The Sporting News magazine is spending the year solving debates in the sports world, in commemoration of their 125th anniversary. This month’s debate focused on the NBA, with the magazine tackling the debate of who the greatest single-season team in NBA history was.

In what is sure to be one of a few representatives from Chicago amid the “Greatest of All Time” debates they will solve, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls squad was named the greatest team in NBA history.

It’s not that difficult to see why the Bulls were able to beat out great Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics teams from years and decades before.

Of course, it was a team that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as well as Dennis Rodman in his first year as a Bull after being traded by the San Antonio Spurs.

It was a team that featured several records and accolades, from up and down the roster. Jordan averaged over 30 points per game, as well as just over two steals per. Rodman was good for 15 boards a game, while Pippen and Tony Kukoc were the only two other Bulls to average in double figures in terms of scoring, with 19 and 13 PPG, respectively.

For the team that won 72 games, and NBA record, they certainly weren’t generous in sharing awards. Jordan won three different MVPs, taking it home for the NBA’s regular season, the NBA Finals, and the All Star Game. He was also named to the All-NBA defensive team, as well as the All-NBA team, as he led the entire league in every scoring category.

But Jordan wasn’t the only one to take home some accolades from that season. Phil Jackson was named Coach of the Year. Pippen joined Jordan on the All-NBA first team, and both he and Rodman were featured on the NBA’s All-Defensive team as well. And Kukoc was named Sixth Man of the Year.

The ’95-’96 Bulls team was the only non-Lakers or Celtics team in the top five, but they weren’t the only Chicago team in the Top 10. The ’91-’92 team, which was the season in which the Bulls won their first NBA title, was ranked No. 9.

That 72-win team continues to be the benchmark for these powerhouse teams like the Celtics’ Big Three in ’07, and this year’s Big Three for the Miami heat. Neither team was able to eclipse the mark, and it remains to be seen if anyone will ever be able to even touch it, let alone beat it.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Professional sports bring out the best in fans and analysts: passion, pride, and a Pandora’s box of overused and clichéd words and phrases. Words like adversity and disrespect echo throughout the sporting landscape constantly. However, in the case of the Chicago Bulls, one of those overused phrases might just fit the bill.

Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers notwithstanding, the Bulls might just be among the more disrespected teams out there among contenders.

Despite holding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, boasting the league’s leading MVP candidate in Derrick Rose, as well as a pair of top notch big men, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, the Bulls have failed to garner much attention as a serious title contender.

Analysts have been quick to point out the Lakers and Spurs as their reasoning for counting out the Bulls. Even in the East, noted Miami Heat sympathizer Chris Broussard has said they are still a year away from being a real threat to hoist a championship trophy, saying he’d take both the Heat and Celtics in a seven-game series.

Others have been quick to point out that the Bulls rank in the bottom half of the league in team points per game, just one notch above the Boston Celtics, who are 21st in the league.

In doing so, many have completely discounted the real strength of this team: their defense. The Bulls are second in the league in opposing points per, trailing only, you guessed it, the Celtics. But while the Bulls are giving up about a half a point more per game than Boston, their point differential in each game is also more impressive than Boston, winning by an average of 7.39 points.

The Bulls also dominate on the glass, coming in at No. 2 in the league in rebounds per game, which trails only Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the fact that they are in the second spot in rebounds, the Bulls are also holding their opponent to the lowest rebound totals in the league, per game.

It’s that defense that makes the Bulls a completely legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, and quite possibly, the NBA.

The formula for beating the Miami Heat is a relatively simple one. Solid point guard play and winning the battles down low. Considering the Bulls boast, arguably, the league’s best point guard in Derrick Rose, that first part is a cinch. The second part requires both Noah and Boozer to be strong down low, against the Heat combination of Chris Bosh and Erick Dampier.

With Bosh one of the softest big men in the league, the Bulls have a formidable advantage down low, in addition to the point. The only concern becomes their ability to stop Dwayne Wade and LeBron James in a seven-game series. Given that the Bulls swept the Heat in their trio of meetings this year, I like those odds.

The team that promises to give the Bulls the most grief out of the Eastern Conference is the Boston Celtics. The two sides met a few years ago in an epic first round matchup in the playoffs, with the No. 8 seeded Bulls nearly upsetting the Celtics and their “Big Three”.

But that was a different Bulls team, with an unproven Rose and a still-raw Noah, along with guys like Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. This team is much deeper than that team from ’08-’09, and promises to give the Celtics a run for their money.

