NEWSLETTER
The Atlanta Hawks joined a prestigious club on Monday night. Despite still missing star point guard Trae Young, the team managed to erase a 30-point deficit against the No. 1 team in the NBA.
Not only does this mark the largest comeback in franchise history, but it also marks only the sixth time since 1997-98 (aka the beginning of the play-by-play era) that a team has pulled off such a rally. The victory for Atlanta moved them to 32-39 on the season.
Meanwhile, over at the United Center, the Chicago Bulls joined their own – far less prestigious – club. Billy Donovan’s crew lost to the Washington Wizards 107-105. Add in the Bulls’ two losses to the Detroit Pistons earlier this year, and they are now one of only six teams that have lost to the two worst teams in the NBA this season. Out of the five not named the Bulls, Sacramento is the only team with a better record than Chicago on the list (Hornets, Raptors, Nets, and Trail Blazers are the others).
The loss came a little over one week after the Bulls beat the Wizards by 29 points. After losing two straight, it felt like the obvious bounce-back win for a team trying to make the case that they’re a “competitive” bunch. However, the loss underscores precisely where this team stands in the eyes of the Eastern Conference. They are far closer to the bottom than they are to the top.
Indeed, while the odds remain in the Bulls’ favor when it comes to securing the No. 9 seed, this three-game skid has opened a new door. We were once wondering what it might take for the Bulls to make a last-second run for the No. spot. Now, we’re left asking if they can even hang onto their current position.
Could the Chicago Bulls Lose Their Spot?
The Chicago Bulls found themselves with an opportunity to get back to .500 for the first time since early October on March 21 against the Rockets. They’ve now spun into a three-game skid and moved to 34-38 with a mere 10 games left to go.
Again, the Hawks’ big win over the Celtics has brought them to 32-29 on the season, which means they’re only 1.5 games back from Chicago’s No. 9 seed. Can the Bulls keep them at arm’s length? Having home-court advantage for the 9v10 Play-In Tournament game remains at stake.
I’ll drop the remaining schedule for each team below …
Chicago Bulls
vs. Pacers
vs. Nets
@ Timberwolves
vs. Hawks
vs. Knicks
@ Magic
vs. Knicks
@ Pistons
@ Wizards
@ Knicks
Atlanta Hawks
vs. Trail Blazers
vs. Celtics
vs. Bucks
@ Bulls
vs. Pistons
@ Mavericks
@ Nuggets
vs. Heat
vs. Hornets
@ Timberwolves
@ Pacers
I think it’s fair to say the Chicago Bulls have the far easier strength of schedule on paper. But we also just saw them lose to the (now) 14-58 Wizards, while Atlanta beat the single-best team in the NBA. The Bulls continuing their tumble feels just as unlikely as it does likely.
If one thing is for sure, that game between the Hawks and Bulls on April 1 could be pivotal. The good news is that Chicago has already clinched the tiebreaker advantage against Atlanta with their two victories, but a win would still allow Quin Snyder’s team to make a dent in the lead.
For what it’s worth, Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report still gives the Bulls an 81.0 percent chance to finish 9th in the East. While that’s encouraging (or at least as encouraging as finishing 9th can be) we should keep in mind this number sat over 90.0 percent less than a week ago. Life can come at you fast in the NBA.
