3 ideal playoff matchups for the Bulls: The New York Knicks
Speaking of Rose, it’s difficult to ignore the potential possibility that he could very well end up squaring off against Chicago in the playoffs after all. The Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks have enjoyed a fair bit of recent success, but 2022 marks the first chance to finally surpass and strike back at the fanbases’ beloved former coach.
While the Knicks currently stand tied for 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-21 record, it’s worth noting they started similarly slow last season. They achieved a middling 20-20 record through 40 games before rallying with a 16-4 stretch to end the season and secure the 5th seed. With the talent they have on their roster, it’s not unfathomable to think they could do something similar this season and lock themselves in for a first-round series against Chicago.
The New York Knicks do not share the same talent discrepancy in the post with Toronto and Charlotte, as both Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson can bang down low with Vucevic. However, I believe an opportunity still lies within this roster to be taken advantage of in the playoffs, and it all starts with Thibodeau himself.
We are halfway through this season already and it still feels like the Knicks are trying to find their identity. Rose, Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, and Alec Burks have all experienced stretches of highs and lows while battling for lead guard opportunities.
Youngsters like Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, and Miles McBride have also thrown their hats into the ring to make for one big logjam at the guard spots. While all of these players have their own upside, none are great enough to truly swing the course of a playoff series.
No, that ability lies with Randle, the same Randle who has recently found himself receiving boos from the Madison Square Garden home crowd in the midst of his shooting slump. This team depends on Randle in a way that may not be fair relative to his actual ability.
He either must choose between forcing his game and trying to be a player he’s not, or defer to his teammates and hope they have enough juice to squeeze them through close games.
So far, both strategies seem to have failed. The Bulls witnessed great success earlier this season when doubling Randle in the post. He’d often take contested shots that got Chicago out in transition, and even when he didn’t, the Knicks poor shooting repeatedly let the team down. New York simply does not have the offensive firepower to maintain pace with the Bulls, which is ultimately what sets these two teams apart.
Coupled with the roster dysfunctionality and Thibodeau’s notoriously high workload and shortened rotations, I believe Chicago is more than New York’s match over the course of a seven-game series. In this year’s East, no opponent is going to go down easy, but these three teams should be the Bulls’ best bet towards advancing safely to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.