Is Chicago The Team To Beat In The East?

On this last day of March the playoff picture is becoming clearer and clearer in the NBA, and that number one seed is becoming closer and closer to belonging to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Last night the Bulls were able to knock of Minnesota in Minnesota, and through 74 games they now have 54 wins and a two and a half game lead on both Miami and Boston. They are in line for that top spot, and a road to the conference finals that would not include either the Heat or Celtics.

So they now have their full team back and playing and they are finding themselves on the up and up, as they have passed both those teams ahead of them since Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer have returned from seperate injury spells. They also have the expected league MVP in Derrick Rose, who is playing at an elite level. The thing about Rose is that he has that jump shot now that is not only good enough to keep the defense honest, but at this point it has become pretty much automatic from 19 feet and in. To go along with his ability to almost never be stopped when trying to get to the rim, and to find the open teammate, he has become almost unstoppable.

Noah and Boozer are able to go up against any front line in the league, but they also have Taj Gibson and Omar Asik coming off the bench who can out-rebound many starting lineups. The Bulls key is their bench's ability to come in and outscore a lot of other team's benches, as well as their starters at times if necessary.

The team defense is the reason that they are winning all these games though, because while the offense that Rose and Luol Deng provide, they are winning on the defensive end. Look no further than Tom Thibodeau, the defensive mind behind the previous Celtics teams, and you see why the Bulls are able to play defense so well. Their defense and home record are what should scare the other teams, especially with that top spot and home court throughout the east. Their record at home is a staggering at 32-5 with winnable home games to come that will improve that record.

At this point the Bulls have to be the favorite to win the east when they receive the number one seed. They are incredibly tough at home, they have the MVP of the league in Rose, and second and third scorer in Deng and Boozer, they play great team defense, maybe the best in the league, have a coach that knows how to win, and a bench that is among the most productive in the league. This team is for real, and if they do not blow the final eight games they will have to be the favorites.