NBA Basketball Matchup: Philadelphia vs Chicago
If the regular season were any longer the Philadelphia 76ers probably wouldn’t be playing in the playoffs right now. Now they have been given a gift in terms of the season ending injury to Bulls guard Derrick Rose.
Philadelphia 76ers (0-1) vs Chicago Bulls (1-0)
Tuesday May 1
United Center – Chicago, IL
8:00PM
Moneyline: Chicago -280, Philadelphia +240
Spread: Chicago -5.5
O/U: 176
Philadelphia
Whether they can do anything with it remains to be seen. Philadelphia is 1-3 against Chicago this year including the series opening loss over the weekend. Three straight covers for the Bulls too.
Even with Rose out the 76ers will still have to improve their game if they want to mount a challenge – they made just one three point shot against the Bulls last time out. Rose’s injury is not going to help them on the boards where they were out rebounded by 11 in the opener. I really don’t like this Philly team and haven’t for a long time. The injury just adds some intrigue to the series but only marginally improves their chances of winning. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Chicago
The sky is definitely falling in Chicago. The Bulls finished with the best record in the league, despite missing Rose for long chunks of the season. The good news is they have obviously figured out ways to win without him while developing some good depth. Probably good enough to sweep the 76ers right out of the first round.
When Rose was out previously John Lucas put together some really good games. Yet oddly he didn’t even see a minute of action in the opener. not even to give Rose a breather before he got hurt. Lucas can put the ball in the basket but can be a liability on defense due to his size. If he is where they will turn they don’t need him to dominate, just play smart and let others do their things. I see a spirited performance by the Bulls who now have more to prove than they expected in the first round.
Spread Pick: Chicago -5.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Chicago 97 – Philadelphia 90
