NBA FINALS PREVIEW
By ESPN NBA staff
The 2012-13 NBA season is nearly at it's end, unfortunately. Fortunately, however, we have a great match-up (as always) in the NBA Finals. In this article, we will have contributions from all the ESPN NBA staff: Elias Sports Bureau, ESPN Stats & Info, 5-on-5, preview, predictions, analysis, key matchups, Daily Dime...everyone!
Rockets vs. Bulls: Analysis, Breakdown and Predictions
By Stats LLC
James Harden and the resurgent, team-oriented Houston Rockets will travel to the Windy City tomorrow to face Derrick Rose, Andre Iguodala and the rest of the Chicago Bulls - 12 deep.
Derrick Rose and his Bulls are coming off a 4-0 shellacking of the Miami Heat, and that will do a lot for any team's confidence, especially a team like this year's 75-win Chicago Bulls, who are riding a wave of resurgence. However, in their own right, the Houston Rockets, the cinderellas of the basketball world are on their own high, after defeating the Lakers' 4-2, a team many of the Los Angeles faithful could eclipse the 72-win mark; now, the Rockets face a team with those expectations to one that actually did it. The Chicago Bulls.
Time: Tomorrow, 7:00 ET
TV: NBA on ESPN, NBA on ABC, NBA TV, TSN, Sportsnet (Canada)
Where: Chicago, Illinois
Playoff Records: Bulls (12-3), Rockets (12-6)
Betting Line: Bulls -10.5
Key Storyline: Can the Cinderella Rockets continue their magic?
Could this be the view Jeremy Lin and the Rockets have of their third banner in team history come next season?
The Rockets have been the definition of Cinderella this season - from a team pegged to land the No. 1 overall pick in the beginning of free agency, to a team playing for their first championship since Hakeem Olajuwon donned a Rockets jersey. Don't be to hasty to count out the Rockets, as they haved faced a multitude of luck throughout the playoffs, with each team they faced having a top player injured (DeRozan, Durant, Howard). Let's not hope that one of the Bulls' top stars (Rose, Iguodala, Randolph, Noah) suffers the same fate as the first three.
Key Match-up: Andre Iguodala vs. James Harden
James Harden: "I'm not fazed by anyone in this league." when asked about matching up and being guarded by Andre Iguodala
This matchup will determine the series. Iguodala's defense will be key for the Bulls as they aim to try and stop Houston's top option, James Harden, who has been sensational these playoffs (26.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.6 APG, .532 FG%) causing many experts to proclaim him the top shooting guard in the world, above Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. The last time these two met up together, Iguodala held Harden to a mere 5-15 shooting, as the Bulls marched to one of their record 75 wins in the regular season. However, Harden seems like a new man, and Iguodala will again have to step up to the task.
To enhance the Bulls' chances, I expect Iguodala to again - be playing heavy minutes as he has all playoffs look as he records a team high in minutes per game - as he has had the task of guarding John Wall, Bradley Beal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Arron Afflalo and now - James Harden.
On the flip side, if Harden cannot limit Iguodala's 4-tool versatility, the Rockets may themselves be finding themselves in a larger hole than the Bulls with Harden.
X-Factors: Joakim Noah and Omer Asik
Joakim Noah is averaging a double-double in the playoffs
These two former teammates now hold the un-sexy but tremendously important job a defensive center has. To rebound, hustle, and lock down the paint, and occassionally generate offense from dunks and dump down passes and offensive rebounds. The Bulls and Rockets are two of the best rebounding teams in the NBA these playoffs (Bulls #1, Rockets #4) and their work on the boards has been a critical juncture for their team's respective successes. It's going to be a bruising physical battle, and both will be called upon defensively to stop the in-the-paint play of Derrick Rose, Andre Iguodala and Terrence Williams (Asik) or Jeremy Lin and James Harden (Noah). Whichever of these two can notch the most boards, I expect their team to come away with the Larry O'Brien trophy in two weeks' time.
X-Factors: The Bulls' Bench Mob
Taj Gibson has shown up, but what about the rest of the Bulls' 'Bench Mob'?
Much of the Bulls' regular season success was attributed to the 'Bench Mob', headlined by Nate Robinson, Greg Oden, Richard Hamilton and Taj Gibson. However, throughout the playoffs, they have been a dissapointment, with Robinson and Hamilton converting on less than 40% of their shots. However, the Bulls are lucky Taj Gibson came to play - he wants a contract extension in free agency and a ring.
Prediction: Bulls win 4-1
There are just too many factors that favour the Bulls: scoring, rebounding, defense, the bench, field goal %...I could go on for days it seems. However, the Rockets have been resurgent in the face of adversary and I expect them to at least take one game at home, whether It's game 3 or 4, I don't know.
The Bulls were built to score, and they will score, whether it's in the paint, in transition, from the arc, in the post, from mid-range, wherever. They have the guns to attack the Rockets' 20th ranked defense, and will do so quickly.