With the Bulls set to welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to town to kick off the playoffs Saturday, let's take a closer look at the team from the City of Brotherly Love:
2011-12 Record: 35-31
Coach: Doug Collins
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Eastern Conference Seed: 8
Record against Bulls: 1-2
--Feb. 1: Sixers win 98-82
--Mar. 4: Bulls win 96-91
--Mar. 17: Bulls win 89-80
Leading scorer: Lou Williams -- 14.9 ppg
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Leading rebounder: Spencer Hawes -- 7.3 rpg
Projected Starting Five:
PG: Jrue Holiday (13.5 ppg, 4.5 apg)
SG: Jodie Meeks (8.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
SF: Andre Iguodala (12.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg)
PF: Elton Brand (11 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
C: Nikola Vucevic (5.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Notes:
--Vucevic has gotten the majority of the starts at center lately, but Spencer Hawes has gotten the most minutes there. Hawes began the year in the starting lineup and surprised many with his stellar play, averaging close to a double-double before back and Achilles injuries knocked him out for all but two games from mid-January to mid-March. Hawes is averaging a career-high 7.3 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game.
--Doug Collins coached the Bulls from 1986-87 through 1988-89 with a record of 137-109 in the three seasons. He was a graduate from Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., where the Redbirds' home court is named after him. The 76ers made him the first overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft.
--The Sixers' win in Philadelphia on Feb. 1 by 16 tied for the second-largest margin of defeat for the Bulls this season.
--Though the Sixers are 1-2 against the Bulls, they actually led point differential 269-267 thanks to the 16-point win.
--Philadelphia backup guard Evan Turner is a Chicago product. The Oak Park native went to St. Joseph's in Westchester. The versatile swingman started 19 games this season, averaging 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.