NBA Playoffs 2015: 10 reasons Chicago Bulls will beat Cleveland Cavaliers

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Feb 12, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) shoots the ball against Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and forward Pau Gasol (16) during the second half at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense wins Championships

The old adage goes that defense wins championships. The Chicago Bulls have that kind of defense. Coach Tom Thibodeau preaches defensive pressure over anything, and tries to structure his rotations around guys who play well next to each other on the defensive side of the court.

Tony Snell has emerged this year as one of the Bulls best defenders and he comes off the bench. Jimmy Butler can guard just about anybody on the perimeter (yes, even LeBron). And Derrick Rose has the physical tools to lock down Kyrie Irving. Not to mention Rose’s backup Aaron Brooks and his ability to keep up with the quickest of guards (as long as they don’t have a considerable size advantage on him).

So far in the post season the Bulls have allowed the least points among teams in the playoffs at 93.0PPG. In the regular season they ranked ninth in the NBA in points allowed at 97.8 PPG.

The stats don’t lie.

The Bulls play phenomenal team defense. Their ability to pressure the ball up top with Rose and Butler to start the game is huge. Then to not have much of a drop off once Brooks and Snell enter the game leaves opposing teams with question marks above their heads as to how to put the ball in the bucket.

So that old saying that defense wins championships might apply this year for the Bulls. Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But I do think the Bulls have an advantage over the Cavaliers because of their ability to play pressure defense all game.

Cavaliers Response: Defense indeed wins championships, and that’s exactly why the Cavaliers acquired Timofey Mozgov and have been coaching up Tristan Thompson all season long. Those two may not be as dynamic as Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, but they’re two of the best defenders in the postseason — not to mention the fact that Kyrie and LeBron are All-Star defenders as well. Chicago is a defensive juggernaut, but don’t discount Cleveland’s defense either as it may end up surprising you in this series. Read more reasons why Cavaliers will beat the Bulls here.

Next: Top Form Rose Is Unstoppable

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