If the regular season were any longer the Philadelphia 76ers probably wouldn\u2019t be playing in the playoffs right now. \u00a0Now they have been given a gift in terms of the season ending injury to Bulls guard Derrick Rose. \u00a0 <\/p>\n
Philadelphia 76ers (0-1) vs Chicago Bulls (1-0) Matchup<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Preview<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Philadelphia<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether they can do anything with it remains to be seen. \u00a0Philadelphia is 1-3 against Chicago this year including the series opening loss over the weekend. \u00a0Three straight covers for the Bulls too.<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0Rose\u2019s injury is not going to help them on the boards where they were out rebounded by 11 in the opener. \u00a0I really don\u2019t like this Philly team and haven\u2019t for a long time. \u00a0The injury just adds some intrigue to the series but only marginally improves their chances of winning. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n Chicago<\/strong><\/p>\n The sky is definitely falling in Chicago. \u00a0The Bulls finished with the best record in the league, despite missing Rose for long chunks of the season. \u00a0The good news is they have obviously figured out ways to win without him while developing some good depth. \u00a0Probably good enough to sweep the 76ers right out of the first round.<\/p>\n When Rose was out previously John Lucas put together some really good games. \u00a0Yet oddly he didn\u2019t even see a minute of action in the opener. not even to give Rose a breather before he got hurt. \u00a0Lucas can put the ball in the basket but can be a liability on defense due to his size. \u00a0If he is where they will turn they don\u2019t need him to dominate, just play smart and let others do their things. \u00a0I see a spirited performance by the Bulls who now have more to prove than they expected in the first round.<\/p>\n
\nTuesday May 1
\nUnited Center – Chicago, IL
\n8:00PM
\nMoneyline: \u00a0Chicago -280, Philadelphia +240
\nSpread: \u00a0Chicago -5.5
\nO\/U: \u00a0176<\/strong><\/p>\n