Chicago notched up their 41st win of the season last night, matching their win-total for last year. Al Dannity says the Bulls deserve as much attention as the Celtics and Heat.
Bulls just keep on winning After going 41-41 last year and tamely exiting the playoffs in the first round, the Bulls are on a tear through the Eastern Conference. The 41-17 Bulls recorded their third straight win on Monday night in a comfortable 105-77 victory at Washington. That win leaves Chicago just a game behind the Heat for second in the conference and just two games behind leaders’ Boston.
For all their success, the Bulls haven’t entered much of the title talk but that should all change soon. At full-strength, this team stacks up well with any of the contenders in the NBA. Derrick Rose is both a creator and a dynamic scoring threat at point guard. The addition of Carlos Boozer through free agency gave Joakim Noah the perfect complement to make Chicago an intimidating team physically. Lower-profile arrivals, such as Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer have also proved valuable additions to the Bulls roster this season.
Timing is everything Chicago could move to the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference before the end of March. Danny Ainge’s decision to make radical changes to Boston’s roster will take a few weeks for the Celtics to adjust to. The Heat meanwhile must contend with a brutal 10-game stretch. That leaves the Bulls well-placed to charge. First they must overcome a tricky three-game road stretch at Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami. NBA betting fans know that a 2-1 split in these games would be a good return before Chicago’s schedule eases up.
Built to last The Bulls should make it through to at least the conference semi-finals come the playoffs. Even if they fail to make a deep run this season, the Bulls look well-placed to stay at the top of the East for some time to come. Boozer, an 8-year veteran, is the oldest of Chicago’s starters yet is still very much in his prime. Noah and Rose have shown tremendous growth this season, with Rose clearly benefitting from his role with Team USA last summer. The increasing age-profile of the Celtics coupled with the Heat’s limitations in terms of adding to their roster leave Chicago nicely placed for the future.
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