The No.1 seed Boston Celtics were handed a rare defeat, on home court Saturday, in their first playoff game against the No.8 seed Chicago Bulls. Without Kevin Garnett, they allowed rookie Derrick Rose to have a 36 point night in a 103-105 (OT) loss. The Bulls lead the Celtics 1-0 in the Eastern Conference playoffs as the Celtics look for revenge tonight, April 20 in game 2. NBA oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Celtics as –8.5 home favs over the Bulls with the over/under listed at 197 points. Be sure to get your 2009 NBA Playoffs Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com
The Bulls rookie point guard Derrick Rose, in his first ever playoff game, had 36 points and 11 assists, while Ben Gordon added 20pts and Joakim Noah had 11pts and 17 rebounds. They shot 42.7% from the field, made just 3 of 17 from beyond the arch and 90% from the free throw line. Rose tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for a playoff debut. But the Bulls know there’s lots of ball left and they aren’t taking this win lightly. The Bulls want to avoid becoming predictable on defense. "We're going to mix it up on Pierce and Allen," Del Negro said. "Obviously, Rondo hurt us a lot, so we have to make some adjustments there, but that's what playoff basketball is all about." During the regular season Derrick Rose averaged 16.8 ppg and their top producer was Ben Gordon averaging 20.7 ppg.
The Celtics couldn’t slow down the speed of play the Bulls were showing, despite a 29pt night from Rajon Rondo and 23pt night from Paul Pierce. But the Celtics aren’t bragging about Rose’s play. "It wasn't anything that they did" Perkins said. "It was all on us." "Everybody has their night," Boston center Kendrick Perkins said Sunday. "I know it won't happen again. He'll never have another game like that against us." The Celtics shot 39.4% from the field, made 4 of 16 from the arch and 77.8% at the free throw line. A big part of the Celtics loss was the shooting of Ray Allen, missed 11 of 12 shots, and missed a chance to get the win in the dying seconds of the game. Boston must do a better job of setting screens to get Allen open and delivering the ball to him at the right time. Without Garnett, the Celtics finished their regular season with an 8-1 record when he sat out the last nine games, and they were 15-7 in the 22 he missed out of the final 26.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Bulls are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.
- Bulls are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Bulls are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Celtics are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
- Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite of 5.0-10.5.
- Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Central.
- Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5.
- Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Boston.
2009 NBA Playoffs Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls
When: Mon, April 20, 2009 7:00 PM ET
Line: SBGglobal.com
Pick: Bulls +8.5
Point-Spreads.com 2009 NBA Playoffs Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls
The Bottom Line: As hard as the Celtics are going to come out against the Bulls, I’ll bet you the Bulls will come out even harder. Go Bulls! Be sure to get your 2009 NBA Playoffs Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 60% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!
