Meanwhile, Toronto beats Charlotte to move a full game ahead of the Bulls, and the Bulls bring their impressive 2 game win streak against the 47-26 Phoenix Suns and their 7 game win streak.
Bulls are 35-39. To finish 40-42, they have to go 5-3 the rest of the way. Toronto is 37-37 and on a 2 game win streak. To finish 43-39, they have to go 6-2. If the Bulls go 6-2, they finish at 41-41 like last season. If Toronto goes 4-4, they finish at 41-41 also. Tiebreaker goes to Toronto? If so, Bulls have to go 6-2 and toronto 3-5, or Bulls 8-0 and toronto 4-4, etc. Charlotte is 39-35. To finish 43-39, they have to go 4-4.
Toronto falls at home to GS after needing OT to beat Philly . It's almost like they want it to be close. Could very well lose the next three....
http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings/_/page/2 Looks like the 20th and 21st best teams in the NBA battling for the 8th seed in the lowly east.
I'm getting more optimistic with the return of Deng and Noah. I think we could well go 4-2. We're getting healthy, the Bucks just lost Bogut and the Bobcats will be far enough ahead to not really care. So I tend to think we might end up 41-41. I can see the Raptors getting 2-4 pretty easily and ending up at 40-42. The margin for error on either side is getting pretty small.
Bulls likely will lose to Cleveland. Toronto just lost Bosh and then the game to the Celtics. Toronto gets Atlanta and us next. We get New Jersey and Toronto. It's not unreasonable for us to be tied (but behind due to tie breaker) after we beat NJ, and the Raptors-Bulls game would be pretty much for 8th. Then it would be up the Bulls to hold on to it. They face Boston and Charlotte, neither a gimme. Toronto's schedule gets easier - Pistons and Knicks. Conceivably, the Bulls lose to Boston and beat Charlotte, but Toronto wins those rather easy games and gets 8th via tie-breaker.
I kind of get the feeling that the bulls only really need to beat NJ and Toronto to get in. Not sure they beat Toronto, but I don't know why anybody thinks that Toronto can beat Detroit or especially the Knicks. The Knicks aren't playing for ping pong balls, so that last game is their playoffs. I think the Knicks win that one easily. Detroit, I'm not so sure, but maybe BG catches fire. As for the bulls, I have no idea.
Toronto is beating the Pistons by 18 in the 4th quarter. Bulls play Boston next. Ben Gordon is 5-9 with 7-7 FTs for 19 points. To show how one dimensional he is, he also has 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
