5 reasons the Chicago Bulls can upset the Boston Celtics
By Connor Learn
The Eastern Conference’s No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup is looking more competitive than most thought. The Bulls pulled out Game 1,106-102, in Boston and made a statement in their victory.
Chicago’s Jimmy Butler scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half to lead his team to victory. The Bulls also got a strong performance from Bobby Portis off the bench, and his 19 points and 9 boards helped them secure the upset. Boston received 33 points from Isaiah Thomas, who was playing with a heavy heart following the death of his sister.
If the No. 8 seed Bulls upset the top-seeded Celtics, it would be a surprising upset to most. Only five No. 8 seeds have beat a No. 1 seed since the NBA expanded the playoffs to 16 teams in 1984. But Chicago’s Game 1 victory demonstrates why they shouldn’t be counted out. They have advantages over this Celtics that could lead to success in any of their matchups.
The Bulls can realistically beat the Celtics in this series, and here are five reasons why:
5. National TV/TNT Bulls success is no joke
Going back to 2013, the Bulls have won 20 straight home games on TNT. This is a hyper-specific winning streak and most of those, while neat, are meaningless. But this streak may be indicative of some qualities of this Bulls team. They have usually outplayed expectations on national TV in general, most notably “National TV Rondo“. The biggest thing the streak says is this: the Chicago Bulls rise to the occasion when there is a spotlight on them.
If Chicago plays up depending on the stage, then that could also mean that they play down when playing less consequential games that are only broadcast locally. And looking at their roster, that theory makes sense. Dwyane Wade is 35-years-old and can’t bring it all every night anymore. Rajon Rondo earned a reputation for playing up for national TV when he was still young; it has gotten more extreme as he has aged. The degree to which playing on national TV effects the Bulls overall play can be debated, but with the results it is hard to argue that it doesn’t at least help them.
Thankfully for the Bulls, three of the first four games of this series are being broadcast on TNT. Regardless of who carries the game, their veteran players will bring a level of play that they reserved for the postseason. This will be a factor that enables Chicago to play better as a unit than their 41-41 record indicates. The Bulls are much scarier in April than they were in December.