what about the San Antonio Spurs? The reigning champs will travel to Los Angeles for Game 7 against the Clippers on Saturday. It’s possible that Chris Paul goes off and finally gets the wheels turning on a championship run.
And the Atlanta Hawks? It’s far too soon to think about title aspirations when the East’s top regular-season team can’t even bury the Brooklyn Nets.
If not the Spurs and the Hawks, who else could wind up on top?
Bracket
| Atlanta Hawks lead Brooklyn Nets | 3-2 |
| Washington Wizards def. Toronto Raptors | 4-0 |
| Chicago Bulls def. Milwaukee Bucks | 4-2 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers def. Boston Celtics | 4-0 |
| Golden State Warriors def. New Orleans Pelicans | 4-0 |
| Memphis Grizzlies def. Portland Trail Blazers | 4-1 |
| San Antonio Spurs are tied with Los Angeles Clippers | 3-3 |
| Houston Rockets def. Dallas Mavericks | 4-1 |
Cavaliers-Bulls Preview
Forget about Kevin Love’s injury and J.R. Smith’s suspension—the Cleveland Cavaliers still have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Granted, the King and Uncle Drew both have their downfalls. But these guys are two of the most big-time players in the league. James, of course, has walked this road before, and Irving, despite his youth, seems to thrive when the lights are their brightest.
Cleveland had little trouble with the Boston Celtics and broke out the brooms after just four games. That opened the door for a date with Chicago in Round 2.
The Bulls have been itching for this series all year. Joakim Noah, in particular, was chomping at the bit.
"I think we're a confident group," Noah said after losing to Cleveland 99-94 on April 6, per ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell. "And it would be great to play them in the playoffs. It would be very, very exciting, something that I really hope happens."
Well, Noah has his wish.
But as Shaquille O’Neal said on Inside the NBA after Game 6 between the Spurs and Clippers: “Be careful what you ask for.”
James and Co. defeated Chi-town in their regular-season series, but Fox Sports’ Sam Amico provided some interesting context:
Many analysts took a liking to Chicago as a dark-horse title contender before the playoffs kicked off. Among those people were Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding:
Love is out for the rest of the playoffs and the fist-flinging Smith will be down for the series’ opening pair of contests. ESPN’s Friedell views this series as incredibly important for this roster:
With Atlanta stumbling and the Washington Wizards very beatable, the East will eventually belong to the winner of this series.
Whoever comes out on top, Cavs or Bulls, will almost certainly reach the NBA Finals.
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