Chicago Bulls: The 1 Thing That Separates Them from the Heat and Thunder

The Bulls’ 14-point win over the Utah Jazz was pretty impressive considering the fact that Chicago was playing without three of their starters.

The win itself signaled a return to winning form after having an eight-game win streak snapped by the Orlando Magic back on March 8.

Playing and winning shorthanded has been a regular thing for the Bulls this season.

Despite injuries that have caused Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton to sit out multiple games this year, the Bulls still have the league’s best record.

To complement that, they also have the most road wins and have consistently remained in the top three for rebounds, assists and points allowed per game.

It goes without saying that Chicago is one of the NBA’s elite teams this season.

Accomplishments notwithstanding, the Bulls still have a hard time finding their way into mainstream media conversations about 2012 NBA title favorites.

The Oklahoma City Thunder supposedly have the West all but locked up, and the Miami Heat will win the East, because apparently the Bulls are still not good enough to beat them in a seven-game series.

While those two teams certainly have a great chance and the talent to win it all, it’s not as forgone a conclusion as many would like basketball fans to believe.

All things considered, the Bulls have just as good a shot as both of those teams.

When these teams are examined a little closer, there is one thing that gives the Bulls an edge over their top power-ranking contemporaries—Chicago has yet to post back-to-back losses.

Granted, a win-loss record doesn’t necessarily constitute playoff success. However, the way a team wins and loses in the regular season does give an indication of how resilient they can be when the postseason starts.

The ability to quickly adjust in the playoffs is the difference between being able to make a serious title push and fizzling out in the second round.

Chicago’s avoidance of consecutive losses so far this season shows that they learn quickly from the things that cost them victories and adjust fast enough to ensure the next game is a win.

Supplementing that bounce-back quality is the fact that Chicago is also 3-0 in rematches against teams who beat them in previous meetings.

The Bulls have demonstrated all year how much they have matured and how they are quickly on pace to becoming a championship-caliber team.

Their tough, team-first brand of basketball may not make generate the sexy storylines that the national media is looking to report, but the Bulls will soon force everyone to take notice.

Besides, their numbers are doing the talking right now.

While Oklahoma City and Miami get all the hype, Chicago sits above them both in league standings.