And bad news for the Nets: Harris has sprained AC joint. Now if only somebody on the Bobcats would get hurt the bulls could stumble into the playoffs without any real challengers. They wouldn't have to worry about losing to the worst teams in the league on the road, or at home for that matter.
We got the playoffs on lockdown. We ave 10 of our remaining games at home, and the Lakers are the only one we will have a ton of trouble with, as Boston has an injured Garnett. We will probably go at least 7-3 at home, and then at least 2-3 on the road (we have Thunder, Wizards, Raptors, Pacers, and Pistons on the road). With that we would finish 39-43. We should easily make it, given we're currently tied with Milwaukee for 8th, and have such a creampuff schedule remaining.
I wouldn't be shocked if we went something like 10-3 from here on out. We are a great team at home, especially since Salmons and Miller have come here, and we have an easy road schedule (only 4 of them left too!)
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...9-nba-chi&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report Getting Inside By finally ending their seven-game road losing streak in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, the Bulls are in great shape for a big finish. Already they have a 1-1/2 game lead over Milwaukee and Charlotte for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Now the Bulls finish the regular season with nine of their last 13 games at the United Center, where they’ve won seven in a row. The rotation is beginning to settle in with forward John Salmons averaging 21.8 points as a starter and veteran center Brad Miller making valuable fourth-quarter contributions in back-to-back wins over the Celtics and Thunder. On Saturday, the Bulls host Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and the Lakers. These teams haven’t played since Nov. 18 at the Staples Center when the Lakers won 116-109 after holding a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Bryant scored a relatively quiet 21 points that night, but power forward Pau Gasol was unstoppable, hitting 14-of-21 shots for 34 points. Center Andrew Bynum, now out with an injury, added 18 points as the Lakers pounded the Bulls inside. Guard Derrick Rose had 25 points and nine assists in his Hollywood debut. The Bulls have knocked off three of the NBA’s big four—Cleveland, Orlando and Boston—at home in the past two months. A win over the Lakers would be quite an accomplishment and when this game ends, the Bulls only have two games left against teams with a winning record and those opponents, Miami and Philadelphia, are just barely over .500.
Basketball-reference has us at an 80.7% chance for the playoffs. I agree things are looking pretty good. Favorable schedule, a one game lead, and the teams behind us, besides Charlotte, are decimated by injuries.
Yup, going 3-1 in a tough week that included the Hornets, Cletics, Thunder, and Lakers put us as the clear favorites for the eighth spot.
