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Atlantic Division Outlook: Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers

By Michael RENE KANOY

Jan 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) drives to the net as Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) defends during the fourth quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Chicago Bulls won the game 115-111 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) drives to the net as Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) defends during the fourth quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Chicago Bulls won the game 115-111 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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This week, we’ll preview the Atlantic Division here at PAE. Similarly to the games against the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls could gain a lot from playing their young guys against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Last season against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Chicago Bulls won all four meetings.

This season could be a little different. The Sixers have big guards who can run and shoot the lights out. No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons enters the fray as a playmaker and International stars Furkan Korkmaz and Timothe Luwawu as two thoroughbred athletes through this year’s draft. Simmons will anchor a tall, small-ball team with the talented Dario Saric as the stretch-forward post player.

The Sixers can also go big and stay deep with Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid as their post defenders and scorers. However, rumors have continue to circulate that Philadelphia is expected to unload any one of these three to round out their roster with more depth and veteran experience.

The most productive and impressive rookie for the Sixers may be stretch-four propsect Dario Saric, based on his play for the Serbian National Team in the Olympics. All of these young guys may get their butts whipped in the league for the first time in their lives, but they’re talented.

The Bulls have a strong veteran lineup with the “Three Alphas” in Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo primed to destroy teams like Philadelphia. Butler can score at will against a rookie squad like the Sixers, so expect him to gun for 40 or more when they meet up. It’s against teams like the Sixers that the Bulls should get their blowout wins fueled by the “Bench Mob”.

Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic, Cristiano Felicio and the new Chicago Bulls’ back court should compete well with the Sixers. New guards Denzel Valentine and Jerian Grant, in tandem, with defensive wings like Paul Zipser and Tony Snell, and even Spencer Dinwiddie will have his chance to lock down Ben Simmons or whoever the Sixers will play at point guard. The Bulls should play all their young and athletic guys and assign them to close out the Sixers once the Hoiberg’s starters put the game away.

Related Story: Atlantic Division Outlook: Bulls-Nets

A Flow Offense against (Tall) Small-Ball

Given that the deeper Bulls veteran lineup will have the advantage, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott can also do extreme damage to the Sixers. Simmons might tire out scrambling to the perimeter to defend. Rondo should also have a field day against the young Sixers.

Robin Lopez and Cristiano Felicio will be a good matchup against the young and promising Sixers centers and may be too strong for them in the paint. If the Sixers big guys get into foul trouble, chalk up a win for Chicago. Given the the Sixers need to prove they can shoot from the perimeter (like the Bulls do), it may get too crowded inside for them.

The “Three Alphas” against the young studs may be too much for the studs, but if Simmons can have a breakout first year, it can be a set of close games. Among the Sixers young core, only Dario Saric should hold his own on offense. That’s still not enough to beat the Bulls.

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Coaching: Brett Brown vs. Fred Hoiberg

You can expect Brett Brown to run a system similar to a Euroleague team with lots of ball movement and running the break whenever opportune.

Unfortunately, Brown will be coaching a rookie team with only the front court as the somehwat-experienced guys. Fred Hoiberg has a veteran squad that is now equipped with all the players he needs to run a flow offense, fueled partly by stronger defensive guards. Having Isaiah Canaan on the Bulls to figure out the play habits of the Sixers core should help, too.

Brown at the helm may make it tougher for guys like Jimmy Butler to rack up another 50-point game against his team again, but Hoiberg should help Jimmy score at least 30, given that the Bulls have more shooters than the Sixers have defenders.

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