Boston Celtics postseason: How Cs match up against the Chicago Bulls
Here’s how the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference postseason bracket is shaping up, Boston Celtics fans.
The Milwaukee Bucks need to close the door on the Cleveland Cavaliers–who should be getting Jarrett Allen back from a finger injury that has kept him out of action since March 6th on Sunday and is no slouch–to claim the east’s No. 2 seed.
Boston plays the Memphis Grizzlies sans Ja Morant, who may play against the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday but definitely won’t play against the Cs Sunday.
The Philadelphia 76ers loom in the background, able to steal the No. 3 seed from the Celtics if (and only if) they can knock off both the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons and Boston loses against Memphis.
Following all this? Well, we’re going to make some assumptions and simplify it a bit.
Give us Milwaukee at the No. 2, Boston at the No. 3, and Philadelphia at the No. 4. The Sixers draw the Toronto Raptors in a postseason series I wouldn’t be putting my money on Philly for. Milwaukee gets the winner of the No. 7/No. 8 NBA Play-in game, which could very well be Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets.
Where does that leave the Cs? Well, with a first-round matchup that perfectly suits their lack of starting pivot Robert Williams, whose torn meniscus will keep him out of the first round of the NBA postseason.
The Chicago Bulls are the perfect first-round matchup for the Boston Celtics
Without Lonzo Ball, who is out the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season, the Bulls offense hasn’t been the same. Worse yet, his backup Alex Caruso has been dealing with back issues himself. Chicago’s offense will be much easier to defend in the postseason throwing double-teams at Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. Without someone to set the table for them and moving the ball–Coby White doesn’t appear to be a floor general type guard–the Bulls offense could grow real stagnant, real quick.
Chicago has lost its 15 of its last 21 and don’t appear nearly as cohesive as they once did. Given the injury woes the Cs are dealing with (and the fact that Toronto requires vaccination and not every Celtic is vaccinated) this is the best matchup that could have happened for Boston.