Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls Preview

The Boston Celtics finally return to the TD Garden and they get a huge eastern conference showdown against the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics want to cement themselves as a legitimate team in the east bit that will require taking down teams like the Bulls.

The Celtics should feel great with how they ended their road trip but they will need to continue to play at a high level to take down the Bulls. The Bulls have not been a top offensive team this year and they are averaging under 100 points per game. The Celtics should have an opportunity to limit the Bulls’ scoring but they need to keep up the way they have been shooting.

The Celtics have continually been sooting around 50% total and over 40% from three. The Celtics have continued to get easy bucks through steals and second chance opportunities but all those little things are going to be a little harder against the Bulls.

Both the Celtics and the Bulls rank in the top 10 of points given up and this is the kind of game that they Celtics will need to win through hustle and additional opportunities. The Celtics can’t expect to have an extremely fluid offense and they have to expect very few uncontested shots. The good news is that the Celtics have had their success this year because of hustle and additional opportunities.

Transition may be the most important aspect of the game today. The Celtics should be able to force enough turnovers and if they are running and pushing the ball in transition they will not have to deal with a strong Bulls defense. Jared Sullinger, who just brought in 20 rebounds against the Pelicans, will need to bail out the Celtics on the offensive boards.

Derrick Rose may be the best player for the Celtics to exploit. The former MVP has struggled shooting this year at 35.5% overall and 22% from three and he has 2.6 turnovers per game. The Celtics’ back court is where their defense is strongest and they need to take advantage of a player who will take ill advised shots and will create opportunities for the Celtics to get steals and play in transition. Rose is certainly the wildest player on the Bulls and the Celtics need to attack him on the defensive end.

Nov 24, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics center Jared Sullinger (7) drives against the defense of Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) and guard Thabo Sefolosha (25) in the first quarter of their game at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Even against a weaker defense the Celtics always need to anticipate missing shots and the job Sullinger has done cleaning those shots up has been incredibly valuable. The problem is that the Bulls have the best rebounding percentage in the league this year and they give up the fewest offensive rebounds per game in the league.

The Celtics will struggle to shoot and they will struggle to rebound putting that much more pressure on their defense. This should be a low scoring game and that normally works in the favour of the Celtics. Unfortunately, that also works in the favour of the Bulls. The Celtics will need to start everything on the defensive end, and in this game more than any other, their offense will need to be generated from their defense.

The Celtics have the defense to generate that offense against the Bulls but this will be a tough test. The Bulls have the 10th fewest turnovers per game this year and they have the 5th best assist to turnover ratio. The Bulls have avoided making the mistakes that the Celtics have had success exploiting. The Celtics always depend on energy and hustle for their defensive success but this may be one of their toughest challenges yet.

The Bulls lack the kind of offensive firepower that would blow the Celtics away but they will need to find a way to execute, especially late in the game. The Celtics should be able to trust their defense to keep this game close but any chance of winning will depend on offensive success. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley are playing their best basketball of the season and that will need to continue.

The Bulls are strong on defense but they do not force a lot of turnovers. The Bulls force the third fewest turnovers in the league and that means the Celtics should be able to establish solid ball movement. Thomas will have to lead the way but the Celtics have done a phenomenal job as moving the ball as a team and they will once again have to get everyone involved. Thomas leads the team in assists but there have been games when every player on the court gets involved passing the ball.

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The Celtics need to be on point on the defensive end to keep the Bulls from running up the score but they will need to be crisp and effective on offense if they are going to get the separation they need in order to win the game.

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