After the first two thrilling opening games came to a successful close, basketball fans around the world eagerly turned their attention to the TD North Shore Garden Arena in Boston.
Because tonight's most highly anticipated finale was about to take place there—the Boston Celtics versus the Chicago Bulls!
These two teams had crossed paths in last season's Eastern Conference Finals, and the Chicago Bulls had been the only powerhouse team in last season's playoffs to defeat the Boston Celtics.
Although they were ultimately eliminated with some regret by a 1–4 series score, they had at least won one game, displaying formidable strength and an unyielding fighting spirit.
During the offseason, the Chicago Bulls carefully planned their moves and retained their core lineup, led by Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and others.
At the same time, they actively worked to make targeted additions to the roster.
The two outstanding bench players they brought in were Mike Dunleavy and DJ Augustin.
During his time with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, Mike Dunleavy had delivered eye-catching performances. In his average playing time, he put up a solid stat line: 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks.
Even more rare was his 44.3% field-goal percentage. That efficient, consistent performance made him an extremely valuable rotation player.
Meanwhile, DJ Augustin averaged 10.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game for the Indiana Pacers last season, while shooting 41.9% from the field. He was a very capable backup point guard.
With their additions, the Chicago Bulls' overall strength would surely rise to another level.
Even so, the vast majority of fans and industry experts still did not think highly of them. After all, the opponent they faced this time was the Boston Celtics, a powerhouse with