Chicago Bulls Playoff Preview

[Giantmetfan07]

This was supposed to be the Chicago Bulls' most talented team since Tom Thibodeau took over. Derrick Rose was back (for real, we hoped) and the frontcourt had an embarrassment of riches with Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic. The Cavaliers were still coming together, whereas the Bulls had the culture and continuity advantage.
 
But for the third year in a row, the Bulls were better in theory than reality. Injuries again were a factor, but this year was unique in that Chicago wasn't really undermanned. Gasol found the fountain of youth and was named an all-star starter. Butler made a Paul George-like leap and joined Gasol in New York. Mirotic, it turns out, is really, really good. On talent alone, the Bulls are scary.
 
Yet while they won 50 games, that talent never fully came together. Gasol's rise coincided with Joakim Noah's decline. Butler's emergence coincided with Rose's shaky recovery. Mirotic's improvement happened mostly with Gibson injured and now there aren't enough minutes for both to play power forward. The Bulls never really found a mix that worked for everyone and thus enter the playoffs as a disjointed unit still trying to find itself.
 
There's a "last dance" feel to this Bulls team, from Thibodeau's beyond-repair relationship with management to the gradual passing of the torch from Rose and Noah to players like Butler and Mirotic. But the playoffs has a way of forcing urgency on stagnant situations. If anyone in the East can challenge the Hawks and Cavaliers, it's this Bulls team.

How they beat you
 
This Bulls team has much more offensive firepower than previous units, even with Rose now a shell of his MVP self. They can batter you on the inside with Gasol. They can spread you out and go small with Mirotic at power forward. They still can replicate some of the Noah-centric high-post offense they used to win 48 games last year. They can post Butler up against smaller defenders or nudge his thick frame to the free-throw line with dribble handoffs and pick and rolls. Rose can occasionally attack the hoop like he once did, especially in transition.
 
The Bulls are an excellent passing team and they occasionally put together sets with scary levels of fluidity, especially when Mirotic plays power forward.