The Bulls' big problem

They can't seem to beat the best teams in the East.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

Bullfight, Edouard Manet, 1865-66

The Miami Heat shredded the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. This is not a huge surprise because the Bulls have been beaten pretty consistently by the other top-tier contenders in the Eastern Conference. As of now, this season the Bulls are:

• 0-3 against the Heat

• 0-3 against the 76ers

• 0-1 against the Bucks

• 1-1 against the Cavaliers

• 1-1 against the Celtics

They’ll likely need to beat two of those teams in best-of-seven series to make the NBA Finals.

This speaks to what’s odd about the Bulls this season: their win-loss record is really strong (39-23, second in the East) but their scoring margin is much less impressive (+1.7 points per 100 possessions, 12th in the league and 6th in the East). You know all of those clutch shots DeMar DeRozan has hit this season? The Bulls have needed those to get to 39-23. You’d rather win those games than lose them, of course. But you’d prefer to not even need them because you win comfortably. The Bulls don’t often win comfortably, at least not compared to their peers.

The results thus far, while still a huge overachievement for Chicago based on reasonable expectations coming in, make you question how the Bulls will perform in the playoffs. On one hand, based on head-to-head results and overall scoring margin, the Bulls seem to be either a step below the best East teams or on the bottom rung of that ladder. On the other hand, the Bulls have shown an overall ability to win tight games (just not against these particular teams) — and winning tight games is part of playoff success.

To be clear, none of this is about DeMar DeRozan’s throwback offensive stylings. The Bulls offense is excellent, and absolutely not the problem. Defense is where Chicago is falling apart, including in Monday’s loss where Miami got a bunch open looks on cuts and exploited a lack of Bulls rim protection. Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso are Chicago’s two best defenders, and them being out is important in assessing the team’s long-term defensive potential. But still, the Bulls are No. 20 in the league in defense right now. In games against other good-to-great teams, that’s just a huge hole to cover up.