The Brooklyn Nets are cruising. Yes, they only played one game, but just knowing that the Chicago Bulls are harmless in a seven-game series must be a motivator. However, the Nets have to enjoy as much of the playoffs as they can since up ahead in the second-round there's an inevitable meeting with the defending World Champion Miami Heat. 

The Nets can and will dispatch the Bulls in four games. Deron Williams and Brook Lopez supply too heavy a 1-2 punch to give the injured Bulls a chance. Lopez was pretty much swatting balls left and right as he picked up three blocks Saturday evening in Game 1 while adding 21 points. It's almost the perfect combination of offense and defense, the latter being an improved part of Lopez's game. 

Then there's Williams who basically broke down the Bulls, making it painful to watch as their defense was the only thing that was going to keep Chicago in the game.

Doesn't matter that Derrick Rose isn't active, the Bulls were winning during the regular season. Joakim Noah is injured and limping around. He's not a presence on the board and he's less of an offensive threat. Noah, who averaged a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds during the regular season, only had four points and five rebounds in Game 1. Luol Deng was useless on offense as well only scoring six points. The only part of the Bulls game that worked was Carlos Boozer as he led the team in points (25), rebounds (8) and assists (4). 

The Bulls' defense gave up double digits scoring to seven different Nets players. Those numbers aren't very common. C.J. Watson dropped 14 points on his former team while Andray Blatche scored 12, both off the bench. The Nets went on to shoot close to 56 percent in Game 1, something the Bulls can't allow. 

So as Game 1 seems to be the way the rest of the series will go if the Bulls can't play defense, the Nets have a very daunting task ahead of them as the bracket has them facing the Heat. The Heat also won their Game 1 in comfortable fashion as they destroyed the Milwaukee Bucks 110-87. So as the Nets get ready to sweep the Bulls, they have to try and enjoy this playoff run as much as they can as the Heat will more than likely beat the Nets and bounce them from the playoffs. 

During the regular season, the Heat owned the Nets winning all three games they played in and defeating them by an average of 21 points. The only hope the Nets have of entering the Eastern Conference Finals is if: 1) the Heat completely blow their series against the Bucks or 2) if the Heat starting five gets injured. 

So what this means is that the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers will be facing the Heat in the ECF. 

The Nets and Bulls meet tonight, Monday, for Game 2 at the Barclays Center.