There are four games left in what’s been an eventful NBA season for the Chicago Bulls.

Zach LaVine finally got traded, but Nikola Vucevic stayed. Lonzo Ball returned to the court after three years and played a crucial role off the bench. Josh Giddey has seemingly taken “the leap,” becoming an efficient scorer, three-point shooter and nightly triple-double threat. Coby White has adjusted and settled into his new role as the Bulls’ No. 1 offensive option.

Matas Buzelis’ rookie year had humble beginnings, but the 20-year-old has started every game since Feb. 5, showing an enticing combination of size and athleticism that makes it easy to picture a 6-foot-10 jumbo two-way combo forward in the future.

Unfortunately, all that optimism has led the Bulls to an all-too-familiar spot: A No. 9 or 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and a spot in the Play-In Tournament. (Even a seemingly inevitable matchup with the Miami Heat, who’ve knocked Chicago out of the Play-In and ended its season the last two years).

That said, there are still scenarios in which the Bulls can avoid Miami and avoid playing twice to make the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

NBA Postseason Scenarios: Where will the Chicago Bulls finish?

Heading into play on April 7, Chicago is 36-42 and in ninth place in the East. The Bulls are one game ahead of the Heat and one behind the Atlanta Hawks for eighth. (And two behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed, but getting there seems like a long shot with only four games to go.)

Those four teams are guaranteed to place, in some order, 7 through 10 heading into the postseason. The winner of the 7-8 game automatically earns a berth in the playoffs, while the winner of the 9-10 game has to beat the loser of the 7-8 game to earn the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Technically, the Bulls are still in play for any of the four seeds, but it seems likeliest that they finish the year at No. 9. That would mean a potential revenge game against the Heat, except with the higher seed, Chicago would get to host that matchup in The Windy City.

The Bulls’ final four games, in order, are at the Cavaliers, home to the Heat, home to the Washington Wizards and at the Philadelphia 76ers. A 3-1 finish is certainly within reach.

The Hawks battle Orlando twice as those teams jockey for the No. 7 seed. Atlanta also plays road games against the 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.

In the event the Hawks and Bulls finish with the same record, Atlanta would earn the higher seed based on a head-to-head tiebreaker.

Yes, it’s still within play that Chicago reaches that 7-8 game, but hosting the Heat in the 9-10 matchup seems like the most probable outcome.