Possible Playoff Match-ups for the Chicago Bulls

After a disappointing 99-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, many would be influenced to believe that a second round match-up with the Cavs may be a tougher road for the Chicago Bulls to advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2011.

As of now, the Bulls are currently seeded third in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 46-31, which would match them with the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

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In an ideal match-up, the Bucks would be the Bulls desired first-round opponent, but in the (3) vs (6) match-up, the winner of that series would play the winner of the (2) vs (7) match-up. That is currently the Cleveland Cavaliers (2) and the Brooklyn Nets (7).

With Cleveland winning 15 of their last 21 games after the All-Star break, the Cavs are playing their best basketball at the right time of the year and are currently holding a four-game lead for the second seed in the East. It would be in the Bulls’ best interest to avoid the Cavaliers in the second round, at least until Derrick Rose is up to speed and has shaken off rust.

Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson, NBA.com, and multiple reports have reported that Rose will play his first game in six weeks against the Orlando Magic tonight at the Amway Center. Head coach Tom Thibodeau stated that Rose will be limited to 20 minutes of action. In last year’s NBA Playoff match-up against the Washington Wizards, a team Chicago could face in round one, the Bulls lost 4-1 in the series.

The Bulls were once again without Rose, who suffered a meniscus injury in November of 2013. This season, despite the PG missing one game against the Wizards, Chicago is (2-2) against the Wizards, but the playoffs are different. Having your best players for an entire series gives you an edge, especially when you’re the better team.

So in the end, it does matter which team you have to face, but it also matters how healthy you are in the playoffs and what match-ups a team is able to exploit against you. Regular season success doesn’t guarantee a win, but it should give a general idea of how teams match up against each other. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards may have matched up against the Bulls fairly well this season, winning five of eight games combined, but the Bulls were only completely healthy for four of those games.

2011 was the last time Chicago was completely healthy for a playoff run. The Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference Finals that year. Wednesday night, the team will have most of their players in uniform, and we will have to see how they perform less than two weeks before the playoff opener on April 18th.

Next: Derrick Rose Returning Feels Like Deja Vu

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