Pippen Ain't Easy
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Crisp Play Has the Chicago Bulls On Verge of a Sweep

By Howsito

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It’s no secret.

The Chicago Bulls have owned Milwaukee for some time now, and I don’t just mean the Bucks. For years it’s been a common occurrence for Bulls fans from Chicago to have a leisurely drive down the I-94 to old ‘Brew Town’, take advantage of the cheaper ticket prices to see their beloved team play, and give the Bucks’ organization the business in the process – and not just in the financial sense. It will be no different when Game 3 tips off at the Bradley Center on Thursday as the Bulls push for their third straight victory in the Round 1 playoff series – a series which looks to be over very soon if (really more of a case of when) the Bulls’ dominance continues once they make their way across state lines.

Travel tip: Don’t forget to leave room in your car for your brooms Bulls fans.

0-16. That’s the Bucks’ all-time record in a playoff series when they have found themselves down two zip. Yikes.

Since Joakim Noah‘s rookie season (2007-08), the Bulls have only lost in Milwaukee five times. In their last nine regular season contests, the Bulls have won seven of nine, each win by a margin of eight points or more. The Game 1 and 2 wins in Chicago have been no different.

Make no mistake, the Bulls will want to get this series done and dusted, so that they can break out the brooms as soon as possible. Dirtier work lies ahead. With the knowledge that a second round meeting with old friend LeBron James and the Cavaliers is highly probable (no offense Celtics fans), the Bulls would surely appreciate some R & R before the beginning of what has the potential to be a tough it out, seven-game slugfest of a series.

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The upstart Bucks, who also happen to be the youngest team in this year’s playoffs, have discovered they are up against a team loaded with savvy veterans who aren’t easily intimidated, nor panic if they fall into a hole. Their inexperience has been exploited by a Bulls team that has too many weapons that they simply can’t counter. The Bucks oldest player Zaza Pachulia should have been on the receiving end of a suspension for his involvement in the Game 2 skirmish that occurred between he and Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic has already been ruled out due to the injuries he sustained during that incident. In his absence, expect Taj Gibson to absorb the rookie’s minutes and no doubt look to make up for his own sub-par outing in Game 2.

Despite back-to-back double-doubles in the first two games, Pau Gasol has yet to dominate offensively, and he’s due for a big game. Book it. After he and Noah’s gargantuan effort on the boards in Game 2 (the team actually set a playoff franchise record corralling 64 rebounds overall), the Milwaukee front line can’t afford to falter again. Fail to match the effort the Bulls’ twin towers are putting forth, and this series is a wrap. I wonder if Coach Kidd has dusted off some Lew Alcindor game tape for motivational purposes. I know he could sure use Larry Sanders right about now.

I just realized I’ve yet to mention Jimmy Butler and his stellar play of late. Which brings up my next question, is anyone on that roster capable of stopping him? Khris Middleton? Nope. O.J. Mayo? I think not. You know what, forget that, and instead let me ask this. Who’s going to match his effort from end to end? So far the Bucks haven’t had an answer to the Butler conundrum, and their time is running out.

Butler, a former Marquette product, will re-visit his old stomping grounds when he steps on the Bradley Center court once again, a court he’s quite fond of if you ask Joakim Noah. The same court teammate Mike Dunleavy is also familiar with. Dunleavy spent a two-year stint with the Bucks prior to joining the Bulls and knows all too well how a sea of red in Milwaukee can prove advantageous to the home away from home team.

Oh yeah, and we all know that Derrick Rose enjoys playing at the Bradley Center too.

Pick your poison Bucks and don’t worry, because it will all be over soon.

Next: NBA Playoffs Roundtable: How Far Will Bulls Advance?

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