NBA 2012: Chicago Bulls Use Tough Schedule to Advantage, Remain Best in East

When the Chicago Bulls complete their current nine game road trip they will have played an incredible 20 of their first 30 games on the road. 

This strange scheduling anomaly will actually pay huge dividends for the Bulls as the remainder of the regular season plays out.

Currently a league best 21-6, with contests at New Orleans, Charlotte and Boston left on this current road swing, one can reasonably argue the Bulls will take at least two of three and return to Chicago no worse than 23-7.

This tilts the race for the one seed in the East with Miami, and to a lesser degree Philadelphia, in the favor of Bulls.

Playing 23 of their final 36 games at home, and considering their longest remaining road trip will be just three games, the Bulls are nicely positioned to repeat as the number one seed in the East.

For Miami, after their first 30 games they will have played 14 contests at home and 16 on the road, leaving the Heat a slightly home-tilted final 36 games, with 19 at home and 17 on the road.

For Philadelphia, after their first 30 games, they will have played 18 at home and 12 on the road, leaving the 76ers with 15 games at home and 21 on the road in their final 36 games.

The Bulls have not only had to deal with two-thirds of their first 30 games on the road, but  they have also battled the injury bug.  Reigning MVP Derrick Rose has missed multiple games due to a pesky toe injury, and now has aggravated his back, which may sideline him for a night or two. 

Additionally, the Bulls' top defender and one of their leading scorers in Luol Deng, has missed significant time with torn wrist ligaments, and new addition Richard "Rip" Hamilton has rarely been in the line-up consistently due to leg strains.

Despite the injuries to their back-court, the Bulls have been able to maintain consistent play and win games without their top starters, while playing on the road most nights.

With the roster getting healthier and the travel getting lighter, the Bulls will be eyeing a strong second-half finish as they plod towards the playoffs.

Chicago is an amazing 46-5 combined over the past two seasons at home. This dominance at home should allow the Bulls to approach 50 wins in this strike-shortened season regardless of how they perform outside of Chicago.

The Bulls are 37-21 on the road over the past two seasons, and are combined for an astounding .638 road winning-percentage. 

The dominance the Bulls have demonstrated this season despite injuries and a road-heavy schedule over the first half of the season has them squarely (and correctly) pegged as one of the NBA’s elite teams. 

Championship caliber teams are able to consistently overcome adversity. 

The Bulls have not only been able to overcome adversity in the form of injuries, but also been able to battle the heavy travel in the early season with relative ease. 

Being the number one seed does not guarantee a trip to the NBA Finals and thus a shot at the world championship, but the Bulls know this all too well after their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the two-seeded Miami Heat a year ago.

This season however, it could mean the difference between playing a team with finals pedigree like: Boston or Orlando in the first round as a two-seed, and instead battling a below .500 team such as: Milwaukee or Cleveland as a one-seed.  

With over half the season to go, there will be plenty of teams rising and falling in the proverbial "power rankings," but with the Bulls having logged the majority of their road schedule early on, look for them to remain at the top of the mountain as the regular season finishes up.