For all their inconsistencies, Chicago Bulls are 8-1 against the best teams in the East

The Bulls seem to heat up versus the best in the East but are lukewarm against other opponents.

The Chicago Bulls have been, for the most part, subpar this season, as their 17-21 record would indicate. But, against the East's best teams, they have been surprisingly successful - in fact, they are 8-1 against the top four teams in the Eastern Conference (the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Miami Heat).

Puzzling trend

On Wednesday, the Bulls once again showed that they could defeat the East's best teams with a 121-112 win over the Nets. That victory was the Bulls' second over Brooklyn this season after they also defeated the Atlantic Division powerhouse, 108-99, in a clash last November 2.

As impressive as that victory was, the Bulls also defeated other top Eastern Conference teams. They are 2-0 against the league-leading Celtics, beating them 120-102 on October 25 and again on November 5, 123-119, in a win that saw DeMar DeRozan go off for 46 points.

Chicago has also outplayed the second-best team in the East — the Bucks — twice this season. They first beat them 118-113 on November 24 in a thrilling game where reserve guard Coby White hit two huge triples to help the Bulls pull off the win. Proving the victory was no fluke, the Bulls snatched another one over the Bucks last December 29, 123-119, in overtime, as DeRozan exploded for 42 points.

Inconsistency

So, what is going on? How can a team that is mediocre at best against the rest of the league (12-15 versus teams over .500 and 5-6 with teams under .500) be so successful against its toughest competition? That is indeed a puzzling fact and there is no obvious answer. On any given night, it seems like the Bulls can either shock their opponents and show up or get blown out and look completely incompetent.

The Bulls, in their current form, are an enigma — a team that can challenge the league's elite while being unable to consistently compete against the rest of their opponents. One thing is certain though: when the Bulls face off against the East's best teams, it will be worth tuning in to see what happens.

Who knows? Maybe they will pull off another shocker and improve their record against the Eastern Conference's best even further.

Only time will tell.