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Again, those are numbers based off 6 games only. Going back to the "dynasty" years with Jordan, it's not like every playoff game was a blowout, regardless of the team's seed. I agree that the on court interaction (chemistry if you want to call it that) was far less than perfect in the Pacer's series - they didn't play at all close to what they're capable of, but it game 5 (there was no game 6) they turned it on when they had to.
Boozer's been hurt, Rose is banged up, but the bench players are doing pretty well IMO. Boston is another year older, minus Perkins. Miami has looked good, but that's been far from the case all season. That's gonna be a tough series on both teams.
As far as the Hawks go, sure, they came out, and took it to us. 1 game, not the end of the world. I think Thibodeau's defensive schemes play very well into the very structured offense that the Hawks play, and with Heinrich out, Joe Johnson is really gonna have to play out of his mind every game. Provided the Bulls stay healthy (Rose's ankle roll 2 nights ago scared the shit out of me), the Hawks don't worry me, I don't see why they couldn't beat Boston or Miami in 7 games, though I certainly wouldn't guarantee it.
The fact that expectations are so high in such a short amount of time lends to what the Bulls are capable of. I'm not saying they'll win the championship this year, but I wouldn't count them out that easily. Either way, they're gonna be a fun team to watch develop for the next decade, and it would be a major implosion of the organization if when all is said and done, they truly do stack up with those Cavs teams you're comparing them to.
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