Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
On paper, injuries and a lack of depth on the Chicago Bulls roster appeared to give the Brooklyn Nets an advantage in their first round match up, but the Nets neglected to fully take advantage of it. But in game five the Nets made sure to work the post, and if they continue to do so they will come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the series.
The Nets starting front court of Brook Lopez, Reggie Evans and Gerald Wallace combined for 44 points and 23 rebounds in game five, with Lopez contributing 28 of the points himself. Even key reserve Andray Blatche chipped in 13 points and five rebounds on 5-8 from the field off the bench. In contrast, the Bulls top four front court players of Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson only scored a combined 37 points and 23 rebounds and were severely outplayed by their counterparts.
Brooklyn has a clear advantage in the paint in this series and will need to exploit their area of strength in order to hold off an upset by the scrappy Bulls. Chicago has been inspired by the play of their instant offense guard Nate Robinson, but without Derrick Rose and with Noah injured they are a team that is vulnerable.
While Brooklyn has one of the better back courts in the NBA with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, their front court will be the difference in this series. If the Nets don’t establish their post players early on, they will be facing a disappointing first round exit to a short-handed Bulls team, and it will be more their own fault than anything else.
