Its official: The Chicago Bulls are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and they are in a great position to make a solid run in the postseason.

Chicago is matched up against the Washington Wizards and even though the Bulls have a 2–1 win ratio against them in the regular season, the Bulls are the more talented team with better coaching which will advance them to the second round.

Last week, I predicted that the Bulls would advance past the first round, easily landing an advantageous matchup against the Indiana Pacers or the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The only problem with the Bulls heading into the series with the Wizards is that their last two games of the regular season ended in losses. Teams that are playing well at the end of the season do better in the playoffs.

Despite their sluggish end to the season, the Bulls have a head coach who more likely than not used the three days before the first game of the series to get his team focused.

This season, the basketball community has mocked the Eastern Conference because, besides the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, no other team in the East would still be competing had they been a Western Conference team.

Because of the lack of talented squads on the Bulls’ side of the bracket, members of the team won’t be golfing or fishing for a few more weeks, at least until they match up against the Heat in the conference finals.

The Pacers, who fumbled their way into the No. 1 seed, will get by the Atlanta Hawks, but the Bulls will expose what everyone missed earlier this season. The Pacers aren’t mentally tough enough to be title contenders yet.

Chicago will meet its match in Miami—the only realistic champion from the East—but the Bulls will go on one hell of a run for a team that most predicted would limp into the playoffs.

Listen to Nader Ihmoud every Monday night from 7–9 p.m. as he hosts the Benchwarmers Show on WCRX 88.1 FM.