Written by Zach Harper | 16 April 2009

How much have the mighty fallen?

How Did The Celtics Get Here?
The defending champion Boston Celtics got the number two seed in the East by beginning the year as the greatest team to ever grace a basketball court and ending it as a hobbled, thin team that is relying on an overweight forward, a guy with hair like the Predator, and a point guard with a tattoo on his head. Boston shot out of the gates with a 27-2 record and appeared to be banging on the door of history as they threatened to approach 70 wins. On Christmas Day, they lost a showdown on the Lakers home court, which ultimately sent them into a bit of a tailspin. They lost seven of their next nine games and more importantly, they lost their mystique. Kevin Garnett injured his knee on February 19th, which led to him playing just four of the final 26 games with no idea of when he'll return. The Celtics picked up players like Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury from free agency but have still not added much depth to their already thin bench. I'm sure the city of Boston never thought that they'd be so unsure about a team that went 62-20 in the regular season.

How Did The Bulls Get Here?
The Bulls (41-41) fought through the blank stares of rookie head coach, Vinny Del Negro, and rode the exuberance and momentum of the start of the Derrick Rose era in Chicago. For the most part, the players were able to ignore what they couldn't last year with contract issues due to the fact that Luol Deng was egregiously overpaid and Ben Gordon was forced to settle for the one year qualifying offer in an off-season in which he expected a big payout. The Bulls were consistently inconsistent most of the season thanks to Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng playing terrible basketball and very little production in the paint. But after a mid-season trade and some injuries healing up, the Bulls rode their new core of Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, John Salmons, Tyrus Thomas, Brad Miller, and Joakim Noah to finish the season on a high. The Bulls won 12 of their final 16 games to pull their record to .500 and settle between the Sixers and the Pistons for the seventh seed in the West. A final game of the season loss to the Raptors at home seemed like a major defeat to the Bulls as it pegged them with the first round task of knocking off the champs but they clearly knew that Kevin Garnett was more injured than the Celtics led on (more on that in a bit).

Match-up History
06/07 - Bulls 3-0 in regular season (Bulls coached by Scott Skiles)
07/08 - Celtics 4-0 in regular season (Bulls coached by Scott Skiles)
08/09 - Celtics 2-1 in regular season (Bulls coached by Vinny Del Negro)

Match-Up by Position
Point Guard - Rajon Rondo vs. Derrick Rose
This is the must-watch match-up of this series. Rajon Rondo blossomed into a fantastic point guard coming off of his second season and put up some staggering performances that left most of us wondering just how good he can be. He's knocking down his mid-range jumper more often and seems to be impossible to keep from getting to the basket whenever he wants. His defense will be one of the keys against the offensive prowess of Derrick Rose. Rose isn't a particularly good outside shooter but he's also able to get into the lane whenever he wants. His end-to-end speed is phenomenal and he's one of the few players that seems to have an advantage when attacking a transition defense despite not having the favorable numbers. Keeping him at a slow pace will be Rondo's mission.
Slight Edge: Boston

Shooting Guard - Ray Allen vs. Ben Gordon
This will be another great showdown between two of the best clutch scorers in the game. Ray Allen has been an even deadlier shooter this season than he was last year, which is pretty difficult to believe. He doesn't command the ball and still drops 18 points per night in the flow of the offense and in transition. He'll have to match Ben Gordon's fourth quarter scoring. Ben Gordon was once again one of the Top 20 fourth quarter scorers in the NBA this year. His willingness to put away his contract disgust and be the lethal scorer that Rose needed beside him has been great. Gordon's defensive wish shouldn't be to stop Allen but just cut down Ray's transition threes.
Edge: Boston

Small Forward - Paul Pierce vs. John Salmons
Paul Pierce is still one of the more forgotten players in this league. He's a great defender when he needs to be and is one of the top players with the ball in his hands and the time winding down on the game clock. He's one of those Deron Williams/Carmelo Anthony types of players who happens to be more athletic than he looks. And he's one of the smartest players at finding angles to get to the basket. Salmons will have his defensive work cut out for him in trying to contain Pierce. Salmons doesn't have to be a playmaker on this team so if he can concentrate on knocking down mid-range shots, he'll be tough for Pierce to leave open.
Edge: Boston

Power Forward - Leon Powe vs. Tyrus Thomas
This is the biggest question mark in this series. Not because we doubt Leon Powe's ability but because we're not sure how the Celtics young frontcourt players will respond with the sole responsibility of scoring inside. No Kevin Garnett means that the defensive intensity and leadership has to come from Leon Powe late in the game and that's not something he's proven to have. Tyrus Thomas has been a breath of fresh air this year. His attitude has vastly improved and so has his game to accompany that. If he can play like a Shawn Marion type of defender, he'll disrupt a lot of Boston's chances around the basket.
Edge: Even

Center - Kendrick Perkins vs. Joakim Noah
Kendrick Perkins has evolved into one of the best defensive centers in the league. He's great at pushing centers out of post position to make them uncomfortable and he can be a vacuum type of rebounder when he needs to be. But his man-to-man defensive ability won't be needed for much of these games. Noah isn't anything in the post and Brad Miller prefers the elbow or baseline jumper. So Perkins will have to step up as a help defender. For Noah, he has to change shots at the basket and limit Boston's second chance opportunities.
Edge: Boston

Bench - Davis/Marbury/House/Moore vs. Hinrich/Deng/Miller/
This is where the Bulls will have to utilize their advantage. Hinrich's ability to spell Rose and guard Rondo will be very important and Luol Deng has to provide some scoring off the bench. If Brad Miller can keep his composure (big if) when the calls don't go his way (and they won't), then he can be a veteran presence on the court. For Boston, Eddie House has to continue to be an assassin outside and Marbury will have to give them a playmaker off the bench. Big Baby Davis is the key scorer off the bench inside now and can't settle for the 17-foot jumper that never goes in.
Edge: Chicago

Coaching - Doc Rivers vs. Vinny Del Negro
Doc Rivers went from hot seat to great coach thanks to the title run last year. The fact that he'll be matching coaching abilities with VDN will make him look even more like a genius. VDN constantly has that overwhelmed look on his face and will have to be Charles in Charge (because he resembles Scott Baio) to give the Bulls the needed guidance in this series.
Edge: Boston

X-Factor - Kevin Garnett's injury
And this is how the series will ultimately be decided. Kevin Garnett may miss the entire playoffs, let alone this series. If the Celtics can't get timely scoring inside and play swarming defense like last season then they'll be in trouble. The Bulls have to take advantage of this by attacking the basket at will and not being intimidated by Powe, Davis, and Perkins inside. If KG can play at all and give this team anything, it will be more than enough inspiration. Best-case scenario for the Celtics: KG injury is a fake like Paul Pierce's NBA Finals knee injury and we find out that Danny Ainge is like David Blaine, except his tricks actually work.

Prediction - Celtics in Seven
They struggled with the Hawks last season in the first round and that was with a healthy KG. Take away some talent and KG and you have a fairly even match-up here. Rose's maturity and any veteran leadership by the Bulls will keep Chicago in this series and don't be surprised if the home team wins every game in this first round battle.

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