The NBA Eastern Conference playoffs get underway this weekend and one of the matchups features a Central Division battle between the No.8 seed Indiana Pacers and the No.1 seed Chicago Bulls in a first round best-of-seven game series.
Indiana was the final team in the East to clinch a playoff spot but it enters the postseason with some momentum after winning five of its last seven games heading into Wednesday?s season finale against Orlando. The Pacers are 37-44 straight-up overall and 38-41-2 against the spread. The total has gone ?over? in five of their last seven games but has stayed ?under? in 54.3 percent of the games this season.
Led by Danny Granger?s 20.5 points a game, Indiana is ranked 11th in the league in scoring with an average of 100.1 points. Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert are each averaging around 13 points a game and Hibbert leads the team in rebounds with 7.6. The Pacers are ranked 18th in the NBA in points allowed; giving up an average of 101 a game.
Chicago?s run over the past few weeks has been impressive to say the least with 20 wins in its last 22 games. The Bulls still have a shot at ending up with the best overall record in the NBA with a win in their season finale against New Jersey. They are 61-20 SU and 49-30-2 ATS and the total has stayed ?under? in 46 of 81 games this year.
Derrick Rose has had a monster year with 25.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.8 assists a game. Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng are each averaging over 17 points a game and Joakim Noah leads the team in rebounds with 10.4. Chicago is ranked 19th in the league in scoring with 98.6 points a game, but has the best scoring differential in the NBA with a +7.34 advantage over its opponents.
The Bulls have won three of the four meetings this season, but lost to the Pacers 115-108 in overtime on March 18 as a four-point road favorite. The total was split 2-2 overall, but it did go ?over? in the last two games.
Chicago looks like it is ready to make a long run in this year?s playoffs but this series will not be as easy as it looks. Indiana actually matches up well with the Bulls and should be able to steal a game or two at home, but in the end Chicago advances in six.
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