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These two teams had far different perspectives from another on how they performed in the first round.
The one-seeded Heat, led by general manager @NV cleanly swept away Orlando and had a good amount of time to relax and heal (let’s pretend that’s a thing in FBB) to be ready for the start of round two. Without guard Brad Beal in the first two games, the other guards (Ty Lawson and Buddy Hield) balled out, both scoring 30+ in victories. And in game four, forward Rudy Gay came out of nowhere and carries the team with 29 points for the win.
Chicago on the other hand, was quite close to blowing the infamous ‘3-1 lead’ curse. After losing games five and six, they just barely managed to survive game seven, which they won by a single point margin despite being outscored 18-29 in the fourth quarter. If it weren’t for rookie wing Steph Turner dropping a game high 32 points, they probably get blown out of the game and dropped as the defending champions.
And now the two teams will face off in BangBros Center in Miami, FL for the start of round two. And as I started to look at how each team matches up with another, I realized the similarities between the two teams. They have run a good amount of the same gameplan strategies, and similar roster builds as well.
The most obvious and most important two to look at are the former Cleveland teammates – Bradley Beal and Avery Bradley. They are the go-to guy that makes their respective teams run, while shooting north of 43% from three and averaging over 28ppg. Both have the ability to take over a game and win it for their team, and the Bradleys are of the best players in the entire league.
Next, you have your high volume non-option SFs – Rudy Gay and Steph Turner. They both averaged 14-15ppg while shooting 39-40% from three, and have provided the role of someone who can step up scoring wise if needed to, shown by their game highs in the final eliminating game.
Within the frontcourts of these two teams, its less about scoring and more about defense and being able to #gorebound. Deandre Jordan, Mitchell Robinson, and Al Jefferson have done a great job as a unit this year, ranking 6th in the league in blocks and 2nd in rebounding. Chicago was much further in the pack in regards to rebounding but is ranked 8th in blocks, led by league leader Hassan Whiteside.
Leading the units as a point guard is Ty Lawson and Eric Bledsoe, both the third options of their offense. They are the team’s intended distributors and defensive leaders in the backcourt. They’re not the guys you optimally want to be a primary first option in an offense for, but can still can provide a scoring punch when needed.
The final similarity is ultimately the main reason why I don’t think my team will be the one advancing, and that is the 6th man position. For the Bulls, star forward Kawhi Leonard ruptured his Achilles and will be out for the rest of the playoffs. That talent abandons 19ppg with 42% three point shooting in Chicago, and is also exactly what Buddy Hield provides to Miami. While not the same defender as Leonard, they share similar success in shooting the deep ball. With Leonard out, this Bulls team has a definite void that will be hard for second round rookies Vern Brennan and Ruben Davis to keep up with.
Am I still hopeful that my Bulls could still win the series? Sure – Avery Bradley is one of those guys that can take a series over singlehandedly. They do have the third lowest scoring defense in the league, including the best at defending the three ball. And yet, Miami at every other positional matchup has the advantage and Beal is hardly any slouch. And with a massive blow to the rotation by losing Kawhi, unfortunately it looks possible that the defending champions quest to go back-to-back might end shortly. But if I do advance, we’re definitely going #Back2Back
