Chicago Bulls are not giving up on their playoff hopes just yet. The Bulls won their 20th straight game that was televised on TNT, and the Cleveland Cavaliers fell down one again. With this win over Cleveland, the Bulls completed a regular-season sweep, as they won each of four games against them.
Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James needed this win to retain the first seed, but they came up short as the Bulls knocked them down to the second spot in the East. On the other side, Chicago kept their playoff chances alive with this victory, as they got within a single game behind the eighth seed in the conference.
A tale of two halves
Things looked good for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half as they were up by 9 points at the end of it. James started the game out strong with 19 first-half points, and it seemed that the Cavaliers will snap their losing streak and beat the Bulls.
However, the Bulls caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 37 points and taking charge of the game. At the end of the third quarter, they were up by 7 points, and they kept the Cavaliers at a distance in the closing quarter, denying them a potential comeback. Nikola Mirotic was exceptional for the Bulls with 28 points, while Jimmy Butler added 25. Rajon Rondo had a great playmaking game with 15 assists, but was only 3-of-13 from the field.
This was the biggest victory for Chicago this season
If the Chicago Bulls lost this game, they would have been two games behind the final playoff seed and it would be virtually impossible for them to reach the playoffs. With seven games left in the season, they couldn't have allowed that to happen, so they put on a great show and defeated the defending champions.
Right now, they are only one game behind the eighth seed and considering how easy their schedule is, it is very likely they will climb back into the playoff picture.
The Bulls will play against only one playoff team in the remainder of the season, and they will face off against five teams that belong to the bottom of the standings.
This easy schedule will allow Chicago to reclaim one of the playoff seeds they had just a month ago, and they will have to give their best to take advantage of this opportunity. It will be a tough playoff race in the East, but the Bulls can certainly win it.
