NBA Playoffs 2011: 5 Reasons Why the Chicago Bulls Will Win the NBA Championship
We all know what Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls have done to the NBA this year, but do we really think a bunch of players with very little playoff experience can take down teams like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks?
Maybe we don't, but we should. The Bulls are the hottest team in the NBA and they should build some momentum from their first round series against the Indiana Pacers (which I see Chicago dominating) and carry it over. Chicago has guys who can shoot, rebound, drive, score and play.
Plus, the Bulls have the possible league MVP in Derrick Rose, and they have been to the playoffs a couple times with Rose at the helm. Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng should throw some leadership off and on the court into the playoffs, and Derrick Rose will show his leadership from the point guard position.
Here's five reasons why the Chicago Bulls will win the NBA Championship.
Reason 1: Leadership
1 of 5
The Bulls have had great leadership from three of their best players, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and of course, Derrick Rose.
Deng has bounced back from a couple rough seasons by averaging 17.4 PPG, and Boozer has stepped up, averaging 17.5 PPG. These two are experienced and will be able to show leadership on and off the court and help guide young Bulls like Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and even Rose.
Boozer has averaged 9.6 rebounds per game, and Deng has averaged just under six rebounds per game. The two dish out a couple assists per game as well, but a few more dimes might be needed for the Bulls to survive. Although he only plays about 22 minutes a game, Kurt Thomas can provide some more leadership, Noah can fire the team up and Derrick Rose can light the other team up.
Even though Deng and Boozer have more experience, Rose, Gibson, Noah and others can definitely provide a huge spark for the Bulls. It will start with Boozer and Deng and ends with Noah, Gibson and Rose.
Leadership will be key.
Reason 2: Defense
2 of 5
The Chicago Bulls only average 98 points a game. So how is it that this team has won 62 out of 82 games? Simple. Defense.
The Bulls have a couple building blocks down low in Noah and Boozer, a powerful small forward in Deng, two shooting guards who can play in Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans and a very athletic point guard.
The Bulls are a great defensive team, and even though Indiana averages more points per game than Chicago, the Windy City's pride and joy will step up and stop the Pacers. Chicago's plan will most likely be to force Indiana to take long shots, as only a few Pacers (shooting guards and small forwards) can shoot the three-pointer well, and no one on the Pacers can shoot better than 41.7 percent from downtown.
Whenever Darren Collison makes it past Rose, Keith Bogans or anyone else on the perimeter, he will have to face Boozer, Deng or Noah, and that may not be too pleasent. Jump shots will have to be the answer for the Pacers, and that will be a challenge.
The building blocks will need to step up, and if they do, poor Indiana.
Reason 3: Three-Pointers
3 of 5
Like I said, the Indiana Pacers have some trouble shooting the three. While the Bulls aren't that much better, they do have a couple guys who can shoot it well. Rasual Butler makes over 57 percent of his threes, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans and C.J Watson shoot well, and Kurt Thomas is 1-for-1 from beyond the arc.
The Bulls will need whoever is in (Korver or Bogans) to put up a couple shots from downtown, as well as Butler and Thomas.
If Chicago plays a good style of defense, the Pacers will be forced to have all kinds of guys shooting the three, and whoever the Bulls face after Indiana will have the same fate. If Chicago plays it smart, Joakim Noah won't be taking the three, and Rasual Butler will be. The Bulls need to make sure the ball is in the right hands when a three is going up.
Chicago can turn this into a huge advantage by forcing bad threes and only taking good ones, but they can also turn it into a disadvantage if Boozer and Noah put up too many threes. I think the Bulls will turn this into an advantage and use the three throughout the playoffs.
Reason 4: Play Down Low
4 of 5
Like I said, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah will be hard to penetrate and hard to stop. Throw in Luol Deng and you have a 1-2-3 punch no one wants to go up against. This is why the three and the mid-range jumper will be key for opponents; Chicago can stop you if you want to go down low. These guys can also play offense.
Combined, the 1-2-3 punch averages 46.6 PPG, and if they work like Derrick Rose and a teammate do in transition when they are down low, their points and assists total will go up. Rose can feed them from the top of the key, and they make something happen with it.
They can shoot a jumper (all three shoot at least 46 percent, and two shoot over 50 percent). One of them can feed the ball to another. The possibilities are endless, and the nightmares will be endless for defenders.
Noah and Boozer really know how to fire up a crowd and bring a huge advantage to Chicago's side (the Bulls are 36-5 at home), and Deng can bring momentum to the United Center as well. Considering Chicago has home-court, if they turn that momentum on to their side and win every single home game, the Bulls are champions.
Those three can turn momentum and bring wins into the Win-dy City.
Reason 5: Derrick Rose
5 of 5
You really thought I would forget Derrick Rose? Nah, best for last. Rose is an MVP candidate and is definitely on the rise, and if he plays like he did in the regular season, the Bulls will coast through the playoffs (with a little help).
Rose has scored 30-plus points 25 times, including two 42-point games (one in a loss to Indiana). He can pass, drive, play D, do a little of everything. Or in some cases, he can do a lot of everything.
Rose averages 7.7 assists per game as well, in addition to 25 PPG. When D-Rose plays, Chicago is 62-19 (they lost by one in the game he didn't play in).
If he can drive and finish or feed it to Boozer or Noah, (who would light up the crowd with a thunderous dunk) Rose would have 25 and 15, and Noah, Boozer and Deng would have 15 or 20 every game.
Although Rose doesn't have as much playoff experience as the Big Four of Boston or the Big Three of Miami, he has been to the playoffs twice. Rose will carry a big load, but if he plays like he has in '10-11, Chicago wins another NBA title.
I guess Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley was the right call.
