(1) Cavaliers Vs. (8) Bulls

[Lamrock]

With the Bulls about to win in Charlotte, they will have clinched the 8th seed, and right to be destroyed by the Cavs. While LeBron and Shaq are rusty, the team will likely dominate the first two rounds of the playoffs like last year.

The Bulls are an absolute trainwreck, so I'm calling Cleveland in 4.

[JaoSming]

Cavs in 4

should have voted for Joe though, crazy white boy

[Andrew]

The Bulls are an absolute trainwreck, so I'm calling Cleveland in 4.

An absolute trainwreck that have won six of their last eight and actually came through to win two big ones at the end behind the strong play of Rose, Noah and even Hinrich who's actually shown some clutch ability. Beyond that of course they are inconsistent and a roster gutted for a run at free agency, but trainwreck seems a little strong, a term I'd ascribe to a team like the Nets rather than the Bulls.

Having said that, to say they're overmatched in this first round matchup is putting it lightly though only one game has been a blowout. I think the Cavs will take them lightly enough to let one slip away in Chicago but I'm not expecting a repeat of the Celtics series from last year. Cavs in five.

[NovU]

Cavs are stacked with talents in every position. I think the Bulls will be lucky if they could steal 1 or 2 wins.

[Andrew]

One win isn't unreasonable. Anything more just doesn't seem within the realm of possibility at this juncture.

[Dan's Brain]

Cavs in 5. I think Rose can have a great series, and will outplay the Cleveland point guards quite convincingly. But the Bulls' next biggest asset, Joakim Noah, won't be able to contain Shaq. And then there's that #23 guy for the Cavs who should be able to play well.

[Valor]

Bulls in 7, just my personal desire as a Chicago fan

[Rip32]

Cavs in four. I think the Bulls could win one, but this is just such an awful match-up for them all over the place. The only real advantage they have is Rose over Mo Williams, and Williams' shooting ability makes that a slight advantage at that.

I have a feeling Flip Murray absolutely goes bananas and scores a ton of points in these four games, somehow creating buzz about how important he's going to be to the Bulls' future going forward, lol.

[Andrew]

I could see him doing it once and getting people's hopes up, then returning to a more quiet form the rest of the series.

[Sauru]

sweep. cavs take this one easy

[George7]

Bulls @ 7!
Being a really optimist Bulls fan i hope that the Bulls can make the big upset or make a big try as last year.
If the players are playing hard and do what they can we can see sth good.
Rose,Noah especially and Deng,Hinrich,Gibson should play their hard out,and i expect big games from Rose and Noah ,and Deng to remember his old form.
And also i don't think that this will be an unintresting series.

[Andrew]

I admire your optimism but I just can't share it. Avoiding the sweep with a lone home victory is as optimistic as I can get about this series.

[George7]

Andrew, it's always good to be optimist.I truly believe that because of Rose and Noah,who showed that they can make big plays.And i really can't understand why Deng isn't the best player behind Rose.Cause he has the abilities,but doesn't show it!

[Andrew]

I tend to think of myself as an optimist but when it comes to sports - and in particular the Bulls - I guess I'm more of a realist. As for Deng, he's got the abilities but I don't know that he's got the heart or the desire to consistently come through. Noah, Rose and Hinrich have demonstrated fearlessness and resolve in the clutch even if they aren't always successful, whereas Deng tends to fade away. Talented player, but far from a joy to watch when the game's hanging in the balance.

[Justine.]

we believe:)

[adsefhr]

hoping for an upset. )

though i hate lebron, i should've voted for Cavs in 6 but i mis-clicked the Bulls in 6. Dunno how to change.

[Sauru]

i would like nothing more than to see the cavs lose in the first round (thats not true i rather see the lakers lose round one) but it aint gonna happen. if i was coaching the cavs i would sit my starts and watch my shit bench beat up the bulls

[DVocShoeBox]

I say the Bulls often times have GameBreakers, and they could play beyond there abilities on occasions when teams underestimate them, so I say Cavs in 6th!!

Plus the Cavs are weak inside to me, especially with no Shaq, no matter what happens, I do not see them topping my Magic this year!

[Martti.]

Cavs in 5, although hoping for an upset. And Joe's got mad hops.

[Andrew]

Plus the Cavs are weak inside to me, especially with no Shaq, no matter what happens, I do not see them topping my Magic this year!

I believe Shaq is going to be ready to go in the first round. There was talk that he and LeBron were going to suit up for the last game so they could have one last run together before the Playoffs started but Brown ultimately decided against it.

[NovU]

Speaking of Shaq, this raises a few questions. There're voices that don't really welcome his comeback. Some even claim Hickson should start over him. We all know that he has been called a ball movement stopper lately due to his aging, but is the Cavs a better team without him? Has become a cancer to the team already? I don't think he'll accept a role off the bench if he feels healthy. What are CLE's options with him, entering the playoffs?

[Andrew]

I think they stay the course, start him and give him around 24 minutes as the situation demands. I think you certainly give Hickson minutes but there's no need to start him over Shaq and Shaq's value will likely come if/when they meet up with the Magic in the Conference Finals. Howard will eat Hickson alive but Shaq's bulk alone should at least make things a bit tougher for Howard to go to work on offense.

[NovU]

I am not sure, maybe someone else can confirm this, but hasn't the team played better without Shaq this season? Shaq's presence will be intimidating to Howard, though I'm really not sure, how he'll be effective in the benefits of the team overall. benji's stats on how they fared with and without Shaq would be nice.

[Andrew]

If win/loss is the bottom line, they were 40-13 (0.755) with him, 21-8 (0.724) without him. I'm not the stats wizard that benji is but this seems to suggest it's not all doom and gloom with Shaq in the lineup, of the five most frequently used five man units the one that scores the most per possession while giving up the least amounts of points per possession includes Shaq, while also producing the best winning percentage out of those five. The lineup of LeBron, Shaq, Jamison, Williams and Parker hasn't had as much of a run but it hasn't fared too badly from the looks of things. This of course is subject to being proven wrong by benji's superior knowledge of these statistics and any additional numbers he may produce.

[Kenny]

Cleveland in 6... I think the Bulls will show some life, but Lebron will be the difference.