The second round of SB Nation's NBA 3 on 3 Tournament gets underway Monday amid all the pomp and excitement befitting a hypothetical competition of this magnitude. Kicking off the second round, we have the No. 1 seeds in each conference against the No. 9 seeds, which happen to be made up of players left off their own teams. In the East that means the Chicago Bulls, featuring Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah against a leftover team made up of Brandon Jennings, Gerald Wallace and Roy Hibbert.
NBA 3 on 3 Tournament Round Two -- Chicago Bulls Vs. East Leftovers
Remember, for the purposes of this tournament we are assuming Rose is at full strength, so this Bulls’ team is loaded. Deng and Noah are among the best defenders in the league at their positions, while Rose could probably carry the scoring load all by himself in this format. Plus they match up well in this game.
This leftover team features two players (Jennings and Wallace) who have outlasted the teams they were left off (Milwaukee and Brooklyn were each eliminated in the first round). Joined by Roy Hibbert of the Pacers, this is a talented point-wing-center trio, but beating the Bulls will not be easy.
Let’s see what our panel of experts has to say.
- Tom Ziller, SB Nation NBA, Sactown Royalty -- Chicago wins 13 of 20
- Andrew Sharp, SB Nation -- Chicago wins 15 of 20
- Steve Perrin, SB Nation NBA, Clips Nation -- Chicago wins 14 of 20
- Frank Madden, Brew Hoop -- Chicago wins 14 of 20
- CA Clark, Silver Screen and Roll -- Chicago wins 15 of 20
- Probability to win any given game -- Chicago 71 percent; East Leftovers 29 percent
- Probability to win series -- Chicago 79.65 percent; East Leftovers 20.35 percent
Expert Comments:
I don’t think Chicago is a stellar 3 on 3 team beyond Rose, so I’ll give the East boys a fighting chance. What percentage of shots does Rose take? 90 percent? -- Ziller
The second round is underway! WOO! Annnnnd, yeah: Derrick Rose abuses Brandon Jennings the way an actual Bull would dominate an actual Buck, Luol Deng does the same to Gerald Wallace, and then Joakim Noah and Hibbert is a push. Still, this is not really a fair fight. -- Sharp
This features five really good players and one superstar -- superstars win in the NBA, especially in 3 on 3. -- Perrin
Wallace/Hibbert and Deng/Noah are a push, but the Bulls’ advantage at the point is simply too much -- assuming a relatively healthy Derrick Rose of course. -- Madden
Deng and Noah are too good defensively, which leaves the East team with a whole bunch of Jennings trying to out dual Rose. Not good. -- Clark
The Bottom Line
According to our panel of experts, Chicago has a 71 percent chance to win any single game and is close to 80 percent to win the best two of three series. The panel seems to think that Rose is the difference.
The dice will ultimately decide. Chicago will be looking for rolls of 71 or lower while the Eastovers are looking for big rolls, 72 or more.
Who do you think would win this showdown?
The results will be posted at 5 p.m. ET.
For a complete look at the SB Nation 3 on 3 Tournament, check back with this StoryStream.
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