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#1
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San Antonio (1-0) at Chicago (0-0) By MATT BECKER, STATS Senior Writer 7 hours, 27 minutes ago How the Chicago Bulls fare this season depends largely on the play of reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose. Suiting up for the opener will be a good start. After missing most of the preseason due to an inflamed tendon behind his right ankle, Rose is expected to play for the Bulls in Thursday’s season opener at the United Center against the San Antonio Spurs, who should have starting point guard Tony Parker back in the lineup after he left their first game early. Following a 49-loss 2007-08, Chicago won the draft lottery despite long odds and selected Rose with the first pick of the 2008 draft. The hometown star took over the reins at point guard and did a solid job of directing the offense. He led all rookies with 6.3 assists per game and finished second among first-year players with a 16.8 scoring average while leading the Bulls to a 41-41 record and a playoff berth. Chicago was eliminated in the first round by Boston, but the Bulls didn’t go quietly, losing an epic seven-game series featuring a league-record four overtime contests. Rose made an immediate impact, matching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record with 36 points in his playoff debut. As Rose went in the playoffs, so went the Bulls. He averaged 29.0 points on 55.7 percent shooting and 9.0 assists in the three wins, but 12.8 points on 42.4 percent shooting and 4.5 assists in the four losses. For the Bulls to be successful this season, they need Rose to be more consistent. They also need him to be healthy. Rose played in just the preseason opener before missing the final seven exhibition games with the nagging ankle injury. He is expected to play in the opener, but his minutes will likely be limited. “We just need to hurry up and jell quick because we can make it far in the season,” he said. Rose struggled a bit against San Antonio as a rookie, averaging 11.0 points with the Bulls losing both games. Chicago has dropped four straight to the Spurs and 18 of the last 21 meetings. The core of the Bulls remains much the same as last season with Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, John Salmons and Luol Deng all returning, but they’ll need someone to take the place of top scorer Ben Gordon, who signed as a free agent with Detroit in the offseason. Salmons and Deng appear to be the top candidates. Salmons, acquired with Brad Miller(notes) from Sacramento in February, started 21 games for the Bulls, averaging 18.3 points. He averaged 26.5 on 65.4 percent shooting in two games against the Spurs - both while still with the Kings. Deng averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds for Chicago in 2007-08, but missed the final 22 games last season plus the playoffs with a stress fracture in his right tibia and finished with his lowest scoring average (14.1) since his 2004-05 rookie season. “I want to win,” a healthy Deng said. “I want to be out there. I want to compete. Whatever comes individually, I think that will take care of itself, but I think the main thing and the main mindset is just competing and playing like we did in the playoffs. I think the team that we have, the chemistry is going to be great.” The Spurs arrive in Chicago following a season-opening 113-96 win over New Orleans on Wednesday. Parker landed with a thud on his right side after slicing between two Hornets players for a layup late in the third quarter. The AT&T Center crowd gasped as the three-time All-Star lay scrunched up and wincing for more than a minute before walking back to the bench on his own. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Parker, who finished with team highs of 17 points and six assists in 26 minutes, simply had the wind knocked out of him. Parker left the locker room without speaking to reporters but appeared fine. While veteran Richard Jefferson had a disappointing San Antonio debut, scoring five points and shooting 1 of 7, rookie DeJuan Blair looked stellar in his first game, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. “He’s showing really good maturity so far,” Popovich said of the All-American from Pittsburgh. “You just have to give him credit. He’s got a great way about him and let the game come to him.” Spurs-Bulls Preview - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
__________________ No Asterisks in this life, it's all about scoreboard - Ari Gold |
#3
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Should be a little bit closer than last night's game. Still think the Spurs should have a fairly easy win. Spurs 103 Bulls 93
__________________ I think he's going to be a star. And as time goes on, he'll be the face of the Spurs, I think.--- Coach Pop on Leonard |
#5
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NBA.com - Referee Assignments Oct 29, 2009 San Antonio @ Chicago--Scott Foster, Leon Wood, Sean Wright
__________________ In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress. ---J0HN ADAMS We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. ---Winston Churchill (1903) |
#7
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Im interested to see how well the Spurs do in their first back to back. B2B's were killer for us in the past. I think with our depth this year its going to be a very different situation. Timmy only played 22 minutes last night and even then it didnt look like he was playing very hard. We should be fresh tonight.
