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3 Eastern Conference teams the Bulls could crush in the playoffs

By Andrew Miller

LaMelo Ball, Coby White, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
LaMelo Ball, Coby White, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Darius Garland Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Darius Garland Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Who Chicago Bulls could crush in the playoffs: Cavaliers

If the season were to end today, the divisional foe Cleveland Cavaliers would technically be able to earn a spot in the play-in tournament. The Cavaliers currently boast a record of 8-9, which would land them around the ninth spot in the final Eastern Conference standings/playoff picture.

In a hypothetical scenario where the Bulls and Cavaliers could face each other in a playoff series, it’s hard to imagine that Chicago would be the team that falls short. While the Bulls and Cavs have yet to face each other during the regular season, it already looks like this hypothetical playoff series could be a route.

The Cavs did come out of the gates hot in this regular season, but things are starting to come off the rails a bit of late. This team technically still sits in the playoff picture in the East at the moment, but the Cavs do sit on a three-game losing streak.

At this point of the season, it’s the former Vanderbilt Commodores point guard Darius Garland that is the main focal point for the Cavs. The guard duo of Collin Sexton and Garland does get the bulk of the shots for the Cavs on offense, but the latter of those two is actually the higher-usage player early this season.

The Cavs are trying something new this season by playing some of their monster ball with a number of seven-footers getting in two and three-man combinations. Some of the important pieces to the monster ball that the Cavs are liking to play early this season are the former Bulls’ power forward Lauri Markkanen, talented rookie center Evan Mobley, and the former Texas Longhorns star center Jarrett Allen.

Depending on how the Bulls are able to handle the monster ball lineups with some of their small-ball lineups, it looks like this series could be a hypothetical route. Dealing with a top guard duo of Garland and Sexton shouldn’t be all that difficult either for the Bulls’ many standout perimeter defenders including Javonte Green, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso.

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