The Chicago Bulls have made the surprising jump this season. From a team that was a middle to the bottom-tier team to now a top 4 team in the East. At multiple points this season they were the number 1 seed in the East.
It all came due to their amazing off-season signings. However, come playoff time, could the Chicago Bulls beat the best teams in the NBA to push for the coveted NBA title?
The Bulls have won 39 games this season. Chicago has one of the best offensive efficiency ratings and ranks 5th in the league. However, their defense is at the bottom of the NBA. This is directly correlated to when the Bulls lost Lonzo, Caruso, and Williams to injury. But when the Bulls take on the best teams in the league, does their poor defense come back to bite them?
The Chicago Bulls and their abhorrent record against the best of the NBA
The Chicago Bulls have been slipping right before the NBA playoffs. Chicago was on a 6 game win streak at the end of February and since then have lost 5 straight games. That pushed them from the 2nd to the 4th seed. What came to light when seeing the Bulls play in this 5 game losing stretch is that they seem to struggle more against better teams. Now, this makes sense but it shows that the Bulls are a pseudo playoff contender.
The Bulls are 0-14 vs the top 3 seeds in both conferences this season. pic.twitter.com/NTGMb4nj9F
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 8, 2022
Against the top 3 seeded teams in both conferences, the Bulls have an 0-14 record. Those teams are the Heat, Bucks, 76ers, Suns, Grizzlies, and Warriors.
To realize that the Bulls would have to face at least 1 or multiple of these teams on the way to the NBA finals is a scary sight for Bulls fans. The NBA world believes wholeheartedly that they are watching the Bulls bamboozle the NBA with their stellar play against bottom-tier teams.
The Bulls will have a bounce-back game and it could happen tonight itself against the extremely awful Detroit Pistons. Chicago is expected to win. And that could blind the NBA for a little bit before they start playing championship contenders again. How far will this Bulls team go in the NBA playoffs? If their play stays like this, not very far.