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#9
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Yeah, if the back to back in the 2nd game already shows us with fatigue, we're not as good as we thought we were. I think we'll be fine tonight. And we'll continue to play at least 10 men deep (I think) every night. I don't think we'll shoot as well as last night, but we should be better defensively because though Chicago has a dominant PG like NOH, they lack a post game, so our defense should be fine sticking on the perimeter. I'll say SA 103 Chicago 94. |
#10
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I have always had a bit of foreboding with B2Bs, but with the performance last night of the bench, I am looking forward to good outcomes. We are looking pretty darn deep. Spurs by 6
__________________ Badgerland's #1 Spurs fan. ![]() Still crazy after all these years. |
#12
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Bonner taking the brunt of this season's wear and tear would be a good thing for sure.
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#15
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Chi is exploiting the uncoordinated Spur interior defense. Spur bigs haven't figured out the defensive rotations yet and are doing alot of grabbing inside. Chi looks awfully big and awfully quick. |
#17
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I don't like that small ball they were playing the first half. Put Dice and Duncan together see what happens! Dammit Pop!
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#19
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Nobody (McD, Blair) acted like they wanted Bonner's minutes
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#20
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Flat out ugly, the whole game pretty much.
__________________ Win or lose this is a game - You could let it pick your brain for weeks and months, just replay it over and over, won't do you any good at all. When someone loses a loved one and they do that it only brings forth anguish. I feel acceptance is sometimes the key, it happened, now you have to react to it. Giving up is not an option. |
#22
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Quote:
We've definitely got to play smarter on our defensive rotations. McDyess and Blair looked bad defensively. Francisco Elson-esque, almost. |
#24
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man, if RJ could have had it going, it would have been all good. if we hit a couple more 3s, which isn't too much to ask considering how much we missed, it would have been all good. if we didn't give up so many offensive rebounds, it would have been all good too. but all these going against us? uuuuuuuugggglllyyyyyyyyyyyy.....
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#25
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Same as last year with the threes all game when missing, same as last year with the stupid D rebounding, same as last year with the one on one game and bad ball movement and TO's. I saw last year again ![]() I expect alot more with this team and know they will give us alot more when they get it going, but tonight was just painful to watch.
__________________ Win or lose this is a game - You could let it pick your brain for weeks and months, just replay it over and over, won't do you any good at all. When someone loses a loved one and they do that it only brings forth anguish. I feel acceptance is sometimes the key, it happened, now you have to react to it. Giving up is not an option. |
#26
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I really think they thought tonight was going to be a lot easier after how things went last night. Pop will now have their attention in practice. Yeah, I know they're pros, but I think especially a guy like Blair who's so young had a little trouble not buying deeply into the hype. |
#27
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fortunately no one in Wrigleyville cares about the Bulls too much, no flack for my Duncan Jersey lol.... Can't sleep on these guys, gotta get Bonner out of the starting Lineup, and Jefferson needs to gettyup. |
#28
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Well for anyone who doubts Duncan, that was the one high point of today.
__________________ UCLA!! "When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at this rock perhaps 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow, it will split in two and I know it was not that blow that did it. But all that had gone before." - Jacob Riis |
#29
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Considering that ALL of those things went wrong, it was still only a 7 point margin. That's pretty scary, if I'm the rest of the league. What I've learned is that (1) Depth will give you a chance. But (2) that chance will be squandered without EXECUTION. Fortunately, we have THE best coach in the league when it comes to getting execution out of his players. I'm very excited!
__________________ JAVIE SUCKS! JAVIE SUCKS! --AT&T Center, 5/9/2006 |
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