Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET Derrick Rose will play in his first postseason game since 2012 when his Chicago Bulls, the No. 3 seed in the East, take on the No. 6 seed Milwaukee Bucks on ESPN. Live stream Game 1 for free by clicking this link. Bulls fans can hear the radio broadcast on ESPN 1000, while Bucks fans may do likewise on 620 WTMJ.
The Bucks are a surprise entrant into this season's playoffs, but they have made it thanks to a switch-heavy, long-armed team that relies on athleticism. They upped that athleticsm at the trade deadline when they acquired point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who said they can play carefree without being burdened by expectation.
"We've got nothing to lose, really," Carter-Williams said. "Everyone's expecting them to win. We've just got to go in there being the underdogs and just fight."
The Bucks are led by "The Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokuonmpo, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds this season while routinely making it to highlight reels with his dunks and blocks. He keyed a defense that ranked eighth in the NBA in opponents points per game, and the Bulls are no juggernaut offensively.
Rose's return is certainly the dominant storyline of this series, but the Bulls' most important player coming in is Jimmy Butler. With Rose and center Joakim Noah battling injury all year, Butler's been a consistent source of offense (20 PPG) and defense, regularly guarding the opponents' top wing scorer. He also shot a career-high 37 percent from the 3-point line.
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