2017 NBA Playoffs: Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics, Game 1 Outlook

Game 1 of the first round series between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics on Sunday night brings compelling storylines across the board. Here’s a preview of the opener in their best-of-seven series.

The last time the Chicago Bulls faced the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, the year was 2009. Boston, led by the original “Big 3” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, came into the postseason as the Eastern Conference’s second seed again after winning a title the year prior.

That version of the Celtics got an unexpected challenge from the seventh-seeded Bulls, led by rookie Derrick Rose and a fiery and fun bunch that pushed the defending champions to seven games.

Unfortunately, this series probably won’t live up to that classic seven-game war (because that’s how insane that series was), but the Bulls have made their unlikely path to the postseason and eight years later, the Bulls will face off against the C’s in the first round of the playoffs.

With Game 1 looming on Sunday evening, we’ll take a look at how each team got to this position of being in the postseason, how did these two teams do when they face each other this season, who to watch for with both teams and a prediction for Sunday’s final score.

First on the docket, how did this series come about?