“There’s levels to this and they’re just not on it yet” - Stephen A. Smith believes the Chicago Bulls are not at the level of teams like the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors

If the playoffs started today, the Chicago Bulls would be at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 27-13 record, making them the number one seed. Despite their place in the standings, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith does not fully believe the Bulls are at the same level as the top NBA Finals contenders.

After making three big free-agent signings after a big offseason, the Chicago Bulls are back. DeMar DeRozan is looking like an MVP candidate, while Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have fit perfectly into the team.

After the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets blew out the Bulls, 138-96 and 138-112 respectively. Smith appeared on the NBA on ESPN broadcast to speak about the Bulls following the heavy loss to the Warriors saying,

“We have seen over the last two games, a team like the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors say, y’all are good, we give y’all your respect. KD said Chicago is back…But there’s levels to this and they’re just not on it yet.”

The Bulls have lost their last two games to the Warriors and Nets by a combined 68 points while also allowing 138 points to be scored against them in both games. If the Bulls want to be considered championship contenders, they will need to keep games closer than that when facing elite teams. Losing by such a wide margin in both of these games sets them back in the minds of many NBA fans.

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Where do the Chicago Bulls sit as NBA Finals contenders?

The Chicago Bulls are clearly one of the better teams in the NBA and have proved that based on their early regular-season record. It was unclear how the team would perform since a few of their critical pieces had never played together before this season, but it seems to be working out well in Chicago.

The offseason additions have been super impactful, with starters such as DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic who have begun their time with the Bulls playing like NBA All-Stars. While also seeming to gel well with the existing members of the team, including franchise star Zach LaVine.

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However, the fact remains that they have a relatively new team with minimal playoff experience, outside of DeRozan. In the playoffs, they could come up against any of the following conference teams: the Nets, who have elite NBA Finals winning players, the Milwaukee Bucks who are defending NBA champions, and the Miami Heat, who were in the Finals two years ago.

In the East, the three aforementioned teams' rosters are not only deep but they also consist of players with a lot more playoff minutes under their belt. Many feel that with the Bulls' current personnel, the team sits just below that level, and that it is up to them to prove just how far behind they really are.