Post by The Athletic on Jan 29, 2018 13:26:51 GMT -5
vs. 
#7 Orlando Magic #2 Chicago Bulls
This is easily the biggest mismatch on paper heading into the playoffs. The Magic started the season off well, but injuries and certain players cooling off derailed the season pretty quick. They were still able to pull off a playoff appearance which is awesome for this Magic franchise, but the run should end here. Meanwhile Charlie and his Bulls have had one of their best seasons in recent history. The team is led by recently acquired Damian Lillard and also has a good amount of depth as well.
Again the Magic started off hot. Fournier and Kanter really turned in solid seasons and were big in getting wins early on. The bummer has just been Myles Turner, he's been hurt at times this season and even when he's been healthy Sabonis has been gunning for his minutes. Long term he should be fine, but he definitely did not have the year the Magic needed from him. Tatum has been the biggest bright spot for this team, and he looks to be a star in a couple years. He is an absolute scoring machine and should be a franchise building block for years to come after this year.
The Bulls look primed for a deep run this year. The East as a whole is not super great, but there are 5 really solid teams up top. The Bulls are going to have to be led by Damian Lillard and Al Horford, both are having really good years, and while this week it won't matter much, but will need to continue to play well for the Bulls to win it all. The key is really going to be Covington and Teague, both have played really well at times, but at other times each can fade. If both are playing at their best the Bulls are going to be really tough to beat. Justin Holiday was a great pick up by Charlie, and he's locked into a role down the stretch.
The Magic have no shot. The Bulls have their deepest team in years, with star power at the top and should roll, but the real challenge comes next week when the Bulls face the winner of Wizards/Cavs.
This is easily the biggest mismatch on paper heading into the playoffs. The Magic started the season off well, but injuries and certain players cooling off derailed the season pretty quick. They were still able to pull off a playoff appearance which is awesome for this Magic franchise, but the run should end here. Meanwhile Charlie and his Bulls have had one of their best seasons in recent history. The team is led by recently acquired Damian Lillard and also has a good amount of depth as well.
Again the Magic started off hot. Fournier and Kanter really turned in solid seasons and were big in getting wins early on. The bummer has just been Myles Turner, he's been hurt at times this season and even when he's been healthy Sabonis has been gunning for his minutes. Long term he should be fine, but he definitely did not have the year the Magic needed from him. Tatum has been the biggest bright spot for this team, and he looks to be a star in a couple years. He is an absolute scoring machine and should be a franchise building block for years to come after this year.
The Bulls look primed for a deep run this year. The East as a whole is not super great, but there are 5 really solid teams up top. The Bulls are going to have to be led by Damian Lillard and Al Horford, both are having really good years, and while this week it won't matter much, but will need to continue to play well for the Bulls to win it all. The key is really going to be Covington and Teague, both have played really well at times, but at other times each can fade. If both are playing at their best the Bulls are going to be really tough to beat. Justin Holiday was a great pick up by Charlie, and he's locked into a role down the stretch.
The Magic have no shot. The Bulls have their deepest team in years, with star power at the top and should roll, but the real challenge comes next week when the Bulls face the winner of Wizards/Cavs.