| |
|
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:
Fight Results from Sanman Boxing Event at Bula Gymnasium in General Santos City , Thu, 13 Mar 2025Flores Family: Filipino Fistic Fury By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Thu, 13 Mar 2025March 22 fight card at Tropicana Atlantic City has strong local flavor , Thu, 13 Mar 2025Inoue to Fight Cardenas in the USA on May 4, Another "Expensive" Mismatch Expected By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 13 Mar 2025PH's Top Chess Players to See Action at DG's Cup 2025 Invitational Chess Tournament This Friday By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 13 Mar 2025A Monster May: Pound-For-Pound King Naoya Inoue to Defend Undisputed Junior Featherweight Crown Against Ramon Cardenas May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas , Thu, 13 Mar 2025HACKETT SEEKS ROMAN REVENGE IN ORLANDO , Thu, 13 Mar 2025World Boxing approves applications from National Federations in China, Turkey, Sudan, Greece, Montenegro and Slovakia to increase membership to 84 countries , Thu, 13 Mar 2025SAMPSON BOXING SIGNS CO-PROMOTIONAL DEAL WITH UNDEFEATED MEXICAN SUPER WELTERWEIGHT ISAAC LUCERO , Thu, 13 Mar 2025Athletes secure guaranteed prize money on day three of IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Niš , Wed, 12 Mar 2025Chances Are: Top Rank Signs Amateur Standout Emmanuel Chance , Wed, 12 Mar 2025Johnny Wellem Andam Carzano tops Iligan chess tournament By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 12 Mar 2025April 5: Unbeaten Standouts Albert Gonzalez and Steven Navarro Added to Richard Torrez Jr.-Guido Vianello Card at Palms Casino Resort LIVE on ESPN+ , Wed, 12 Mar 2025Hatice Akbas confident of second gold medal at IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships , Wed, 12 Mar 2025Sanman Boxing Event Set as Fighters Successfully Make Weight in General Santos City , Tue, 11 Mar 2025Filipina Boxing Champions Norj Guro and Wenie Cline Verano Seek Guidance from Promoter Brico Santig for Career Advancement By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025The Past Week in Action 10 March 2025: Lauren Price Outpoints Natasha Jonas to Unify IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC Welter Titles By Eric Armit, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025A Pilgrimage of Gratitude: Remembering Gabriel ‘Flash’ Elorde By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025Bye Bye Dallas Mavericks - From Finalists to Also Run (Again)? By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025Justin Viloria's Star Continues to Rise By Dong Secuya, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025WBA Champion Eimantas Stanionis Settles in at Wild Card Gym in Preparation for Unification Showdown with Jaron “Boots” Ennis , Tue, 11 Mar 2025Irish light heavyweight prospect Thomas Myers Shipping Up To Boston to fight Saturday , Tue, 11 Mar 2025GM Joey Antonio rules rapid chess tilt By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025Cebuana Lhuillier Slo-Pitch Softball Team Bags Another Championship Title in Pangaea Cup Tournament By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025Araw doubles netfest set March 14-17 at Flores By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 11 Mar 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|