The Chicago Bulls have jumped to a 2-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in what has been the biggest surprise of the first round of the playoffs so far.
It’s been a disappointing start for Boston who won the title of being the East’s top seed. But through two games, they have looked far from being the best team in the conference. More importantly, at times they’ve looked like they’ve quit on the games or the series. In fact, according to Celtics’ guard Avery Bradley, their opponent has noticed:
Avery Bradley: "I could even hear Rondo like, ‘Yeah, they gave up. They gave up.’” pic.twitter.com/8F8o9RlCVb
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) April 19, 2017
There’s a bevy of things going on behind this Celtics’ performance to start the playoffs. The on-the-court details are concerning for Boston, but there’s also the dark cloud hanging over the team ever since point guard Isaiah Thomas tragically lost his younger sister to a car accident.
Nevertheless, we have to judge the on-court product and so far, the Celtics have not come close to matching the level of their expectations. There are roster and coaching decisions at play there but at least in the Bulls’ perspective, it seems like there’s some level of quitting going on as well.
