Tight Race

The Bulls should send Boston guard Ray Allen a “Thank You” card or something.  The Charlotte Bobcats were on the verge of cutting the Bulls’ lead over them for the eighth seed in the East to a half game before Allen hit a three-pointer with two seconds to go last night in double overtime to down the Cats 111-109.  Chicago’s lead over Charlotte now stands at a game and a half, a much more comfortable lead than a half game would have felt like.  The Bulls are also just a half game behind the Detroit Pistons for the seventh slot in the conference.

The Bulls have been playing well as of late, winning seven out of their last ten games.  With six games to go, they’re in good position to extend their season into the playoffs, but they’ve got to remain consistent.  The team has fared much better at home (24-12) than on the road (12-28) this season and five of their final six games will be played at the United Center.  Charlotte, on the other hand, has five of their remaining seven games on the road, while Detroit will hit play four of their remaining seven away from Auburn Hills.  The Bulls will matchup with the Bobcats on April 11th and with the Pistons two days later.  Those games could be huge.

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Chicago Outpaced by Indiana

The Bulls’ road woes continued last night as the team was unable to defeat the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse despite one of Derrick Rose’s best games of the season.  The Bulls fell 107-105 even though Rose scored 24 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out six assists without committing a single turnover.  Rose looks to be running away with the Rookie of the Year award late in the season, as other first-year players appear to be hitting the proverbial rookie wall.  The fact that the Bulls are in good position to make the playoffs certainly does not hurt Rose’s chances of winning the award either.

The playoff race got a bit tighter yesterday thanks to a Charlotte win against the Los Angeles Lakers.  The Bobcats now sit just a game behind the Bulls for the eighth position in the Eastern Conference.  Meanwhile, the Pistons are just one game ahead of the Bulls, making it essentially a three-team race for two spots in the East.  The Bulls don’t take the floor again until Saturday at home against the New Jersey Nets.  The Nets are not a bad team by any means, but these are the types of games the Bulls must win in order to earn a playoff berth.

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