2012 N.B.A. Playoffs - Sixers Push Bulls to the Brink - NYTimes.com Michael Perez/Associated Press Spencer Hawes knocked down a 3-pointer in the first half. He led the 76ers with 22 points. PHILADELPHIA - Before the N.B.A. playoffs began, the Chicago Bulls were a legitimate championship contender. Now, they are struggling to get out of the first round. The Bulls lost to the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, 89-82, Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center. They trail the best-of-seven opening-round series by three games to one. Game 5 will be Tuesday night at the United Center in Chicago. Spencer Hawes led the Sixers with 22 points, Jrue Holiday had 20. In a flash, the Bulls" chances diminished when Derrick Rose crashed to the floor late in Game 1, the result of a torn A.C.L. in his left knee. Even without an injured Rose down the stretch in the regular season, the Bulls finished 18-9 during the regular season and still could have gotten through much of the Eastern Conference in the postseason. Then center Joakim Noah went down in Game 3 with a sprained left ankle and was inactive for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. Playing without an most valuable player contender and their best rebounder and low-post defender sure does not make the Bulls look so daunting as a No. 1 seed anymore. In N.B.A. playoff history, the eighth seed has defeated the top seed four times, including last season when the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs. Other No. 8 seeds to win were the Golden State Warriors over the Dallas Mavericks in 2007, the Knicks over the Miami Heat in "99 and the Denver Nuggets over the Seattle SuperSonics in "94. It is unclear whether Noah will return in this series. If he does, the Bulls have a shot to win this round. But a title? That seems highly unlikely. The circumstances sure have changed since this 66-game lockout-shortened season began at Christmas. Once considered a team with championship aspirations, the Bulls, who have lost three in a row, are on the verge of being sent home.