The Milwaukee Bucks will officially take on the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the upcoming 2022 NBA Playoffs.
The third-seeded Bucks will begin their title defense when they host their sixth-seeded rivals at Fiserv Forum for the first pair of games once the playoffs begin in the coming days. It will be the first time these two Central Division rivals have met in the postseason since the two clashed in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs when their seeding position was ironically flipped around the other way. There were some fireworks in that series, and given everything that has happened with these two teams this year, there are bound to be more this year once the postseason begins.
Reactions to the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs
Following Milwaukee’s title run and a slew of moves by Chicago this past free agency, it felt like the historic rivalry between these two teams could be reignited this season. To an extent, that has indeed been the case throughout the team’s four matchups this season. Between the whole Grayson Allen incident that resulted in Alex Caruso suffering a wrist injury to a brief scuffle with Serge Ibaka and Tristan Thompson, there is certainly some bad blood between these two teams, which could carry over into the postseason. Tensions have flared in their matchups this year, and things could indeed get chippy once again.
Looking at the four games between these two franchises this season, it has been all Bucks in the win column. Milwaukee swept Chicago 4-0 in the 2021-22 regular season series, having averaged an impressive 116.3 points per game in those wins. While the Bucks have seen success versus the Bulls this season, the playoffs are a different animal entirely. The defending champions will be up against a rather recognizable opponent who they have plenty of experience playing against, which will make things all the more interesting.
Assessing the players in this one, the biggest focus for the Bucks will be slowing down the Bulls’ talented duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who are two fantastic scorers. Jrue Holiday and fellow reputable defender Wesley Matthews will likely be tasked with slowing down the lethal duo while keeping their contributions to a minimum. Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic will also be one of the interesting matchups here, as the two centers are crucial to the success of their team. There is no shortage of sheer star power between the Bucks and Bulls, and it will be fascinating to watch them all hit the court as they clash in the first round.
On the surface, this looks like it will be a great series. It felt inevitable that these two teams would meet at one point or another, and it is now set to happen straight away in the first round.
Stay tuned for updates regarding the schedule and everything else there is to know about this highly-anticipated first round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls.