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2015 NBA Playoffs: Winners And Losers Of The First Round

By Gerald Bourguet

May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Chris Paul (3) hug after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. Clippers won 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Chris Paul (3) hug after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. Clippers won 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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2015 NBA Playoffs
Apr 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) talks with head coach Tom Thibodeau during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Winner: The Bulls’ Backcourt

Derrick Rose: Let’s see here … 23 points and seven assists in the Game 1 win. A 15-9-7 in the Game 2 victory. An unbelievable performance in Game 3 that saw Rose finish with 34 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals in a double overtime victory. Rose wasn’t perfect in this series, but when he was at his best, the Bulls were a damn scary team.

Jimmy Butler: The funniest part about O.J. Mayo stepping to Jimmy Butler every chance he got was that O.J. Mayo was getting his ass HANDED to him by Jimmy Butler for the vast majority of this series. Aside from shooting 40.5 percent from downtown, Butler dropped 30 twice and carried the Bulls to victory a few times. Chicago finally has what they’ve been missing during the Derrick Rose era.

Mike Dunleavy: He got away with some cheap shots, sure, but Dunleavy came out in Game 6 with an ultimate Revenge Game. He dropped 20 points, went 5-for-7 from the field and nailed four of his six three-point attempts. He helped put Milwaukee away early, goaded the Greek Freek into an ejection and all in all, became Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of Bucks fans. All in a day’s work for Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

Loser: Game 6 Milwaukee Bucks

Technically speaking, the Bucks have nothing to be ashamed of. After finishing with the worst record in the NBA last season, they became the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs this year. That’s one hell of a one-year turnaround, and Milwaukee has a bright future under Jason Kidd.

That being said, the Game 6 Milwaukee Bucks have a lot to be ashamed of. Their fans did their part of making sure the Bucks had an actual home-court advantage. The stage was set for Milwaukee to improbably push the series to a Game 7 after falling into a 3-0 hole. The final result of Game 6? A 120-66 smack down in which Zaza Pachulia was the team’s leading scorer with eight points.

Losing by 54 points? That’s bad. But losing by 54 points in a game in which the building block of your franchise gets ejected? That’s even worse. To be fair, Mike Dunleavy had been throwing cheap shots all night. But Giannis Antetokounmpo will need to be better controlling his temper moving forward. Or, you know, not tackling people like he’s declaring for the NFL Draft:

Next: Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies