Part of what was so captivating about the Celtics’ convincing first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets was the reality that, as of early February, Boston was in ninth place—far from a lock to even reach the playoffs.
Now, of course, the Celtics look like perhaps the hottest team in basketball, and the Eastern Conference favorites. But their ascent since the start of 2022 feels like the polar opposite of what happened with the Bulls, who saw their season come to an end Wednesday night.
Chicago, with one of the stranger seasons in recent memory, started out as one of the league’s biggest surprises, showcasing lockdown defense in the late stages of games to go along with a potent offense. The club sat in first place in the East for the majority of the season, remaining there past the All-Star break, as late as February 25th.
