The Chicago Bulls want to be real.

Their 6-1 record, best in the Eastern Conference, should be convincing enough on its own. Only the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder (8-0) have won more games. Yet the Bulls can’t escape the specter of uncertainty cast by the last three years of mediocre, myopic and ultimately meaningless basketball.

Photos: Chicago Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers 113-111

Winning isn’t reliable in Chicago. Distrust invades every conversation around the Bulls, a clunky asterisk hanging over the rare delight of winning six games in less than two weeks.

Even the players don’t want to get ahead of themselves. In the locker room and on the sidelines and at the podium, they repeat the same dampening reminders — the season is long, it’s only seven games, they h

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