The most crucial games for the Chicago Bulls this season

The fact that nobody has high hopes for the Chicago Bulls to dominate the league says a lot about the state of the team. The Bulls are stuck in no man's land—good enough to compete for a play-in spot, but not bad enough to land a high draft pick. And with the team bringing back the same core of players from last year's squad, how much different will the results be? For one, the Bulls can elevate their record by coming away victorious in these crucial matchups.

The Toronto Raptors

Without mincing words, the Bulls are not in the same stratosphere as the East's beasts—the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat, and the Boston Celtics. However, they can sneak into the Playoffs by winning games against the lower-tier teams. From this group, Toronto poses a fascinating matchup for Chicago.

The Bulls have had some success against them recently—they rallied from a double-digit deficit to stun the Raptors in the play-in tournament at the end of last season—and could continue that string of success with Toronto reshaping its roster, letting All-Star Fred Van Vleet walk away in free agency. Defeating a team in the same boat as them would go a long way in the standings.

"Their best chance at making the playoffs and avoiding another play-in trip is by outlasting teams in similar situations, such as the Raptors," Scott Polacek wrote.

"Defeating Toronto in head-to-head matchups will go a long way toward the race for the No. 5 or 6 seed to avoid the play-in tournament or even the No. 7 seed to have home-court in the play-in tournament," he added.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The season-opener is always a critical game for any team, yet it is even more important for the Bulls, which defied the clamor of fans and critics alike to retool their roster by doubling down on continuity. There are also plenty of questions about the first game Chicago will play.

"Who will start at point guard between Jevon Carter, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu or Alex Caruso? Who will start at power forward between Patrick Williams, Torrey Craig, and Caruso? And while those questions likely will have been answered throughout training camp—and, as an aside, the fact Caruso is mentioned at these two positions is wild—it's still going to be a raucous atmosphere at United Center," K.C. Johnson wrote.