advertisement

Who will opponent be when Bulls start playoffs?

The Bulls officially began “Get Healthy Week” on Thursday, with just two games on their schedule over the next eight days.

After Wednesday's 116-103 victory at Toronto, the Bulls have won four of their last five games and have everyone back in the lineup except for Derrick Rose, who should be cleared for full-contact practice soon.

The Bulls sit as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are 3 games behind second-place Cleveland with nine to play, so moving up doesn't seem very likely.

They are 1½ games up on fourth-place Toronto, but the Raptors would win a tiebreaker with the Bulls, despite losing the season series 0-4.

According to NBA rules, a division champ wins a tie against a non-division champ, and the Raptors are going to win the Atlantic with ease.

The Bulls have a 3½-game lead on fifth-place Washington.

An argument could be made that finishing fourth instead of third could be a better outcome for the Bulls, but they definitely don't want to sink to fifth and lose homecourt advantage in the first round.

Since the Bulls took Thursday off, this is a good time to assess potential first-round playoff opponents, with a degree of danger assigned:

Milwaukee

This would be the 3 vs. 6 matchup if the season ended today, and the Bucks would be a good first-round fit for the Bulls. But can Milwaukee hang on to that No. 6 seed?

Simply put, the Bucks haven't been the same since trading away point guard Brandon Knight. Heading into Thursday's action, Milwaukee was 4-13 since Feb. 22. The team's top three scorers — Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo — have a combined zero playoff games under their belt.

Plus, Bulls fans figure to buy plenty of tickets at the Bradley Center, so there's a lot to like about this matchup from the Bulls' perspective.

Maybe Middleton's game-winning 3-pointer against Miami this week will push the Bucks to hold their current position. They do own the tiebreaker against the Heat.

Danger level: Mild

Miami

As much as a first-round series featuring the Heat against LeBron James and the Cavs seems like an ideal scenario, if the Bucks keep sliding, Miami has the best chance to move up to No. 6.

The Heat has gotten better during the second half of the season, from eight games below .500 at the all-star break to 11-8 since. That might seem odd since Chris Bosh was lost for the season, but Miami has made some successful changes.

Ex-Phoenix point guard Goran Dragic is averaging 17 points since joining the Heat. Center Hassan Whiteside has been a sensation, and the bench is completely different with Michael Beasley, Henry Walker (formerly known as Bill Walker) and undrafted rookie Tyler Johnson all playing well.

And Dwyane Wade is averaging 26 points over the last nine games.

Danger level: Medium

Washington

If the Bulls drop to fourth, they figure to get rematch with the Wizards, which sounds really bad, in theory.

At the same time, the feeling here is that Washington isn't as strong with Paul Pierce and Kris Humphries replacing the two Trevors #8212; Ariza and Booker #8212; from last year's squad.

The front line of Pierce, Nene and Marcin Gortat is real slow, and sixth man Kevin Seraphin is another stationary bruiser. Also, Bradley Beal has missed 18 games with injuries and hasn't been himself this season.

So maybe the Bulls would have a better chance this time.

Then again, if Nene is raring to go after coasting through another regular season and Beal is back in top form, the Wizards could be trouble.

Danger level: Uncomfortable

Toronto

If the Wizards suddenly get hot, there's a small chance Bulls-Raptors could be the 4-5 matchup. Considering Toronto has gone 5-13 since Feb. 21 and was 0-4 against the Bulls, this isn't a bad scenario.

Not only did the Bulls sweep the Raptors, they averaged 113.3 points per game. It was like Doug Moe stepped in as guest coach.

Danger level: Calm as Lake Ontario

Boston

The Celtics had a run of winning 14 of 20 games to move into playoff contention but have cooled off in the last week or so.

They were 4 games behind Milwaukee on Thursday morning, but play the Bucks twice more.

The Bulls haven't played Boston since Jan. 16, so there's an unknown element to this matchup. At least the NBA playoffs aren't one and done. Celtics coach Brad Stevens has done well in that scenario.

Danger level: Green

Indiana

The Pacers won 13 of 15 games, beginning on Feb. 4, then turned around and lost six in a row. So who knows what to expect from this team, besides aggressive, physical defense. Also, Paul George may play soon.

Danger level: Punishing

Charlotte, Brooklyn

Both of these teams are just a half-game out of the playoffs. But they're also 10 games below .500, so it's tough to imagine either one getting hot enough to move up to sixth or becoming competent enough to win a playoff series.

Danger level: Barely registers.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.