Chicago Bulls (5-13) at Boston Celtics (13-4) Game #18 11/28/23

Before boring you with advanced calculus or oversimplifying with the Charlie-Kelly-Pepe-Silvia It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia meme, here’s Sean Grande, the radio play-by-play voice of the Celtics, on what’s at stake in tonight’s In-Season Tournament game:

If you read the entire X thread, there’s further explanation on how the Celtics could make the IST playoffs as the Eastern Conference wildcard, but that’s as likely as the league using the same problematic eye sore, slippery courts or point differentials as a determining factor next season. Former CelticsBlogger and Spotrac’s Keith Smith has a good recap here.

To summarize recent Chicago press clippings, the players and coaches are all more or less saying the same thing: they have a talented group, they’re frustrated with losing, but it’s early and there’s a chance that they can put it together for a playoff run. It’s hard to argue with that enthusiasm. They still have the dynamic scoring duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. They’re both 20-plus point scorers that get to the free throw line regularly. Nikola Vucevic is still a more than serviceable big man. Alex Caruso still does Alex Caruso things (but is questionable tonight with a toe injury). Unfortunately, it’s been a continuum of complacency for the 5-13 Bulls who have lost seven of their eight games including three straight on the road.

STARTERS
Coby White | Derrick White
DeMar DeRozan | Dalano Banton
Zach LaVine | Jaylen Brown
Patrick Williams | Jayson Tatum
Nikola Vučević | Al Horford

BENCH ROTATION
Ayo Dosunmu | Payton Pritchard
Torrey Craig | Sam Hauser
Andre Drummond | Luke Kornet
Jevon Carter | Neemias Queta

But let’s not forget that this is a Bulls team that has given the Celtics trouble before. Last season, they split the series 2-2, including an early tilt in Chicago that went from a 19-point first quarter lead to a 120-102 blowout in a flash. Case in point, against the Nets on Sunday, they outscored Brooklyn 36-19 in the first quarter; in the second and third, they scored just 47 to the Nets’ 77 en route to another loss. However, despite fielding the fifth worse offense…