With one victory safely tucked away in the best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat, the Bulls have a chance to really show the NBA reigning champions that they mean business with a win Tuesday night in Game 2 at the United Center. The Bulls have several factors in their favor this year that they did not have last year when they faced the Heat in the first round in the NBA playoffs. Here are my five keys to the Bulls’ playoff success.
1) Home court advantage. In a strange playoff setup, the Bulls have home court in this opening series because they have a better record than the Heat, even though the Bulls are the fifth seed. The Bulls have one of the best home records in the NBA this season and they can really put that advantage to good use in this series.
2) Youth and experience. The Bulls have a good blend of experience and youth. After having faced the Heat last season, they know what they need to do to beat them this year, and this time, they have more experienced players like Ben Wallace to help them. The Bulls are beginning to understand what it takes to win in the postseason. They’re gaining experience with each playoff game they play.
3) Dwayne Wade's injury. Wade is still not 100 percent and still appears to favor his injured shoulder. The Heat cannot depend on Wade to carry them this time around as they did last year.
4) Ben Wallace. Wallace provides the inside dominance that was lacking on the Bulls teams of years past. He also brings a wealth of playoff experience which should rub off on the younger Bulls.
5) Luol Deng. The talented Bulls’ forward was injured last season and missed the playoffs. While most fans look to Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon as the go-to guys down the stretch, the guy that could really make a difference is Luol Deng, who is clearly the most consistent player the team has. I expect to see him make his presence felt on the court at some point in this series.
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