With five games left in the regular season and a 46-31 win-loss record as of April 6, the Chicago Bulls look set to formalize its entry into the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, next only to the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James.
The good news for the fans of the Windy City franchise is that All-Star point guard Derrick Rose may be playing in the last couple of games of the Bulls and will all be set for the playoffs.
If and when it nails the 3rd spot in the East, Chicago will go up against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, a contest that the Bulls will most likely win in five or six games.
So even if the team has five games left to go in the regular season and a probable first round opponent, most of the members of the franchise are already looking forward to their likely second round match with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Up and ready
Another thing going for Chicago as it marches to the second round of the playoffs is that Derrick Rose may have already tucked some games into his belt by then. It could be more if he is able to play within the last five games of the team.
While Cleveland will enjoy homecourt advantage during their second round tussle, the Bulls key players still believe that they can beat the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers had a 3-1 season series edge over the Bulls but Chicago was not 100% in all of those games in terms of player roster and health status.
The picture would be an entirely different one by then as the Cavs would be facing a rejuvenated Bulls team with a more or less healthy Derrick Rose in the lineup. Rose may still not be 100% by then but the important thing is, he would be playing.
Even before the start of the current NBA season, the Chicago Bulls was touted as a title favorite because of a healthy Derrick Rose. But as it turned out, the point guard was still not ready and had in fact undergone two minor surgeries this season.
The need to go through the Cavs
Jimmy Butler believes that the Bulls need to go through the Cavs if it is thinking of winning the title.
He said that the Cavaliers and LeBron James are the favorite to come out of the East so if the Bulls want to change that, then they really have to go through Cleveland and win over them in the second round of the playoffs. Butler said that they should be the one to beat the Cavaliers and he believes that it can be done.
Joakim Noah is also hopeful that they would face up with the Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs. He said that the Chicago Bulls is a confident group and they would be very excited to play Cleveland. Noah added that the match would really be exciting and interesting too.