2011 NBA Playoff Predictions: Bulls vs Pacers


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The Chicago Bulls took the NBA by surprise with their 62-20 regular-season record. That landed the Bulls the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the overall top seed in the postseason. Chicago will begin their run for a Championship against the Indiana Pacers, who earned the No. 8 seed with a 37-45 record. The Pacers are the only team in the playoffs with a losing record, and they finished 25 games behind the Bulls in the Central Division.

The seven-game series is set to get underway this Saturday in Chicago at 1:00 ET. The Bulls and Pacers played four times in the regular season. Chicago won the first three games before falling in overtime in the final meeting. Chicago outscored the Pacers 102.3 to 90.8 in those four games, and on paper this is arguably the most lopsided series in the first round.

Here is a quick look at what defines both of these teams and what it will take for them to advance to the second round. If you want a more complete picture of the postseason, then check out our 2011 NBA playoff predictions.

Chicago Bulls

After missing out on the top free agents in the offseason no one expected the Bulls to be this good, but under new head coach Tom Thibodeau Chicago turned into a defensive powerhouse. Thibodeau deserves a ton of credit for the improvements this team has made in his first season. Under Thibodeu the Bulls ranked first in defensive efficiency and allowed the second fewest points in the NBA.

While the Bulls missed out on the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire, they added a bunch of players that fit their system and arguably have the deepest roster of any team in the East.

The biggest addition was forward Carlos Boozer, who finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.5 points and 9.6 boards per game. Chicago also added starting shooting guard Keith Bogans and key bench players in Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas, and C.J Watson. Chicago also signed Turkish big man Omer Asik, who they originally traded for in 2008. Asik brings a defensive intensity similar to that of Noah off the bench.

The Bulls wouldn’t be anywhere near the team they are if it wasn’t for Derrick Rose. He took his game to a whole new level this season averaging 25 points and 7.7 assists per game. Rose made huge improvements in his 3-point shooting, and his drive to be the best is what got Chicago the top seed. While Rose gets all the credit, Chicago got over 45 points and 25 rebounds a game from Boozer, Loul Deng, and Joakim Noah.

Indiana Pacers

Indiana started the season 17-27 under head coach Jim O’Brien, but after he was replaced by Frank Vogel the Pacers went 20-18 down the stretch. The Pacers like to push the tempo and try and get as many good looks as they can against the basket. On the season the Pacers averaged 99.6 points per game, but struggled defensively giving up 100.9 points.

The Pacers are led by Danny Granger, who averaged a team best 20 points a game. Point guard Darren Collison was the next best at 13.2 points. These two are going to have play some of their best basketball for the Pacers to even win a game in this series. Indiana has five players who average at least 10 points a game, but likely won’t have enough fire power to compete with the Bulls’ strong defense over a seven game series.

The key to the Pacers winning this series is their defense. If they allow the Bulls to score at will they have no shot in this matchup. Chicago isn’t an explosive offensive team, and if the Pacers can keep it close you never know what can happen in the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Chicago Wins in 4 Games

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