The Bernstein Brief: The Bulls' Playoff Dilemma
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Starting tonight, the Bulls' final 11 games will be against Eastern Conference teams, most of which are bad.
Eight of the 11 opponents have losing records, and the last game against the top-seeded Hawks will likely be a glorified preseason affair, unless Tom Thibodeau is in the mood to lash out at his bosses by playing his veterans full minutes on the eve of the playoffs.
But Chicago's apparent likelihood of winning the third seed over Toronto may not be a good thing. Sure, it would get the Bulls out of another first-round matchup with the Wizards, whose twin bigs and backcourt speed have been burdensome, but it would instead land them on the Cavs' side of the bracket, staring at a second-round meeting with a team many believe to be the true favorite to reach the NBA Finals.
As Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose expect to return soon to join a rotation that figures to continue to feature a blossoming Nikola Mirotic, what matters more than outcomes right now is figuring out how they want to play when it all gets real in three weeks.
The work would seem more important than the wins.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. Follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
