Bulls Confidential Countdown: Boston at Chicago Game 3
The news that Rajon Rondo’s broken right thumb likely will cause him to miss the rest of the series is deflating. The 2008 NBA champion was the biggest reason the Bulls played more like the top seed than the Celtics in the first two games. But the games must go on, so the Bulls will make do with who they have.
Game Information:
Bulls (2–0) vs. Boston Celtics (0–2) — 6 p.m. CDT — CSN, ESPN
Projected Starters:
Boston Celtics:
Isaiah Thomas, PG
Avery Bradley, SG
Jae Crowder, SF
Amir Johnson, PF
Al Horford, C
Bulls:
Jerian Grant, PG
Dwyane Wade, SG
Jimmy Butler, SF
Nikola Mirotic, PF
Robin Lopez, C
Three Keys:
- Jimmy Butler:
This is the time for Point Jimmy to come back and prove how big a star he is.
Much has been made about how the Celtics can’t win when Isiah Thomas is their only legitimate threat. Butler is often the Bulls’ equivalent to that except more versatile. If the Bulls want to win, he’ll have to channel his inner Magic Johnson and step up everywhere much like when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar missed Game 6 of the 1980 Finals. While he can’t forget about his sidekick in Wade, he knows this team doesn’t have a chance without him.
2. Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams:
No one is expecting either player to completely fill the gap Rondo leaves. Even though both players have been up and down all season, Grant showing more promise, the two can still collaborate to make up the basics of Rondo’s game. The time leading up to pregame warmups should be devoted to studying film in a crash course on how to be a quality point guard in the playoffs. It wouldn’t hurt if Rondo gave them a little coaching as well.
3. Forwards:
Different players at this position stepped up between Games 1 and 2. Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis and Paul Zipser need to find the right balance between them so all three can be equal threats. If they can all find the right aspects of their games and put them into action, the Celtics will be frustrated trying to figure out whom they should be playing the toughest defense on. It wouldn’t hurt to get some rebounding help for Robin Lopez either.
Outlook:
Rondo’s injury shifted the line in Vegas by 4 1/2 points and the Bulls were “shellshocked” by this turn of events. It will be very difficult to adjust without their best player of this series so quickly. The Celtics can get more creative with their plays thanks to a Bulls court vision that just dropped significantly. By the time the Bulls figure anything out, it will be too late for the crowd, which will arrive late because of the early start time and Friday evening rush on I-290, to make it feel like the home-court advantage was ever there.
Prediction: Celtics
Sign-up for our Newsletter! Bulls Confidential in your inbox every Friday!!
