Just like that, the 2024-25 NBA regular season is coming to an end. It's been a long-winding road for the Chicago Bulls, yet here we are, on the brink of a third consecutive Play-In Tournament appearance. However, there's a different feel this time around than the previous two campaigns.
After trading leading scorer Zach LaVine at the trade deadline, the expectation was Chicago would bow out from the regular season, prioritizing draft positioning and the offseason. That hasn't been the case. The Bulls have mightily improved since LaVine's departure, winning 16 of 31 contests and ranking in the top 20 in offensive, defensive, and net rating.
Furthermore, Coby White and Josh Giddey have cemented themselves as Chicago's backcourt of the future. White has averaged 24.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, while Giddey has totaled 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game since the midseason trade. All is well in the Windy City. Nevertheless, the season isn't over. There is still much to play for with two games remaining.
Chicago Bulls' playoff seeding scenarios
The Bulls are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference—one game behind the Atlanta Hawks and one game ahead of the Miami Heat. According to PlayoffStatus, the Bulls have an 85.0 percent chance of staying put in ninth. Chicago has the tiebreaker over the Heat, whom they defeated two nights ago. The Bulls would have to lose their remaining two contests, while the Heat would have to win out for the two squads to swap places.
Given Chicago's 85.0 percent probability—that's not a likely scenario. The Bulls' final two opponents are the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. The Wizards have lost four straight and are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Sixers recently defeated Washington to end a 12-game losing streak. Nothing is absolute in the NBA, but Chicago winning its final two games is pretty close.
Despite nearly locking up the ninth seed, there remains a slight possibility Chicago will overtake the Hawks' eighth seed. However, the chances of this happening are low. The Bulls are given a 12.0 percent chance of finishing as the eighth seed. This is because the Hawks control their destiny—and like Chicago's, it's unchallenging.
The Hawks finish the regular season with matchups against the 76ers and Orlando Magic. Atlanta did just lose to Orlando on April 8. Fortunately for the Hawks, only one more victory is needed to clinch the eighth seed. Once the Hawks defeat the tanking 76ers, the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament will be set.
The ninth-seeded Bulls will take on the 10th-seeded Heat on April 16 following the seventh-seeded Magic versus the eighth-seeded Hawks a day prior. The eighth seed will then be determined as the winner of the April 16 contest and the loser of the April 15 affair battle it out on April 18 with a postseason birth on the line.