| |
|
NBA Playoffs- Bulls capture East's No.1 seed
By Fakhouri Amjid PhilBoxing.com Wed, 25 Apr 2012

AFTER weeks of looking over their shoulders and constantly finding the Miami Heat closing on their heels, the Chicago Bulls can finally rest easy.
It's official, the Bulls will enter the NBA playoffs as the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference. And they didn't need a single basket to attain the top ranking as the Boston Celtics crushed the Heat, 78-66, Tuesday night at the TD Garden in Boston.
The loss dropped Miami's won-lost record to 46-19, making Chicago uncatchable at 48-16 with two games left in the schedule. But the Heat did lock up the No.2 seed when the playoffs kick off April 28. The Bulls and Heat are in a collision course to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, which will be a rematch of last year's battle won by the Heat in five games.
The Bulls play the Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday before closing out the season Thursday night at the United Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both games have now been been rendered meaningless since the Pacers have already clinched the No.3 seed while the Cavs are out of playoffs contention with a dismal 21-43 record.
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau had planned to play his starters at full force but now that the No.1 seed is on hand, Derrick Rose and company might not play "extended minutes."
Miami's Big 3 did not see action in Tuesday night's debacle. LeBron James nursed minor injuries, Wade tended to a dislocated finger while Chris Bosh was still bothered by hamstring problems.
The Celtics also had their share of injuries which led to stars sitting out. A hip flexor sidelined Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo was downed by a sore lower back while Ray Allen was hindered by a bad ankle.
Paul Pierce did play for 17 minutes and scored eight points, but it was seldom-used Sasha Pavlovic who carried the day for the Celtics. The former Cavalier drilled 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter where Boston turned a 52-52 tie into a 78-60 blowout with 1:07 left to play. (Fakhouri Amjid)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Fakhouri Amjid.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 7 APRIL 2026: Santiago Retains WBA/WBO Titles in Tokyo; Taduran KOs Perez in 5; Price Decisions Aquino; Wins by Wilder, Bentley and Tim Tszyu By Eric Armit, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Carlo Biado is the last Filipino standing in the 2026 Yalin WPA Men's 8-Ball World Championship By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Unification next for Taduran? By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026BEN WHITTAKER REPLACES INJURED CALLUM SMITH AS THE NEW MAIN EVENT FOR LIVERPOOL FIGHT NIGHT ON APRIL 18 – LIVE ON DAZN , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Filipino chess phenom triumphs at Krefelder Osteropen 2026 chess tournament in Germany By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026ProBoxTV Travels to Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, This Friday, April 10, as Hebert Conceicao Sousa Battles Power-Punching South American Johan Gonzalez in Middleweight Main Event , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Yokasta Valle vs Lourdes Juarez for WBC Female world championship? By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026GM Joey Antonio ties for 10th in Canberra chess meet By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Canelo Expected to Return on September 15 in Riyadh By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Ring Masters Championships 2026 Finals April 10 at Madison Square Garden , Tue, 07 Apr 2026Jeffrey de Luna keep the Philippines alive in the 2026 Yalin WPA Men's 8-ball World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, USA By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 07 Apr 2026NOTHING BUT SPORTZ PRESENTS GAMBOA & RIGONDEAUX — MAY 2 IN MIAMI ONE NIGHT. SAME CARD. HAVANA HEAT , Mon, 06 Apr 2026Wilkens Mathieu Against Olympic Medallist Esquiva Falcao at the Théâtre Capitole of Quebec City on June 11! , Mon, 06 Apr 2026National Master Jasper Faeldonia rules Romblon chessfest By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 06 Apr 2026Twin wins for Pinoy boxers By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026NM Buto spearheads Goldland Chess Club By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026Andreas Cortes vs Eridson Garcia Tops Paramount Plus Card By Chris Carlson, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026Chris "Sandman" Thomas Back in the Win Column , Sun, 05 Apr 2026Taduran Stops Pérez in 7, and “Still” IBF 105 Champion By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026Pedro Taduran Scores Sensational Stoppage Over Gustavo PÉRez ÁLvarez in IBF Minimumweight World Championship Main Event , Sat, 04 Apr 2026BROWN STOPS DUCAR TO LAND FIRST PRO TITLES , Sat, 04 Apr 2026Guy Jutras, a gentleman and pilgrim of world boxing, passes away By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026GM Joey Antonio keeps Philippine flag alive, posts hard-earned win in Canberra chess meet By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS CONFIRMED FOR ‘GLORY IN GIZA’ UNDERCARD , Sat, 04 Apr 2026MANSOUR AND BALLO MAKE WAVES WITH UNPRECEDENTED OPEN WORKOUT ABOARD CITY CRUISES ADMIRAL HORNBLOWER AHEAD OF SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS , Sat, 04 Apr 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|