Mar 9, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) defends Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) during the game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
With the loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Bulls now have dropped their last three games. They are 3-5 since Derrick Rose went down with the meniscus injury and continue to fall in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Bulls would be the 4th seed and face a first round match-up against a tough Washington Wizards team; a scenario that the Bulls would like to avoid if at all possible. The teams that currently sit in the 2-5 positions in the conference are separated by a mere 3.5 games further adding importance to every single one of the games that the Bulls have remaining on their schedule. Here are the current standings in the Eastern Conference as of 3/09/2015.
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | CONF | DIV | STREAK | L10 |
| 1 Atlanta | 46 | 12 | 0.793 | – | 27-4 | 19-8 | 30-8 | 8-2 | W3 | 6-4 |
| 2 Toronto | 37 | 21 | 0.638 | 9 | 21-10 | 16-11 | 25-10 | 9-1 | L4 | 4-6 |
| 3 Chicago | 37 | 22 | 0.627 | 9½ | 18-12 | 19-10 | 21-13 | 6-4 | W1 | 7-3 |
| 4 Cleveland | 37 | 23 | 0.617 | 10 | 22-9 | 15-14 | 23-12 | 6-5 | L1 | 7-3 |
| 5 Milwaukee | 32 | 25 | 0.561 | 13½ | 17-11 | 15-14 | 21-15 | 5-6 | W1 | 7-3 |
| 6 Washington | 33 | 26 | 0.559 | 13½ | 20-10 | 13-16 | 22-16 | 6-6 | L6 | 2-8 |
| 7 Miami | 25 | 32 | 0.439 | 20½ | 10-16 | 15-16 | 18-16 | 4-7 | L1 | 4-6 |
| 8 Indiana | 24 | 34 | 0.414 | 22 | 13-14 | 11-20 | 16-16 | 5-5 | W1 | 7-3 |
It is interesting to note that since Derrick Rose went down with his injury, the Bulls have only averaged 93.1 points per game. This is significantly lower than the 101 points that they had been averaging per game for the rest of the season. Without Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler (the Bulls two leading scorers), the Bulls won’t be able to overwhelm teams with their scoring. If the Bulls expect to win games in the absence of Rose and Butler, they are going to have to lean heavily on their defense. Although they still have healthy players on their roster that can score prolifically, the team collectively isn’t good enough to win solely based on their ability to score. The Chicago Bulls need to return to the tough defensive-minded group that characterized this team during much of the Tom Thibodeau era. It is the only way that they can win without their two leading scorers in the fray.
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