3 Eastern Conference teams the Bulls could crush in the playoffs

Who Chicago Bulls could crush in the playoffs: Wizards

Two of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference at the outset of this regular season slate are the Washington Wizards and the Bulls. With a record of 11-5 through their first 16 games of the regular season, star shooting guard Bradley Beal and the Wizards are tied with the Bulls for the second spot in the standings in the East right now.

The move to part ways with veteran star point guard Russell Westbrook in a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason proved to be a smart one for the Wizards’ front office. Beal is doing work as the set-in-stone top initiator and brightest star for the Wizards out of the gates this season. But he’s still not producing at the same level he was for the Wizards in the last two seasons, including last year playing alongside Westbrook.

In fact, two of the driving forces for the elevated Wizards’ success this season are the former Brooklyn Nets standout point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and the former Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell. The Wizards are playing much better defense as a whole this season under new head coach Wes Unseld, with the seventh-best defensive rating in the NBA right now.

Yet, the fact of the matter here is that the Bulls shouldn’t have too much trouble taking care of a Wizards team that isn’t even getting a career year out of the three-time All-Star Beal. Unless he were to really heat up, the Bulls just have too many offensive weapons to get beat in a seven-game series by Beal and the Wizards.

Another good example of how the Wizards might struggle against a team like the Bulls in a playoff series that is emerging early this season is how they’ve played against opponents with winning records in their last 10. In that span, the Wizards boast a record of 3-4 against teams with winning records. That’s not too great.