The Chicago Bulls are approaching the 2025-26 NBA season attempting to shake (at least) three years of mediocrity. For three consecutive campaigns, the Bulls backed into the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, and each of those seasons, they were ousted by the Miami Heat.
It would be destiny for Chicago to face Miami once again with a playoff spot again on the line, wouldn't it?
After making the playoffs in 2021-22 and then exiting quickly with a first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Bulls finished 10th, 9th and 9th over the next three seasons, respectively. In 2023, Chicago beat the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the Play-In only to lose to the Heat two nights later. In 2024, the Bulls routed the Atlanta Hawks by 15 and then lost to Miami by 21 points. Last year, it was one-and-done for Chicago after a 19-point opening-round defeat at the hands of the Heat.
It can't happen again, can it? Well ... it's not impossible. In fact, it might be predictable.
Bulls projected to face the Miami Heat in East Play-In Tournament again
Chicago's front office, paced by the ceaselessly dull decisions of Arturas Karnisovas, didn't do much to improve last year's team that went 39-43 and got blown out at home two wins shy of an actual playoff berth.
Lonzo Ball was sent to Cleveland in exchange for Isaac Okoro, a burly ball-stopper who should improve a porous defense. Noa Essengue and Lachlan Olbrich were brought in via the 2025 NBA Draft, but neither is ready to play significant minutes. Any other boosts will have to come through internal improvement from the likes of Matas Buzelis, Coby White, Josh Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu.
As anticipated as those evolutions may be, will they vault the Bulls from the Play-In to the playoffs?
Maybe not. But they might be just enough to give Chicago another crack at the Heat, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who includes a fourth straight postseason matchup between the two in his "fearless predictions" story, calling the Heat "too proud to tank" and the Bulls "too ambitious to bother."
A fair summation, given Karnisovas's unique ability to build a roster that's simultaneously too bad to make the playoffs and too good to earn a high draft pick -- and the chance to land a star who could lead the roster to the playoffs. Buzelis can't do it all himself.
As wild and crazy as it sounds, Chicago-Miami Play-In Faceoff Round 4 is perfectly possible.