Suddenly, Derrick Rose isn't the only force for the Celtics to reckon with. Far from it, in fact.
The Bulls welcomed $75 million-man Carlos Boozer back into their starting lineup this week, giving them a low-post scoring machine to revolutionize their offense. Last time the Bulls visited the TD Garden a month ago, they were over-reliant on their point guard Rose to dominate the offense. That won't be the case on Friday night.
Boozer's presence will force Kevin Garnett to work hard as a one-on-one defender, instead of rotating and prowling around on D help. The Bulls now have a big-time presence in the low post to match Rose's scoring ability from all over the floor. They're going to be a handful and a half to contain.
The marquee matchup of Rose and Rajon Rondo is still there as well. Don't you forget it.
Here's the full slate for C's-Bulls:
Celtics
Rajon Rondo, PG
Ray Allen, SG
Paul Pierce, SF
Kevin Garnett, PF
Shaquille O'Neal, C
Bulls
Derrick Rose, PG
Keith Bogans, SG
Luol Deng, SF
Carlos Boozer, PF
Joakim Noah, C