I'm over the loss and accept the 5th seed. The Bulls are a better team then the Heat. Wade is not the Wade from last season. Bulls in 6.

Then we play the Pistons. Hey we were gonna have to beat a good team in the Conference Finals anyway. Now we just get that good team in round 2. So be it.

Then if we beat the Pistons in round 2 we will either play Clevland or Toronto. This can still be done.

Bulls in 7

Heat in 6 or 7--I hope I'm wrong.

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Nice avatar Bucket, I hated him in those days.

What Midge said.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Nas,
You can pretty much throw the season stats comparison out the window when using it as a predictor for this series. The Heat were without Wade for much of the season, and without a top five talent their numbers no doubt suffered.
Another thing that can't be discounted is the NBA/David Stern/TV Ratings factor. The Heat have cache, the Bulls don't. As much as I want to believe that this won't be a factor, it's hard to ignore recent history. There's no way this series doesn't go 7 games.
One thing that concerns me is that it seems that Skiles STILL hasn't figured out how to use Big Ben at the end of games. Does he leave him in there and risk him having to go to the line? Does he take him out and sacrifice a little on D? Both the presence and the absence of Wallace bothers me at the end of games.
The Bulls have to win this one in six games or less because there's no way they're winning a game 7.
I'll take Miami in 6 again. I hope I'm wrong.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

ONLY 30? That's more than 1/3 of the season.
Plus, Wade is a top 5 guy. You can't expect lesser players to match his production.
Also, Shaq missed a bunch of games at the beginning of the year. That skews their numbers as well.
Nas, I hope you're right. I just don't think you are. I think that when the series is over, we'll be talking about how the Bulls should have won the series but didn't.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

I think Nas is being a bit generous with his prediction, but I do believe the Bulls can take this series. They’ve been very strong at home this year. If they can open a gash above Miami’s eye and start the series 2-0, I think they’ll finish them. If they stumble and open the series 1-1, then I’ll be nervous.

I believe the CAN take the series, too. I just don't think that they will.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

If the Bulls do win, I think they'll have to have at least one guy exceed his regular season performance. Who do you (Bucket, Nas, anybody else) think that guy can be?
I think Gordon will have to 30 point games and two clunkers. I think Deng will have his typical 18 and 8. If they're going to win, they have to get more out of PJ and Tyrus...something like 18 and 13 from the two of them combined.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

I think the Bulls need to start strongly by winning Game 1 and 2 at home. If they lose either, I think it's the same story, and Miami will take the series in 6 games.

For the Bull to win gordon has to be "the guy" there is no way that he shouldnt destroy j.will or the the glove. I hope noche is back because he is gonna be the guy to check Haslem because PJ is too damn slow.

He kind of looks like that douche from the Duke lacross team in that pic

I've got a lot more confindece in them this year as opposed to last. I hope Wallace decides wake up for this series. If he doesn't, expect a repeat of last years exit. I sure hope you're right about Deng, Nas....

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This is my signature...

I was thinking the same thing. This is the reason the Bulls got Wallace, for the playoffs. Containing and controlling Shaq is the key to the series.

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Back off, Warchild. Seriously.

Now we get to see exactly why they signed Ben Wallace. Will he deliver? That really, is one of the big questions of the Bulls Playoff story this year. I certainly hope so. I've refrained from rippin on the big guy too much because he was going to make this team better starting game 1 of the playoffs....Its gut check time.

How did Wallace do against Shaq in the playoffs last year? Obviously the Pistons lost, but how did the two match up?

I’ll leave that in your capable hands, Nas. My official call is Bulls in 7 (W, W, L, W, L, L, W). I do plan to put up an early mock draft, though, now that we know the pre-lottery positions.