Dark Horse In The Eastern Conference

The NBA Playoffs was built off one thing: Survival of the Fittest. 16 teams. 2 Conference Champions. 1 NBA Champion.

From the beginning of the season. the low and subpar Eastern Conference has dealt with criticism from all over the NBA world. Teams that had playoff spots besides the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers were at least two to three games below .500 or a game or two over .500. This conference struggled and almost any and everybody in it was eligible for a playoff run all year long, even with a losing record. Now, that is not the case. I find it amusing how time can turn things around for most teams in the Eastern Conference. Seeds one through seven are over .500 and in great position for the NBA playoffs. The only team that will not have a winning record going into the 2014 NBA playoffs in this conference is of course the number eight seed, Atlanta Hawks who have proven themselves worthy of postseason play despite their inconsistent performance.

Whether you are in the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLS, or MLB, the postseason is where dreams are made, icons are born, and teams rise to the occasion. In every professional sport’s postseason, you have a David in the company of many Goliaths, an unworthy team in the midst of teams with endless accolades, an underdog, a long shot, a dark horse. That dark horse in the Eastern Conference undoubtedly is none other than the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls (47-33) who are currently tied with Dwane Casey’s Toronto Raptors (47-33) for the number three seed, has had a season of high expectations, doubt, worry, and transition as well as triumph. The doubt and worry were evident when the much anticipated return of their point guard franchise player, Derrick Rose was cut short as he was injured again. For many Bulls fans, this was an ongoing nightmare never seeming to come to an end as the 25 year old was out for the season. The Bulls were suffering, and by the eighth week of the season, they were 10-16 and looking for some sort of light at the end of this never ending dark tunnel. After the injury of Rose, and losing him for the season, it was up to D.J. Augustin to stand in the gap for the struggling Bulls team who has in my opinion does a great job but is under so much pressure to fill the shoes of Rose.

By week 13 in the 2013-14 season, the Bulls started to make a statement and were 7-2 since the beginning of the new year. They were 19-20. Everybody in Chicago was saddened to see Luol Deng being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joakim Noah expressed his disappointment in losing part of Chicago’s stellar defense. At that time, the Bulls were one and two games over or under .500 and were really not as consistent as head coach, Tom Thibodeau would have liked them to be. The former Boston Celtics assistant had to find a way to get his team to win despite losing Deng in a trade and through Rose’s torn meniscus, and with precious time, he did just that. If anyone remembers, this team was 9-16 in December 19, and became 24-10 since then. One word: PROGRESS!

It was clear that by that time, the Chicago Bulls were probably the best team in the Eastern Conference besides the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. Thibodeau’s name was considered for NBA Coach of the Year along with the Phoenix Suns first year coach, Jeff Hornacek. The Bulls defense was astounding and on average held their opponents to 90 points or less. Joakim Noah was also considered an MVP candidate to the fans at the United Center and was constantly hearing MVP chants at the free throw line. He made it clear that the team was waiting on their MVP Derrick Rose to come back. How humble.

The team had become 24-17 since trading Deng.

Currently, the Bulls have the number one defense in the NBA and are not necessarily the favorites to win the Eastern Conference crown. They are tenth in the league in assists and rebounds which can be contributed to the play of former Florida Gator, Joakim Noah. The Achilles heel for this team would have to be their struggling offense which is 30th in the league on average of 93 points per game. The Bulls are playoff ready defensively which can win them games when it really comes down to it. To take charge and really annihilate the low Leastern Conference (yes, Leastern.), they are really going to have to step it up offensively. Taj Gibson, D.J. Augustin definitely need to step up! Noah cannot do everything for this team. Despite these offensive struggles, I know without a doubt that Thibs is up to something and the Bulls will be better offensively in the playoffs.

Thibs will create a system with a killer instinct and the defense will be more dominant than it was in the regular season. My dark horse, the Chicago Bulls will surprise a hell of a lot of people and will defeat the likes of Miami or Indiana.