In the Driver's Seat

Bulls got the big win they needed over Boston to put them in excellent position for the one seed in the East. Even more reassuring is that the two guys I'm most worried about in big games, namely Deng and Boozer, both played pretty well. And our three-headed SG monster has worked out OK lately as well. Bogans has given them good defense and is finally hitting some threes. Korver gives them a streak shooter off the bench. And Brewer has been great with steals, energy plays, and for his patented sneak-up along the baseline backdoor trick.

And to top it off, Rose is looking like a lock for MVP. One of his main competitors, Dwight Howard, just gave the Bulls a break by getting yet another technical for griping, and getting suspended for their upcoming game against the Bulls. Barring a collapse, the one seed is in the bag. That means Indiana first round and most likely Orlando for round two, with the winner of Boston vs Miami in the conference finals. If the Bulls had sat down at the beginning of the season and wrote down the most favorable scenario for them come playoff time, it would look very much like the position they are now in.

Let's rewind two years and remember that great playoff series the Bulls had against the Celtics. In that game seven, Ben Gordan had 33 points and Rose had 18. Celtics shot the ball better and were clearly superior at moving the ball around. Over that seven game series, Rose vs Rondo was close to a wash, with perhaps even a tiny advantage to Rondo. At the time, I said that the Bulls would have won if they had an upgrade over Tyrus Thomas at the four.

Now, Rondo is a bit better, but Rose is a whole lot better. We don't have a scoring SG like Gordon, but we have lots of good role players and a much better bench. Instead of Tyrus, we have Boozer and Thomas. We didn't have Deng for that series but that was probably an advantage. This year he's actually an asset. And the rest of the Celtics are about the same as before, just two years older.

Of course the playoffs are more than just being better than the Celtics, but the Bulls have shown that they can beat anyone this year in a series. And this just may be their best chance for a bit. They are going in with perfect seeding and are relatively injury-free. Next year, the NBA will most likely see a lockout. Superstar teams like Miami and New York may start to hit their stride. Plenty could start to go wrong, so even though the Bulls are relatively young, the future is now.