Game 7s usually are not kind to road teams. The home team wins roughly three of every four Game 7s in the NBA and the Bulls are winless in five Game 7s on the road in their history. Even Michael Jordan couldn't win a decisive Game 7 on the road, although he did lead the Bulls to an upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road in a decisive Game 5 in the first round in 1989.
But the series between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics has bucked conventional trends for six games, so it wouldn't a huge surprise if it continued to do so in Game 7. HERE'S A LOOK AT SEVEN KEYS TO THE GAME:
1. HOME COURT
There's no denying that home-court advantage is a huge factor in the NBA playoffs, more of an advantage than the home team has in any other sport. If the Celtics get off to a fast start, the crowd inside TD Banknorth Garden will erupt and it will be difficult for the young Bulls not to be rattled. If the Bulls hope to lessen the impact of home court, a fast start is a must.
2. EXPERIENCE
Like home-court, the team with the better record usually has the edge in experience. Even though the Celtics are without Kevin Garnett, nearly every player on that roster has extensive playoff experience, including the Game 7s the Celtics played in last year's title march.
3. BOUNCE BACK
The Bulls may be able to trump the first two factors if their younger legs can recover quickly from Thursday's triple-overtime marathon. Several players were on the court for more than 55 minutes, which is seven minutes longer than a normal game. For the Bulls , it'll be interesting to see how John Salmons recovers after playing 60 minutes -- a full five quarters -- with a sore groin.
4. BIGS BATTLE
Going into the series, the Celtics appeared to have the edge in the paint, but as the series has gone on the Bulls' big men have raised their production. Joakim Noah and Brad Miller, who were huge factors in Game 6, will have to come up big again.
5. POINT, COUNTERPOINT
Whether it was the attention he drew for his hard foul on Miller at the end of Game 5, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo appeared to break under the pressure in Game 6. He lost his cool, grabbed Kirk Hinrich by arm and flung him into the scorer's table. Rondo is lucky he wasn't ejected. He was scoreless in the first half and was outplayed by the Bulls' Derrick Rose for the first time since Game 1. The outcome of Game 7 may hinge on who wins the battle at point guard.
6. BENCH MARKS
With the starters logging such heavy minutes the last two games, the benches could be a big factor for both teams. That has to make the Celtics nervous because their reserves haven't been very productive of late. In a triple-overtime game, the Boston reserves managed just 11 points Thursday. The Bulls' reserves, led by Miller's 23 points, had 35 points.
7. PRESSURE
After Game 6, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said that the pressure will be on the Celtics because they are the more experienced team and they will be playing at home. They are expected to win. That's true to an extent, but it's not like the Bulls have nothing to lose. They believe they can win, so they'll be feeling pressure as well.
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WHAT'S NEXT
Should the Bulls move on, here's the next round's schedule. Local TV TBD; Games 5-7 if necessary.
Game 1: 7 p.m. Mon at Orlando, TNT
Game 2: 7 p.m. Wed. at Orlando, TNT
Game 3: 6 p.m. Fri. at Bulls , ESPN
Game 4: 7 p.m. May 10 at Bulls , TNT
Game 5* TBD May 12 at Magic, TNT
Game 6* TBD May 14 at Bulls , ESPN
Game 7* TBD May 17 at Magic, TNT
