Chicago Bulls: Would No. 1 Seed in Playoffs Favor Them to Make NBA Finals?
The Bulls are duking it out with the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. As it stands today, the Bulls are one up in the win column on the Celtics. With the way each team is playing, the Bulls are poised to take the number one seed from the Celtics.
With the way the East is set up right now, this would make the Bulls the favorite to make the NBA Finals.
The team that is the No. 1 seed has a much easier path to the Finals than the other seeds. Let's take a look at how it stands as of today:
The No. 1 seed Bulls would play the lowly Indiana Pacers in the first round. Although the Pacers stole one from the Bulls earlier this month, it's very unlikely that they would be able to withstand the Bulls in the playoffs. In fact, Indiana would by far be the worst team in the playoffs this year at nine games under .500.
The second and third seeded Celtics and Heat respectively have a much harder path. The Celtics would be playing the new look New York Knicks. The Knicks of course have not been very good at all since the trade. However, they have two superstars in Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. With their star power, there is always the small chance that they could get hot and pull an upset. Of course that would be a huge upset, but they at least have the small chance. At least they could give the Celtics a hard series, which could wear down their old team.
The Heat right now would play the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the most surprising teams in basketball. They started off very poorly at 3-13 and have played 12 games over .500 since then, with a 33-21 record since. That would put them on pace for 50 wins if they had kept it up all season, likely good enough to pass Atlanta for the fifth seed. Of course the Heat will be favored in the series but it would be a hard series, likely one that goes six or seven games, and put stress on the Heatles.
In the second round, the Bulls would very likely play the Orlando Magic. The Magic last year had the Bulls' number, but that ended with the trade for Gilbert Arenas. The Bulls have won both games since the trade, and both fairly convincingly. You have to like the Bulls in this series, and without too much trouble. With the small chance that Atlanta squeaks by, even better. The Bulls showed on the 22nd that they are just a superior team than the Hawks. Combined with Joe Johnson's tendency to disappear in the playoffs, I would love for the Bulls to meet them in the playoffs.
The Celtics and Heat on the other hand will have an epic battle in the second round. The Celtics have beaten the Heat all three times this season, but you can't imagine a sweep in the playoffs. The series will likely go six or seven games, and it might even be closer and more strenuous than that.
Then comes the Eastern Conference Finals. We don't know who would come out on the other side of the bracket in this case, but we do know that they will have played potentially two hard series. The Bulls on the other hand will likely be relatively fresh. Then think about this, the Bulls are by far the youngest team out of this threesome. Therefore they should be able to handle the physical stress of the NBA playoffs better than any other team in the East. They will not necessarily be the favorites in the series, but they should be the most prepared.
With the advantage of an easier road and the benefit of having a younger team, the first seed would be the Chicago Bulls the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. After that, who knows? But I am sure a return to the finals for the first time since Jordan would not be disappointing finish to any Bulls' fan.
