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Bulls host Bucks in Game 1

Apr 18, 2015 - 1:32 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bulls hope to make their stay in the playoffs last a little longer this season and will take on the Central Division-rival Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Saturday at the United Center.

The Bulls were bounced in five games of the first round last season by the Washington Wizards. That, of course, was without former MVP Derrick Rose, and free-agent acquisition Pau Gasol.

Chicago fell short in its quest for a Central crown and beat out the Toronto Raptors for the third seed in the East. The Bulls went through more injury drama with Rose, who's back healthy and ready to roll in the postseason.

The Bulls have reached the playoffs in each of the past seven years and 10 in the previous 11. They went 50-32 in the regular season and lived up to their defensive reputation thanks to the offseason addition of Gasol, who led the NBA with 54 double-doubles.

"We have to want it more than anybody else," Gasol said. "The resiliency that we have, we've got to turn it into a determination and understand that every game in the playoffs is critical."

The Bulls ended the regular season with 10 wins in 14 tries and got Rose back healthy. He played in 51 games this season, averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 assists, and is at full strength. Rose hasn't been able to contribute much in the postseason in recent years because of his health. Rose will appear in a playoff game for the first time since tearing his left ACL in the Bulls' 2012 postseason opener against Philadelphia.

The Bulls went 16-5 this season with Rose, Jimmy Butler, Gasol, Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy as the starting five and are expected to have every rotation player available on Saturday, except guard Kirk Hinrich.

The Bucks completed an amazing turnaround under first-year head coach Jason Kidd. The team had the worst record in the NBA last season and went 41-41 under Kidd, who left the Brooklyn Nets after one season, but did advance the Nets to the second round of the playoffs in 2014.

No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker tore his ACL and was lost for the season early.

The Bucks needed to bolster their backcourt and traded for Michael Carter- Williams at the deadline. Carter-Williams was the Rookie of the Year for the 76ers last season and is a stat stuffer. With the Sixers and Bucks, MCW averaged 14.8 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds.

Milwaukee's frontcourt doesn't have as much talent as Chicago's, but it's still learning with young forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ersan Ilyasova.

Kidd stressed defense in his first season and finished eighth in opponents' scoring at 97.4 ppg. The Bulls tied for ninth with the Washington Wizards at 97.8 ppg.

Milwaukee was seventh in bench points (37.3 ppg) this season and is long in the tooth with reserves Jared Dudley and O.J. Mayo.

The turnaround for the Bucks this season was remarkable, but that doesn't matter starting Saturday.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet," center Zaza Pachulia said. "We've kept building. We've kept working hard and getting better. We've had good days and bad days. Compared to last year, obviously there's been a huge difference. We've made a lot of improvement, but we can't be satisfied with that."

Milwaukee went just 1-3 against Chicago in the regular season and hasn't faced the Bulls in the postseason since the 1989-90 campaign. The Bucks are 8-4 all- time against the Bulls in the playoffs.