Another sign Chicago is a threat in the Eastern Conference: winning record on annual west coast road trip
There have been many reasons to believe the Chicago Bulls are a real contender in the Eastern Conference this season including individual talent such as Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, new coach Tom Thibodeau with a defense emphasis and off-season pickups such as the $80 million man, Carlos Boozer.
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.
[picappgallerysingle id="7407198"]
Anticipation continues to build for Boozer’s Bull debut
During the off-season, the Chicago Bulls were not able to get LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or even Amare Stoudemire, which I’m glad, but they were able to pick up a player who could help take the Bulls from the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference to the elite status.
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.
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?
[picappgallerysingle id="8147863"]
Back in the game
After a two-day hiatus from making NBA game picks, Bullshome is back in the game.
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?
[picappgallerysingle id="8952781"]
Annual West Coast Road Trip
The Chicago Bulls will try to prove they’re a legitimate team in the Eastern Conference as they begin their annual mid-November west coast road trip Tuesday.
Each year the Bulls begin their season facing some of the east’s worst teams and a few best, then get thrown to the wolves in the Western Conference for a long stay of at least seven or eight games. This year the Bulls play seven teams in 11 days beginning with the Houston Rockets Tuesday and ending with the Sacramento Kings Nov. 27.
Five of the seven teams the Bulls will face are top eight teams in the Western Conference.
[picappgallerysingle id="10131143"]
Chicago gets above .500 to help me stay above .500
Wednesday’s 4-6 showing on NBA game picks had to get better somehow and it did with the Chicago Bulls dominating the Golden State Warriors to help confirm an above .500 record for Thursday.
Luol Deng led the way with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds, as all five starters scored in double-digits and had at least one steal and block. In general, the Bulls bone stomped the Warriors in every aspect of the game.
In other games around the NBA on Thursday, the Boston Celtics manhandled the Miami Heat once again. The final score was 112-107, but it only became close in the late minutes with a Heat run, but other than that, the Celtics owned the Heat from the time the ball was jumped. Boston’s Ray Allen scored 35 points including his gift to hit seven three-pointers , while Rajon Rondo dished out 16 assists as he continues to lead the league in assists per game with 14.9.
Boston’s record doesn’t matter, but the Heat who put together a superstar threesome in Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh fell to 5-4 to have all my co-workers, Facebook pals and other bloggers laughing at Miami.
[picappgallerysingle id="10120096"]
