When Was the Last Time the Bulls Made the Playoffs?

The Chicago Bulls are back in the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago stumbled a bit in the second half of the season, but held on to avoid the Play-In Tournament in the East.

The Bulls take on the No. 3 seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. It's a daunting task to take on the defending champs, and the Bulls lost all four regular season games they played against Milwaukee this season.

Despite that, Chicago has to be happy that the offseason moves for DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball (who is out with a knee injury) paid off enough for the team to make the postseason for the first time in five seasons.

When Was the Last Time the Bulls Made the Playoffs?

The Bulls last made the playoffs in the 2016-17 season with Fred Hoiberg as the team's head coach and Jimmy Butler leading the way averaging 23.9 points per game.

To put this in perspective, Butler has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat since then, leading the Heat to the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season.

The Bulls have moved on from Hoiberg and Jim Boylen as the team's head coach before new Team President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley hired Billy Donovan; leading them to the postseason in his second year.

Bulls Odds to Win the NBA Championship, Eastern Conference

The Bulls may be in the playoffs, but their road to the NBA Finals is a tough one.

Even with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and DeRozan, Chicago is a major underdog against the Bucks in the first round, coming in at +750 odds at WynnBET to win the series. A big reason for that is Chicago's struggles against elite teams this season.

However, if you're a believer in Chicago, you can bet on the Bulls at +3500 odds to win the Eastern Conference and +7500 odds to win the NBA Finals this season. I wouldn't recommend it, but I wouldn't judge any fans who want to dream now that the team is back in the playoffs.

How should you navigate the NBA playoffs and futures market? The BetSided has you covered in the NBA edition of "Fraud or Future!"