It’s no secret that the Celtics are favored by many to take the East, and rightfully so. They’ve been there before, and they have the depth to keep up with anyone in the league. However, that depth is also aging quickly. Shaquille O’Neal, who Boston is relying heavy on at center, has struggled with his health of late. Who knows if Kevin Garnett could hold up against both Boozer and Noah if he was the main man in the middle in the postseason.

Rajon Rondo has struggled at the point guard spot as well. But we saw these same struggles from the C’s last year, right before they made another appearance in the NBA finals. While the Bulls could handle the Heat in a seven-game series, a series against Boston would be an epic one, and could go either way, depending on the health of Boston.

While Broussard might be right, and the Bulls might be a year away, it’s hard to ignore what the Bulls have done to this point in the season.

With their capabilities on the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls certainly enlist the talent and skill to hang around with anyone in the league. Whether they can win a seven-game series against the likes of Boston remains to be seen. But there’s no question that this team has earned the right to be where they are, and are going to make some serious noise come playoff time.

The Bulls have went through bad trades, bad drafts and a list of coaches longer than the brattiest little kid’s Christmas wish novels…they have developed from lists.

Finally, one last time, they have made some moves and decisions to prove Chicago has a winning mindset instead of simply only being an organization in the NBA.

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It starts with Derrick Rose, who is a top MVP candidate and is leading the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 21-10 record as he is eighth in the NBA in scoring and assists with 24 points and eight assists per game.

The Bulls  have won 12 of their last 14 games and have done so in every aspect of the game from shooting, defense, managing turnovers and rebounding.

The above is a statement of gratitude to the Chicago Bulls front office for its will and completion of getting players and coaches the team needs to win.

Tyrus Thomas, John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich were all traded because they didn’t fit in the puzzle. Thomas had problems with authority and couldn’t put productive games back to back. Salmons played great at the end of the 2008-09 season when the Bulls traded for him at the deadline, but as last season went on he too became inconsistent and wasn’t reliable for anything except 12-to-15 shot attempts a game. Hinrich, one of my favorite Bulls, will be missed but he was overpaid and with Rose playing at the level he does, there was no longer a need for him on the team.

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The three of them were traded for expiring contracts which gave Chicago enough money to get the type of players they needed: an inside presence in Carlos Boozer, a shooter in Kyle Korver and perimeter defense in Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans.

Sure, the Bulls wanted to get one of the bigger names in the summer’s free agency circus but they didn’t land a LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh. Instead of giving up, they got an all-star caliber player in Boozer and continued to shop for role players to help the team to get out of the bottom of the playoff bracket.

The Chicago roster can not be spoken about without the mention of the two big men who put fear in opposing offenses.

Joakim Noah, who I was upset with the Bulls for drafting, has proved to the world he is a top center in the league. Noah is averaging a double-double for the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds a game and bothers every teams inside scorer with his great defense. I forgot to mention he is averaging two blocks a game.

During last year’s rookie season, Taj Gibson showed he could be a force on the court as he was a steal with the 26th pick in the 2009 draft. This season he is coming off the bench to score eight points and grab five rebounds  game. But when Boozer missed 15 games because of a broken hand and Noah first had surgery on his thumb, he put up starter numbers in starter minutes including four double-doubles and has season highs of 18 points and 18 rebounds. He also averages a block and a half a game.

Last season’s coach Vinny Del Negro didn’t do anything for the Bulls except upset fans and players on the team. He led the squad to another 41-41 record and an early departure from the playoffs. He might not have had a championship roster but he didn’t play his cards right to win games when he had the chance to.

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With that said, the Bulls hired Boston Celtics assistant coach and defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau to teach the Bulls how to play the game. Thankfully, it seems to be working out as Joakim Noah said he is learning more about the game than he ever has on the Bulls-Nets broadcast. Thibs has brought a defensive emphasis and cohesiveness to a team based around young players.

For the first time since the championship run with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, the Bulls are towards the top of the conference and are being looked at as a contender. Chicago may not make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they will make it past the first round and will give whichever team its playing a run for its money.

2010 has been successful for the Chicago Bulls and should be the gateway for a great 2011.

Derrick Rose is playing at an MVP level, Carlos Boozer is at an all-star level and if he didn’t tear ligaments in his thumb Joakim Noah would be an all-star also.

With everything on the up and up in Chicago, it’s only going to look better as eight of the next ten games are against teams under .500.

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The best thing about this is, no one is talking about the Bulls because of all of the other drama happening in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics are dealing with the injury to Kevin Garnett’s right leg, which was first said to be his knee but ESPN has the injury listed as his calf on Garnett’s player card. Besides the injury to one of their big three, the Celtics have been playing good ball and are at the top of the conference. If they fall off the top of the ladder or remain, there is going to be hoopla around the organization the duration of Garnett’s absence.

Miami is a circus show and as long as the team is still in existence with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat roster, they will always have more shine than Chicago.

The Orlando Magic were stagnant with their roster so they made headlines with blockbuster deals which moved Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat while receiving Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. This deal puts them back in the elite race because they now have players who want to win instead of simply being paid.

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While all this is going on, the Bulls are staying off the radar and doing what they have to do to win games.

Mentioned before, Noah had surgery on his thumb and has missed six games which has resulted in only two loses for the Bulls. The team hasn’t technically filled the void, but they are putting in players who are producing where Noah did, defensively. Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik and James Johnson have stepped up their game and have made a difference coming off the bench.

Carlos Boozer had a couple of rough games after his return from his broken hand, but since then he has been unstoppable and has opened up the Bulls offense like never before. Chicago finally has an inside presence to draw double teams but also has great passing skills to find the open shooter.

Rose, Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans are shining as shooters because of Boozers job inside.

The only thing to worry about is becoming complaisant against lesser teams such as the New Jersey Nets (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Bobcats.

Fortunately, the Bulls have a roster full of character guys who thrive on proving the masses wrong.

The only two winning teams in the next ten games are the Celtics and the Heat. If the Bulls continue to play at their current level they could possibly win both of these games.

My early prediction is: Chicago takes nine out of the next ten games.

Leave your prediction…

How will the Bulls finish in the next ten games?

I understand this is a brash statement early in the season and the NBA is full of players who are contending for the award, but by the time the trophy has been molded to shape and the name plate inscripted, Rose will clarify himself as the best player in the league.

Rose led the Bulls to a 9-6 record in the first 15 games of the season and was on top of each box score in everything but rebounds and blocks, although he has those on his season stat board as well. Since then, Chicago is the third best team in the Eastern Conference with a 16-9 record, including a seven game win streak.

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Unlike Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics, Rose is ranked in the top 10 of the league’s assist men without having a team full of future hall of famers or pinpoint shooters. Rose isn’t working with historical 3-point shooter Ray Allen or Paul Pierce, who is one of the most physical offensive threats in the NBA, but with a roster full of defensive-minded players. Kyle Korver is the only true shooter the Bulls have and he doesn’t get more than 23 minutes per game because he doesn’t play defense coach Tom Thibodeau’s way.

Though Carlos Boozer is now back from injury and playing well, when the Bulls are running the court Rose has to either hope someone is under the basket or take it himself, because a spot shooter is not an option.

Rose is averaging 25 points a game which was fourth-highest in the league, but the efforts of the Dallas Maverick’s Dirk Nowitzki and the Golden State Warrior’s Manta Ellis have slid him to sixth. Ellis is doing nothing but scoring while his team is the third worst in the Western Conference with a 8-19 record. On the other hand, Nowitzki has been playing around the similar level of play he was when he won the MVP for the 2006-07 season.

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Chicago defeated the Mavericks 88-83 Nov. 19 even with Dirk scoring 36 points and beat the Warriors handily12-90 Nov. 11.

The other three ahead of him–Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire and Kevin Durant–are all realistic MVP candidates and most likely on the watch list ahead of Rose. But Kobe will slow down as the season goes on similar to last year, Stoudemire’s defensive weakness will haunt him and Durant doesn’t do much more than shoot the ball and grab a few rebounds.

Against the Lakers Dec. 10, Rose out shined everyone under the LA sun including the king of all NBA stars, Kobe Bryant as Rose went for 29 points and nine assists while Bryant had 23 and seven. There isn’t much of a difference, but the extra six points Rose scored compared to Kobe gave the Bulls a 88-84 victory.

Every layup Rose attempted, whether it went through the twine or bounced off the rim could have made any highlight reel because of the show of talent and beauty each one of them possessed.

Rose is scoring high, assisting high and leading a team everyone wrote off or gave a small chance to be successful this season. If a game is tied in the late stages or a buzzer beater needs to be hit to win in overtime–see the Houston Rockets game Dec. 4–Rose steps up and gets the W.

The New York Knicks are in sixth place but would be out of the playoffs without Stoudemire, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are coasting only because of Durant.

Without Rose, the Bulls would be in the basement of the NBA and no one would be talking about them doing anything except firing one coach and hiring another.

Although the Thunder are in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 19-9 record, they fell to the Bulls December 6.

Rose and the Bulls are almost unbeatable at the United Center (10-3), which isn’t even the arena Rose has shined in the most. During the seven-games-in-11-days west coast road trip in mid-November, he played in six games and had 30 or more points in five of them.

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Since then he has continued to attack opposing defenses with the same tenacity, which has given him consistent numbers the entire season. The Los Angeles Clippers may have defeated the Bulls 100-99 Saturday, but it wasn’t due to lack of effort from Rose, who understands everyone has to step up their game since Joakim Noah is out of the lineup for 8-to-10 weeks to recover from a surgery he had to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb.

Without the big man in the middle, Rose realized he had to take the hoop to the basket more to get open looks for others or to simply bring the defense inside to give the outside some breathing room. He had game highs with 34 points and eight assists while also grabbing six rebounds.

I could write all-day about Rose’s great play and how he deserves more recognition then he receives around the league but I think it can all be summed up by stating…The All-Star who is soon to be labeled a superstar is putting up top NBA numbers and making his team, full of marginal role players, put up better numbers while earning victories against other MVP candidates.

This makes him a top MVP vote getter in my book.

Saturday, Chicago answered the hype once again early in the season, by leaving their “circus trip” on the west coast with a 4-3 record. The first winning record on the annual road trip since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were the kings of the court in 1998.

The pieces of talent and solid coaching are coming together to have the Bulls answer the hype, even though Boozer hasn’t played a game and won’t until Wednesday or Friday.

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At 9-6, the Bulls are on top of the central division and are the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference, but only a half game behind the Atlanta Hawks, who have played three more games than the Bulls. The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic are only two and a half games ahead of the Bulls as they are tied with 12-4 records.

I’ve said this before, but the Bulls are doing all of this without Boozer.

On the road trip, Chicago played great basketball and gave each of its west coast opponents competition, which is the first time in 12 years.

The Bulls started the 7 games in 11 days road trip by defeat the Houston Rockets (5-11), which wasn’t a surprise because the Rockets are not playing well because they can’t find a way to include Kevin Martin in the offense or find someone on the bench to add any scoring.

Tony Parker, who had just been served divorce papers from Eva Longoria a few hours before the game, made sure his San Antonio Spurs (14-2) would get the win on the second game of Chicago’s road trip. The Spurs won 103-94, but the Bulls outscored the Spurs in three quarters of the game.

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San Antonio unleashed a 37-point scoring onslaught while only allowing the Bulls 12 points in the third quarter, which won the game for the Spurs. Parker scored 21 points and led the game with seven assists while Tim Duncan dropped 16 points and grabbed a season high 18 rebounds.

In the third game, Dirk Nowitzki scored 36 points for the Dallas Mavericks (12-4), but the Bulls got the win 88-83 because their defense over powered the high scoring Maverick offense.

The Los Angeles Lakers (13-4) bench beat the Bulls on the fourth game of the road trip as Shannon Brown scored 18 points in the first half off 4-of-5 shooting from the three-point line, then Steve Blake and Matt Barnes hit clutch threes in the fourth quarter to open the game up for the victory. The Lakers bench scored 39 points compared to the Bulls 10 points from the bench to win the game 98-91.

In the most thrilling game of the road trip, the Bulls beat the 8-9 Phoenix Suns 123-115 in double overtime. I can’t even lie about this one, the game was on my computer and the Bulls were down by 15 points in the third quarter. Instead of watching the rest of the game, I turned on a different game and played NBA2K11, thinking the game was over. My friend text me and asked if I was watching it because the Bulls forced overtime. I’ll never lose faith again.

Chicago defeated the 10-6 Denver Nuggets Nov. 8, 94-92, giving Carmelo Anthony fuel to lead his team to a 98-97 victory the second time around when the Bulls came to their place. Melo scored 22 points for the Nuggets including the game winning jumper.

Saturday, the Bulls finished the road trip by defeating the 4-11 Sacramento Kings, 96-85. Not much to speak about here, the Bulls dominated the game, including Rose breaking Tyreke Evans ankles more than once.

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As you can tell, there was a trend, win one-lose one, which might make you think, okay, that’s not impressive. But, it is, when you’re talking about games against three of the six best teams in the league in the Spurs, Lakers and Mavericks, plus the Nuggets, who are in the top eight in the Western Conference.

The Western Conference has seven teams with 10 or more wins, while the Eastern Conference has three: Magic, Celtics and Hawks.

Chicago has made a gigantic stride towards the top of the conference and with similar play as this road trip against the Western Conference, they will be approaching the top of the entire league.

Although every Oct. makes me giddy as a little school girl, 2001 even made my cheeks blush and palms sweat because my favorite athlete to ever play in any sport was on the cover and the main feature, of course, it’s Michael Jordan.

If you haven’t got the chance to play NBA2k11 yet, stop what you’re doing, even if it means not reading the rest of this post, and go buy it. But if you already have it, are broke, or just think I’m coco for coconuts, read this post and the next nine of the series known as the Jordan Challenge Breakdown. If all works out, my posts will excite you about the game.

In each post of the series, I’ll break down each challenge and tell you why it was one of the best video game modes ever played, or why it should have been substituted for another one of Jordan’s great moments because let’s face it, there is more than 10.

The first Thechallenge in NBA2k11 is called “the Arrival” and is based on the 1986 playoff game against the Boston Celtics, in which Jordan set a league playoff record by scoring 63 points.

History lesson:

1985-1986 was Jordan’s second season in which he only played 18 games because he broke his foot in the regular season. This game was the first time MJ scored more than 50 points. Although, he had a dominant performance, the Bulls lost the game in double overtime and were swept by Larry Bird and company.

2K11:

In any Jordan Challenge, there are goals a player needs to defeat to be able to consider it completed.

“The Arrival” challenges Jordan to score 63 points, shoot 50% from the field and record six assists.

Although, it wasn’t easy to score 63 points in five minute quarters, I did it in one try. Shooting three-point baskets isn’t the key with a young Jordan who hasn’t developed the long ball yet. As mentioned above, he is young which means he is “His Airness”, so take it to the hoop. Jordan dunks on everybody from Robert Parish to Kevin McHale to Bird.

If a defender happens to force Jordan to change his shot, he makes a circus layup, just like in the actual game. He is also unstoppable from mid-range unless someone blocks his shot.

Besides playing with Jordan, this challenge gives gamers the opportunity to use John Paxson, Bulls current Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Charles Oakley and NBA legend George Gervin, who only played one year with the Bulls. Although, he had already been in the NBA for 12 years at this point, it was still fun trying to take it to the hoop with the “Iceman”.

Each player in the game is at the accurate time of his career. In the box score, move the cursor to Michael Jordan and hit R3 and it will only give his stats for two years in the league and will have a picture of Jordan from 1985, not 2010. This is a nice touch, and makes it seem as if this game came out in 1985.

The one thing the game could have done better, is to get the entire rosters. The Bulls have seven players while the Celtics have only the starting lineup. Although Bill Walton was at the end of his career, it would have been nice to be able to dunk on him with Jordan as well.

Visual Concepts, the creator of the game, was able to create every person from the actual game whether they were a Bull, a Celtic, a coach or a fan.

The player’s shorts are low cut, shoes are one color (except for Air Jordans), black or white, and the fans look as if they were in the Bill Cosby Show with brown pants and simple colored polo shirts. Besides the people, the score board and the Boston Garden looks vintage with hardly any advertising, which today’s venues have them everywhere, big block lettering and numbering.

As mentioned above, Visual Concepts made it seem like I was part of the game in 1986, not playing a video game in 2010.

With everything said, this was a nice start to the Jordan Challenge and gave a feel for how real Visual Concepts attempted and succeeded to make NBA2K11.

On a scale from 1-to-10 with 10 being the highest, I give it a 8.

Unfortunately, Carlos Boozer tripped over a bag and broke his hand in the preseason. The offensively gifted power forward hasn’t played a game with the Bulls and the team is 7-4, not bad, considering Chicago’s $80 million dollar man is in streets clothes on the sideline.

Well, guess what, Boozer is scheduled to suite up for practice Nov. 30 and could be on the Bulls starting lineup as soon as Dec. 1.

What does Boozer playing mean to a team which is already shocking the league without a player who will get 20 points and 10 rebounds every game?

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It means the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics have to watch their back from falling from the two top spots in the Eastern Conference. Right now, the 7-4 Chicago Bulls are in third place, but with Boozer returning, the Bulls could very quickly gain the game and a half they’re back and build a lead of their own.

Dec. 1 has Chicago scheduled to play Orlando and then two days later, Dec. 3, the Bulls play the Celtics; isn’t this convenient and great NBA entertainment? Yes, yes it is.

This makes the Boozer deal even bigger, because the Bulls need the added depth and inside scoring to play with the bigger more physical Celtics and Dwight Howard. Not the Magic, just Howard.

Plus, the pro Rajon Rando/ anti Derrick Rose people will find out Rose  can match Rando’s dishing skills when he has someone to give the ball to.

After failing to sign one of the three players now in Miami, the Bulls were all but out of making progress from last season’s 41-41 regular season record and early dismissal from the playoffs as James and the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers whooped Chicago.

Although, he isn’t the best player in the league or even in the top 20, he adds to something the Bulls haven’t had in some time, a chance to be a dominant team. Since 1998 when the Bulls won their sixth and final championship, they haven’t been past the second round of the playoffs and they only got there once.

Friday’s win against the Dallas Mavericks made it the first time the Bulls went 2-1 in Texas, against the Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, since, you guessed it, 1998.

The Bulls are on their way to becoming realistic title contenders and a few of the things they could use, inside depth and scoring, are sitting on their bench. I can’t wait until Boozer is cleared to play, so we can see what the Bulls can really do.

Wednesday’s match-ups begin with the Chicago Bulls playing the second game of their “Circus Trip” as ESPN likes to call it. In the the road trip the Bulls will play seven west coast teams in 12 days including five of the seven top eight teams in the Western Conference. Wednesday finds the Bulls in San Antonio against the Spurs.

Tim Duncan and company are 8-1 which puts them in a three way tie for the best record in the league with the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are going to see who can past 6-4 as they meet in a battle of the disappointments. Miami’s big three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are not living up to the hype while the Suns, last year’s Western Conference Champions, are extremely inconsistent, mainly because they don’t have an inside presence. Oh, almost forgot, Robin Lopez, the Suns only valuable big man, is out with a knee injury.

What other games are Wednesday night?

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Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs…Bulls, I said before the Spurs would win, but after watching the Bulls play yesterday…I have faith

Phoenix Suns at Miami Heat…Heat, I’d love to say Suns so they could give Heat another loss, but the Suns have no inside presence at all, Bosh might have his best game of the season.

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers…Raptors, they have looked good compared to the 76ers, who will be without Andre Iguodala.

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics…Celtics, even if  Wall wasn’t sitting out with a foot injury, i’d still pick Boston because they are going to bone stomp Washington.

Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons…Lakers, they’re going to bone stomp them worse than Boston will Washington.

Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets…Hornets, they’re playing solid ball while the Mavericks have been inconsistant.

Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves…Clippers, Blake Griffin will beat them by himself.

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder…Rockets, the Thunder still have a problem beating bigger teams.

New Jersey Nets at Utah Jazz…Jazz, this will be closer than expected but Deron Williams will make the difference for the victory.

New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings…Knicks, New York can shoot well against teams who play little defense, this is one of them.

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D-Rose tore up the Rockets any way he wanted including scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter off drives to the baskets he finished with fancy layups and mid-range jumpers.

Is there any doubt in any ones mind that Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the NBA?

This might be a bold statement, but come on, what else does he have to do to prove it to you…pull a Rajon Rando score ten points and have 15 assists? Why… Rose is fifth in the league in scoring and leading all point guards with 25 points per game while assisting 9.2 times a game for seventh in the league.

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I’m not going to pick on Rando, because I’ve already done that, but could Rando put up the numbers he does as a Boston Celtic with the Chicago Bulls. Instead of having a historical  NBA shooter such as Ray Allen he would have Luol Deng, who is improving but not anywhere near Allen. Instead of a ruthless scoring threat such as Paul Pierce, he would have Keith Bogans, who will never be the top scorer of a Chicago Bulls game.

Chris Paul is dishing 10 assists a game but only putting up 17 points. The Hornets are only 8-1 but it’s more of a team effort with him guiding instead of sparking the effort such as Rose does on a nightly.

Utah Jazz’s Deron Williams is the closest to Rose averaging 22 points and 10 assists a game as Utah having a similar record to the Bulls (6-3) but the Jazz (7-4) started the season dropping their first two games by 22 and 16 points. If the amount of points the Bulls lost the three games by are added together, it equals only 25.

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Rose is putting up better numbers, is the spark for his team to come back from a 21 point deficit to win games and keeps his team competitive. He is the only point guard doing all three of these and playing solid defense on a consistent basis.

I thought this before, but the game against the Rockets confirm my allegation: Rose is the best point guard in the NBA.