Bulls hope to charge up East standings

By Bud L. Ellis

Were the playoffs to begin today, the Chicago Bulls would be in the postseason. But the Bulls hope for far better things in the season’s final 31 games.

Chicago opens the post All-Star section of its schedule Wednesday night on the road against the New York Knicks. The Bulls are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, holding onto the final playoff spot in the conference by one game over Milwaukee.

But with a record of 25-26, the Bulls hope they can play better down the stretch and move up in the conference standings. It’s certainly possible, given that Chicago sits just two games behind sixth-seed Charlotte, and is one percentage point behind seventh-place Miami.

The Bulls showed some signs of better play in the two weeks leading up to the All-Star break, winning six of their final 10 games. Chicago returns home Friday to play 13-win Minnesota, then plays host to 20-32 Philadelphia on Saturday.

Chicago has a chance to continue its winning ways, as the Bulls don’t see a team with a plus-.500 record until Portland comes to town next weekend.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:02 pm by bud

Tags: Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers