should the bulls be considered favorites in the east?

[moneygman]

The east is still pretty open imo. Miami/NY/Boston/NJ/Chicago/Indy when all healthy can all beat each other. Miami is the favorite but I don't think they will cruise through the east like they did last year

BROOKLYN kind sir.

[KnickaBocka.44]

LOL at the Knicks being a fluke. Of course they look bad right now, they are still without their projected starting backcourt and Amare is still working his way back. In a couple of weeks the team will finally be at full strength for the first time all season.

[fin_frenzy_84]

Bulls were favorites 2 years ago and Heat beat them in 5.

Im pretty sure this is a different season and both teams have new players.

[THE MTL]

the heat team is looking much weaker than last year. everybody knows knicks are a fluke and bulls with rose would stomp them in the playoffs.

bulls just displayed their incredible defense tonight against the hawks, holding them to 20 in the first half. they are playing great and dont even have rose back yet. should the bulls be considered favorites in the east right now?

Knicks are missing half the team but we are a fluke? We have 50% amare, no shump, no felton, no sheed, no camby. That's 5 ppl right there. U ppl make me sick,

And yes the bulls are a force but there lack of a true second gets exposed in the playoffs every year. Plus Noah and Deng average almost 41mpg. Its going to catch up with them.

[ManRamForPrez24]

Pretty much this.

I'm not buying Miami's struggles just yet; they've coasted in the regular season before.

I always have felt iffy about the "they're the favorites until someone beats them" logic, but it isn't necessarily off base.

But I think the Heat's problems are indeed real. We can pin it on effort, but they've never looked this bad. I mean, the first few weeks of the 2010-2011 season maybe, but these problems aren't all effort related.

The fact is their lack of rebounding is going to hurt them. It's not insurmountable (as they've shown in the past), but if they aren't playing elite defense, it might become so. And their defense, well, it's hard to believe it has dropped off this much, and I do think it will improve as motivation increases...but there is certainly a lot of solid logic out there suggesting that this squad can't replicate last year's defense.

And then there's the bench. Last year I always said in the playoffs "the Heat just need some threes from the supporting cast and they'll be fine", but again, if the defense and rebounding woes are as bad as they seem to be, they'll need more than that...and they simply haven't been getting it.


Can they flip the switch? Perhaps...and I wouldn't be shunned. But some of this stuff is for real.

An amazing defensive team like Chicago, who will get their #1 scorer back, certainly can beat the Heat...

[kozelkid]

Bulls were favorites 2 years ago and Heat beat them in 5.

They weren't anymore favorites than the Heat Furthermore, inexperience certainly played a factor as none of the players at the roster then had ever gone that deep in the playoffs. It is one playoff series, lot has changed sense; living in the belief that that the result of one playoff series is indicative of future ones is quite silly and rather cocky.

It's funny too considering every game aside from game 1 went down to the wire. Revisionist history at its finest.

The east is still pretty open imo. Miami/NY/Boston/NJ/Chicago/Indy when all healthy can all beat each other. Miami is the favorite but I don't think they will cruise through the east like they did last year

Interesting. I didn't really view as Miami "cruising" through the East last season. They were down big against an Indiana team and had to win 2 consecutive elimination games vs Celts.

[kozelkid]

I always have felt iffy about the "they're the favorites until someone beats them" logic, but it isn't necessarily off base.

But I think the Heat's problems are indeed real. We can pin it on effort, but they've never looked this bad. I mean, the first few weeks of the 2010-2011 season maybe, but these problems aren't all effort related.

The fact is their lack of rebounding is going to hurt them. It's not insurmountable (as they've shown in the past), but if they aren't playing elite defense, it might become so. And their defense, well, it's hard to believe it has dropped off this much, and I do think it will improve as motivation increases...but there is certainly a lot of solid logic out there suggesting that this squad can't replicate last year's defense.

And then there's the bench. Last year I always said in the playoffs "the Heat just need some threes from the supporting cast and they'll be fine", but again, if the defense and rebounding woes are as bad as they seem to be, they'll need more than that...and they simply haven't been getting it.


Can they flip the switch? Perhaps...and I wouldn't be shunned. But some of this stuff is for real.

An amazing defensive team like Chicago, who will get their #1 scorer back, certainly can beat the Heat...

I still think it's more effort than anything else. The defense might be a new concern, but I don't buy the rebounding issue especially if Spo chooses to actually go big come playoffs. I've seen them adjust just fine in regards to rebounding against the Bulls after we throttled them in that department in game 1 of that series.

At the same time, as I mentioned in the game thread, other greats who won championships have mentioned how difficult it is to maintain the same motivation the season after you win one.

[DoMeFavors]

they could be really good their owner is cheap and refuses to get more depth. which hurts bulls.

[DoMeFavors]

Knicks are missing half the team but we are a fluke? We have 50% amare, no shump, no felton, no sheed, no camby. That's 5 ppl right there. U ppl make me sick,

And yes the bulls are a force but there lack of a true second gets exposed in the playoffs every year. Plus Noah and Deng average almost 41mpg. Its going to catch up with them.

All teams have injuries and no thats 100% Amare now. Melo doesnt have any all star next to him he has that role player Amare now for the rest of his time there. Those other guys you named especially rasheed and camby dont provide anything.

[chicagocubsfan]

they could be really good their owner is cheap and refuses to get more depth. which hurts bulls.

At least we don't have a russian moron who throws money at every crappy player.

[sharqstealth]

Really? Bulls are only good in regular seasons, they suck in the playoffs, and I doubt Rose will ever comeback the player he is. Can't even win 2 playoff games against the Heat with a healthy Rose, and now be favorites with an unhealthy Rose and a bench that sucks???

[mwoodri]

Miami is the favorite. They will turn up the effort when it counts. Beating them 4 of 7 will be very difficult. The Bulls just play harder than other teams night in and night out during the regular season. Everyone plays hard during the playoffs.

[mwoodri]

Really? Bulls are only good in regular seasons, they suck in the playoffs, and I doubt Rose will ever comeback the player he is. Can't even win 2 playoff games against the Heat with a healthy Rose, and now be favorites with an unhealthy Rose and a bench that sucks???

There he is...

[effen5]

Knicks are missing half the team but we are a fluke? We have 50% amare, no shump, no felton, no sheed, no camby. That's 5 ppl right there. U ppl make me sick,

And yes the bulls are a force but there lack of a true second gets exposed in the playoffs every year. Plus Noah and Deng average almost 41mpg. Its going to catch up with them.

Bulls suffered injuries the last two years with rose Noah, boozer, taj, etc....and still ended up with the top seed. Your team is just bad...do something other then shooting threes and alley oops.

[MELO 15]

the heat team is looking much weaker than last year. everybody knows knicks are a fluke and bulls with rose would stomp them in the playoffs.

bulls just displayed their incredible defense tonight against the hawks, holding them to 20 in the first half. they are playing great and dont even have rose back yet. should the bulls be considered favorites in the east right now?

The knicks have been playing through injuries for the most part, they are playing without one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, stat has been out and is trying to find his way back into rhythm, and there were games they have played without melo, and i would still say considering all of that they still have the secound best record in the east. Just cause they beat the knicks 3 times now doesn't mean if the playoffs were to start the bulls would win in a series if both teams were completely healthy. If u watched last year, shumpert did a great job on rose when guarding him