The NBA Finals Begin, Can the Bulls Keep Up with the East? Max Strus, and Other Bulls Bullets

Order vs. Chaos begins tonight.

The Denver Nuggets will play their first NBA Finals game in franchise history with the odds heavily leaning in their favor. They entered the postseason as the West’s No. 1 team with a 34-7 record at home. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray needed the minimum of four games to take down the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference Finals, which means they’re now as well-rested as they could be for the final series of the year.

The Miami Heat weren’t supposed to be here. They were roughly 3 minutes away from losing to the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the Play-In Tournament. They entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed and had to face arguably the best player in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo. What looked like a death sentence turned into a swift five-game victory for Miami. And they’ve now upset their way through three-straight rounds to make their second Finals in four years.

Will Miami’s chaotic and startling run continue or will sanity prevail? I can’t wait to find out!

  • If I know one thing, it’s that somewhere in another dimension, the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat have swapped places. The Bulls are four wins away from their first championship since the Jordan Era. I traveled to that dimension and came back to report what happened. Enjoy:
  • UGHHHHHHH. THE PISTONS DID A GOOD THINGGGGG.
  • I worry a lot about the Chicago Bulls falling behind. I mean, just look at much ground they lost after one underwhelming offseason. Arturas Karnisovas sat on his hands during the last free agency – adding only Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond – and the team tumbled from 6th in the East to 9th. While that may not have been the only reason for their downfall, it still goes to show how active front offices must continue to be to keep up with the ever-changing NBA. Not only are win-now teams always looking to get better, but it’s also only a matter of time before young squads like the Pistons get back on the right track.
  • Indeed, the hiring of a rock-solid veteran head coach in Monty Williams tells us that Detroit is hoping to take the next step sooner than later. Not far behind them is the Indiana Pacers, who are led by Rick Carlisle and a budding young star in Tyrese Haliburton. We also just watched the Cleveland Cavaliers go from a bottom-feeder to a top-5 team in the East thanks to great drafting and a big-time trade for Donovan Mitchell. While the Pistons and Pacers still have a lot to prove, there is no question all three of these teams are built for a future of sustained success. Can the Bulls say the same?
  • I know divisions feel like they don’t matter, but the Bulls play the Pistons, Pacers, Cavs, and Bucks four times each during the season. Especially in a league with more parity, all it takes is two or three games to drastically change seeding. So, yeah, the fact that it feels like every team in the Bulls’ division is improving is undoubtedly concerning.
  • Obviously, the best way to keep up with your competition is to develop your young talent. I’d be lying if I said I think the new regime hasn’t done a particularly strong job of that, but they also deserve more than a few years to prove themselves in that department. This upcoming season will be crucial when it comes to showing that Chicago’s in-house player development has progressed. Not only will Patrick Williams be extension eligible, but the organization could very well be in line to re-sign both Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu this summer. If they do that, the Bulls are going to have to hope White and Dosunmu can justify that decision quickly with strong on-court contributions.
  • Speaking of Coby White …
  • Jimmy Butler lives for the postseason:
  • Should the Bulls pursue a Max Strus reunion? They could obviously use his shooting, but I do want to remind folks that Strus isn’t some kind of young up-and-comer. While there is still room to improve, he’s already 27 years old. I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried about his impact outside of Miami. Some players just thrive in their culture and system better. Can he truly handle a bigger role on a team?
  • Michael Jordan owned Bryon Russell.
  • https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1664242891915685889?s=20

  • Ok, good to know.
  • Why not!
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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