* Boston won the season series against Chicago, 2-1, with the home team winning each contest. It was the first time since 2004-05 that the series didn’t end in a sweep.
* The Bulls lost their regular season finale, ending a five-game winning streak. The Bulls have played only one road game in all of April
* The Celtics went 8-1 in their last nine games and enter the playoffs winners of nine in a row at home.
* After a one-year absence, Chicago is returning to the postseason. The Bulls have only one postseason series win since their last championship in 1998.
* Boston is the defending NBA champion, defeating the Lakers in last year’s finals. Boston last won back-to-back titles in 1968 and 1969.
* Ben Gordon averaged 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists in Chicago’s 2007 sweep of Miami, but only 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in Chicago’s conference semifinal loss to Detroit.
* In last year’s title run, Paul Pierce increased his scoring in each round, averaging 18.0 points against Atlanta, 19.4 against Cleveland, 19.7 against Detroit and 21.8 against Los Angeles.
Copyright 2009 STATS LLC
