The Chicago Bulls In-Season Tournament schedule was officially announced on Tuesday afternoon. In the event, which is the first of its kind, we already knew the Bulls would face off against the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, and Boston Celtics. Groups were selected earlier in the offseason, paving the way for the first stage of the tournament.
Indeed, in this first stage, the Bulls will battle each opponent in their group between the dates of Nov. 3 and Nov. 26. Those games will naturally be a part of the team’s regular season schedule and count toward their regular season win-loss record. Here are the dates for those four contests:
11/3 – vs. Brooklyn (7:00 p.m. CT)
11/17 – vs. Orlando (7:00 p.m. CT)
11/24 – @ Toronto (6:30 p.m. CT)
11/28 – @ Boston (6:30 p.m. CT)
*Based on ESPN’s schedule listing, none of these matchups will air on national television
To be clear, there will also be regular season games scheduled between these meetings. The matchups listed above are simply the ones that will also count toward the In-Season Tournament. Each team with the best record in their group will then qualify for the Quarterfinals in the Knockout Stage, which will take place between Dec. 4 and Dec. 5. Two “wild card” teams that achieved the second-best record in their group within their conference will also advance. You can read more about the rules here.
From here on out, things are single elimination. The quarterfinals will take place on home courts, but the semifinals will move to a neutral site. The winning team will then receive prize money to distribute, as well as the NBA Cup.
I know it all kind of sounds complicated, but it really shouldn’t be too hard to follow once things kick into high gear. All you really need to understand right now is that the four regular season games listed above will hold a little extra meaning for the Chicago Bulls. And, all things considered, those four extra games don’t appear too difficult.
The Bulls really did end up in a rather advantageous position. While the Boston Celtics are likely the favorites to make it out of Group C, I’d have to consider the Bulls in second place and potentially in the running for a Wild Card spot. The Magic are still in rebuild mode, the Nets are sure to take a step back without Kevin Durant, and the Raptors are having a bit of an identity crisis with Fred VanVleet departing and their future unclear. Heck, the Bulls even split their series against Boston last season, so who is to say they can’ still this In-Season Tournament game?
I’ll just say this, I’d much rather the Bulls be in Group C than in Group A (Cavs, Hawks, 76ers, Pacers, and Pistons). Even if it’s unclear how meaningful this whole In-Season Tournament thing will be, I’d much rather have the Bulls in a position to make things interesting than the opposite.
The Chicago Bulls’ full regular season schedule should be released soon. We’ll keep you updated.