Bulls need a 4-0 week

By the end of the week, we should know how serious the Bulls are about making the playoffs.

With four winnable games coming up, they could seize control of the eighth spot in the East and worry more about moving up than looking back. Or they could choose not to walk through the wide-open door and spend the final days of the regular season scoreboard-watching. Here's a game-by-game preview:

Washington, Monday: The Bulls have had some brutal losses this season, but it doesn't get much more embarrassing than losing 113-90 to the lowly Wizards with President Obama, a self-described die-hard Bulls fan, watching from the front row on Feb. 27.

I was surprised to find that the win over the Bulls was not Washington's most lopsided victory of the season. The Wizards beat Golden State by 24 back on Nov. 25.

The Bulls should be plenty motivated to erase memories of the last trip to D.C., but it probably won't hurt that Oklahoma's Blake Griffin piled up 33 points and 14 rebounds against Michigan on Saturday. Expect to hear the words “one-man draft” pop up a few times in June. Griffin is the obvious No. 1 pick and the Wizards might have more to gain by losing.

Detroit, Tuesday: If the Bulls beat Washington, then knock off Detroit, they would move within 1 game of the Pistons for seventh place in the East. There is no great first-round playoff matchup waiting for the Bulls, but moving out of the eighth slot should mean bypassing LeBron James, which sounds good in theory.

The Pistons are a mess, with Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson all sidelined with injuries. But they weren't playing well with everyone healthy, either. Detroit is 12-23 since Jan. 10 and plays 9 of its last 13 games on the road.

The Bulls visit the Palace on April 13 for the second-to-last game of the regular season. If they get on a roll this week, that contest might have no bearing on the standings.

Miami, Thursday: The motivation for this game should be obvious. The Bulls are 0-3 against the Heat this season and lost the last two games in the final second. This will be their last chance to hang a loss on the Dwyane Wade Show.

Indiana, Saturday: The Pacers provided the NBA's feel-good story of the week. Guards Jarret Jack and T.J. Ford began arguing during Friday's loss to Dallas. A day later, Jack hit 13-of-14 shots for 31 points as Indiana rolled over Charlotte on the road by 25 points, breaking a five-game losing streak in the process.

The emotion should wear off by next weekend and the Pacers are one of the league's worst road teams.

I would expect this season to play out like 2005-06 when the Bulls took advantage of an easy schedule to finish with a 12-2 surge. They reached .500 and took eventual champ Miami to six games in the playoffs.

A 10-2 record the rest of the way isn't out of the question this year, which would give the Bulls 42 wins. They need to start by bringing the same energy against the Wizards as they did against the Lakers on Saturday, while going a little deeper into the bench.