After a truly transformational offseason, the Chicago Bulls returned to playing a winning brand of basketball in 2021-22. As they've returned to playoff relevance and put together a deep and dynamic roster, the Bulls look primed for postseason success. But Chicago has seen its fair share of hardships throughout the regular season, too.
Currently holding the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls have had some serious struggles against the league's best teams. All year long Chicago has fallen short in the clutch against the NBA's elite squads.
We'll now take a look at the three most favorable first-round matchups for the Bulls in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Chicago Bulls 2022 NBA Playoffs — Favorable First-Round Matchups
The reigning NBA champions are looking to reclaim the throne as they return to full form in time for the postseason. The Bucks have had their way with the Bulls in every meeting between the teams this season. With Giannis Antetokounmpo in the running for his third league MVP and Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday playing at an All-Star level for the Bucks, this is an opening-round matchup Chicago would surely prefer to avoid.
The Bulls did put up a fight in certain games against Milwaukee, but still ultimately fell short in each of their prior three matchups this season. So they may not stand a chance come playoff time, especially given the long-awaited return of Brook Lopez, who has worked his way back into the Bucks' rotation. Plus, with a new and improved supporting cast, Milwaukee is arguably even deeper now than it was this time last year.
Although the Bulls have put together a loaded roster, it still won't be enough to fend off this fierce and talented Bucks team that's gunning for back-to-back titles. Maybe they'll have better luck against the Bucks in these teams' final meeting on Tuesday night, but a regular season win won't do Chicago any good in a prospective first-round playoff series.
Needless to say, it would be in the Bulls' best interest to avoid another encounter with Antetokounmpo and company.
Boston has been the hottest team in the league since the All-Star break, refusing to take their foot off the gas even after the injury to Robert Williams III. With the strong possibility of this being their first-round opponent, there's no doubt the Bulls would have their hands full. Having to contain talents like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Marcus Smart while managing efficient offense against one of the league's best defenses would be a tall task for Chicago.
Even with the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls would still have a lot of challenges when dealing with the Boston Celtics. As a team that's struggled against the top tier of the NBA all season long, this wouldn't be a favorable first-round matchup for Chicago.
On the other hand, the Celtics are slated to be without Williams for the first round, a development that could be exploited by Vucevic as a back-to-basket scorer and offensive rebounder. A big series for Vucevic in a potential matchup with Boston would better allow the Bulls to space the floor, affording DeRozan and LaVine extra space to operate on the Celtics' breadth of quality individual defenders.
With a size advantage at their disposal, the Bulls might be able to pull off the upset.
In their previous games against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bulls have had issues matching up with them. Between Joel Embiid's two-way dominance and James Harden being a triple-double threat on a nightly basis, Chicago has simply been outmatched when facing the Sixers this season.
But playoff basketball is a different game, and Philadelphia lacks the perimeter defense necessary to contain both DeRozan and LaVine simultaneously. Along those same lines, the return of Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams means Chicago is far better equipped to keep Harden in check than Philadelphia is the Bulls' star ball handlers.
The Sixers have one of the highest ceilings in basketball, but Harden has struggled of late and their depth is questionable. If Vucevic and Tristan Thompson could keep Embiid from dominating on a nightly basis, Chicago might have the chance to pull off a first-round upset—as long as DeRozan and LaVine make tough, timely shots like they have all season.
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