Chicago Bulls Playoffs

The Chicago Bulls play basketball in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The team is based in Chicago, Illinois and has played its home games at the United Center since 1994.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/chicago/bulls.html

The team was founded in 1966 and made the NBA Playoffs in its first year, beginning a long history of postseason play. They returned to the playoffs in 1969 and made repeat appearances for the next six seasons. After a couple of dismal seasons, the Bulls made another playoff run in 1981 but were unable to defeat the Boston Celtics to advance to the Conference Finals.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/chicago/bulls.html

After the Bulls drafted Michael Jordan from the University of North Carolina in 1984, things started to turn around. Jordan went on to win Rookie of the Year that season and help the team make it back to the playoffs. Despite the improvement, the Bulls continued to struggle in the postseason for the next few years. Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen were added to the lineup in 1987 and head coach Phil Jackson joined the team in 1989.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/chicago/bulls.html These adjustments seemed to make all the difference and the Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in 1990 but lost to the Detroit Pistons.http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/

In 1991, however, the Bulls began their first championship run. Jordan was named league Most Valuable Player for the second time and the team advanced to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Lakers to win their first title. They won a second championship the next year, beating the Portland Trailblazers. They repeated again in 1993 by defeating Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns.http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/

After his father was murdered, Jordan abruptly announced his retirement and the Bulls would not return to the Finals until he came back to the team two years later. In 1996, the team, now joined by veteran defender Dennis Rodman, played the Seattle Supersonics and won the NBA Finals in six games.http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1996.html They would repeat as champions in 1997 and 1998, the same year that Jordan retired from the team for good. A statue of Jordan was unveiled outside of the United Center at its opening in 1994.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/chicago/bulls.html

Chicago Bulls 2010 Season

In the first game of the 2010 Playoffs, the Bulls met the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. LeBron James, who had been resting for the last few games of the season, took to the floor and started scoring early. The Cavs got off to a good start, jumping out to a 14 point lead at the end of the first quarter.http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300417005 In the second quarter, the Cavs built on their lead and at halftime they led the Bulls by a score of 56-41.http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300417005&period=2

But, the Bulls answered, cutting the lead to seven with 7 minutes to go in the fourth quarter on a shot from Taj Gibson. After a timeout, Cleveland pulled away and won the game 96 to 83 to go up 1-0 in the playoff series. Derrick Rose had 28 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 steal in the game.http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300417005&period=4

Game 2 was played on Monday, April 19, 2010 in Cleveland. Cavs superstar LeBron James scored 40 points to help his team defeat the Bulls 112 to 102. Bulls center Joakim Noah added 25 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300419005

In Game 3 of the series, the Bulls got to return to their home floor at the United Center in Chicago. Being at home seemed to help the team relax and the Bulls were able to win the game by a close score of 108 to 106. Even though Cleveland's LeBron James scored 39 points, Chicago was able to put together a balanced scoring effort, including 31 points from Derrick Rose and 27 points from Kirk Hinrich.http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300422004

But, the Cavs would reassert themselves in Game 4 on Sunday, April 25, 2010. LeBron James put up a triple double with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help Cleveland rout Chicago at home 121 to 98. For the Bulls, Joakim Noah recorded a double double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300425004

Facing a 3-1 deficit in the series, the Bulls tried to rebound in Game 5 on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Derrick Rose put on an impressive performance, scoring 31 points and 6 assists. But, the Cavaliers had a balanced scoring night from their starters, including 25 points from Antawn Jamison, 14 points from Shaquille O'Neal and 19 points from team leader LeBron James. The game was a close one, but Cleveland had the upper hand and won 96 to 94, eliminating Chicago from the playoffs.http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300427005

Chicago Bulls 2009 Season

Prior to this most recent postseason appearance, the Bulls' last playoff game was in 2009. Led by rookie standout Derrick Rose, the team made it back to the playoffs after missing the previous year with a losing record.http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/ They met the Boston Celtics, then defending NBA Champions, in the first round. Despite being considered an underdog, the Bulls took the series to seven games before finally losing to Boston in Game 7 by a score of 109-99.http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/playoffs_2009.html