Pacers at Bulls
THE STORY: Led by the frontrunners for NBA MVP and Coach of the Year, the Chicago Bulls surged over the last six weeks to run away with the Eastern Conference and edge the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA. Derrick Rose and coach Tom Thibodeau figure to be ready to go for the playoffs, leaving the Indiana Pacers to stop them. The Pacers have been better in n the second half, but no team has been able to match the pace of the Bulls. The best-of-seven series will open at the United Center on Saturday.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE BULLS: Unlike its challengers in the East, Chicago decided to play hard all the way to the end of the regular season, giving their starters major minutes in the finale on Wednesday. The decision paid off in the form of a 97-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets, vaulting the Bulls into sole possession of the top record in the league. Rose scored 15 points in 30 minutes while Joakim Noah proved that the ankle he rolled in the previous game was fine with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes. Chicago closed the campaign on a nine-game winning streak and have taken 21 of 23 since Mar. 4.
ABOUT THE PACERS: The lone sub-.500 team to make the playoffs in either conference, it is safe to say that Indiana is a fairly large underdog against the Bulls. The Pacers have a 20-18 record under interim coach Frank Vogel, who took over for Jim O’Brien at the end of January. Vogel has ushered in a youth movement, giving more playing time to guys like Tyler Hansbrough, Josh McRoberts, Paul George and Darren Collison. The expanded rotation and an open offense that encourages the youngsters to bomb away from beyond the arc has made Indiana more difficult to defend.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Kyle Korver scored 19 points in the season finale for the Bulls, marking the first time he has gone for more than 10 since March 21. Danny Granger has averaged 24.3 points while shooting 60 percent (9 of 15) from 3-point range over his last three games for the Pacers.
KEY STATISTIC: Opponents' field goal percentage. The Bulls lead the NBA in the category, limiting other teams to 43 percent shooting. Indiana has improved on that end of the court, ranking seventh in the league while holding opponents to 44.9 percent.
SEASON SERIES: The Bulls suffered only one loss in 16 games against Central Division teams this season - a 115-108 overtime setback at Indiana on Mar. 14. Chicago dominated the other three meetings, winning by an average of 17.7 points. Rose went for 42 points in that Mar. 18 contest while Hansbrough paced the Pacers with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
LAST WORD: “I’m even more anxious right now, because I’ve never been in the position in the NBA where I’m the top seed,” Rose said. “The last two years we were always the underdog. I’ll have to see how this is going to go. There’s definitely going to be pressure. I’m just anxious to see how we’re going to handle it.”