Nets at Bulls
THE STORY: Just escaping the final game of the regular season with all of their players healthy will be a win for the Chicago Bulls. The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are set to open the playoffs against the No. 8 Indiana Pacers next week and don’t need an injury in the final regular season game weighing them down. The Nets have something to play for, with the front office still in evaluation mode in regards to the current team roster. New Jersey will be looking to head into its summer vacation on a high note when it visits Chicago on Wednesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, YES, CSCH
ABOUT THE BULLS (61-20): Chicago still has a shot at the top overall record in the NBA and seems to be striving toward that goal as coach Tom Thibodeau gave all of his starters big minutes in Tuesday’s 103-90 victory over the New York Knicks. Derrick Rose continued his campaign for MVP with 26 points while Luol Deng added 23 and 10 rebounds and Carlos Boozer collected 14 points and 22 boards. The Bulls will open the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers next week and have already clinched home court advantage throughout the East. Finishing with a better record than the San Antonio Spurs would give the Bulls home court in a potential finals matchup between the teams.
ABOUT THE NETS (24-57): With Williams out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his wrist, New Jersey is potentially without the player it plans to build the franchise around over the next several seasons. In the meantime, a fourth straight season without making the playoffs is a certainty. Without a high draft pick and with the future collective bargaining agreement unsettled, the roster is unlikely to see much improvement anytime soon. Kris Humphries and Anthony Morrow have both enjoyed breakout campaigns in 2010-11 season. Brook Lopez has shown the ability to be a scoring presence on the inside and Williams is an All-Star player. None of this has helped lately, as the Nets have dropped four straight including a 105-103 home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Boozer has recorded three double-doubles in the last four games for Chicago. Lopez is averaging 32.4 points over the last five games for New Jersey while Jordan Farmar has dished out an average of 9.0 assists over four games while starting in place of Williams.
KEY STATISTIC: Poor rebounding has been one of New Jersey's downfalls as of late; the Nets’ recent slide has coincided with the team getting crushed on the boards. Over the last five contest, New Jersey managed an average of 33.0 rebounds while giving up 42.2.
SEASON SERIES: The Bulls have taken two of three in the series this season, most recently picking up an 84-73 victory in Newark on Mar. 17. Rose scored 21 points and Deng added 19 while Chicago held the Nets to 35 percent shooting, despite Boozer sitting out with an injury.
KEY INJURIES: NEW JERSEY: G Deron Williams (wrist); G Mario West (shoulder); G Anthony Morrow (knee); F Kris Humphries (ankle); G Sundiata Gaines (hip); F Damion James (foot). CHICAGO: None.
LAST WORD: “Guys practiced well. They were very coachable,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said as he looked for optimism about the season. “So those are all positives. And I still think to do well in this league you’ve got to have great ownership and really good management and I think we’re headed in the right direction.”