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Tale of Two Teams – Bulls and Bucks

Not long ago the Bulls and the Bucks were the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Bulls had put together a nice win streak on the road and were 8-2 over a ten game stretch. The Bucks had also gone 8-2 over ten games.

Then came February 27. That’s when the season changed for the Bulls, or was it when the traded John Salmons to the Bucks? Injuries have taken their toll on the Bulls. They have 123 games player games missed due to injury or illness.

In the game against the Heat on Friday night they were without the All-Star guard Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah Luol Deng and Jerome James and that is just too many good players to overcome.

The result was consecutive loss number seven for the Bulls who are 2-8 from their last ten.

The Bucks on the other hand continue to surge. John Salmons has been a good addition to the Bucks roster and Australian Andrew Bogut is playing like a past no.1 pick should. That along with tough defence has seen the Bucks go 9-1 over their last ten matches and they find themselves in fifth spot on the Eastern Conference ladder.

Just to show how consistent Bogut is now he along with Dwight Howard are the only players in the NBA to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks a game.

To look ahead the Bucks could maybe think about at least an Eastern Conference final appearance while the Bulls will have to turn things around fast or it will be fishing during the NBA playoffs.

How far do you think the Bucks can go? Are the Bulls done for the season?

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D Rose – Watch Out for Howard!

Back in February just before the All-star break the Bulls faced the Orlando Magic. In that game Derrick Rose took on Dwight Howard and came off second best. The two players collided in midair and Rose crashed to the floor injuring his hip.

Now around one month later the Bulls once again faced the Magic. Once again Rose challenged Howard and once again Derrick Rose crashed to the floor. As he got up he clutched his lower back and hand. He managed to take his free throws making one of two before ending the first quarter.

In the quarter time break Rose was checked over and it was decided he would sit out the rest of the game due to a wrist injury.

Without Rose on the team it was just too much for the Bulls to match it with the Magic. Even with Rose in the team the slumping Bulls were going to do it tough. The Bulls have been hit hard by injury and after not long ago being in the number five spot on the Eastern Conference, they now find themselves losing touch with the top eight.

The Bulls have a tough run home with the majority of their games against teams with winning records.

Against the Magic the Bulls went down 111-82. By the half-time break the Magic led by more than 30 points. The Bulls started the third period with good energy but a late run by the Magic snuffed out any thoughts of a comeback.

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Record crowd on hand as East beat West in NBA All-Star game

A crowd of 108,713 has packed into Cowboys Stadium to set a record attendance for a basketball game. The previous mark was 78,129, set for a college matchup between Kentucky and Michigan State at Detroit’s Ford Field on Dec. 13, 2003.

Like in the 2006 NBA finals when the Miami Heat won the title in Dallas it was Dwyane Wade who took MVP honours as the East defeated the West 141-139. He scored 28 points. LeBron James had 25 points, and Bosh finished with 21 points.

Carmello Anthony had a chance to win the game with a three-point shot however it missed and he did not add to his 27 points scored for the West. Dirk Nowitzki chipped in for 22 points.

The record crowd comes at a time when NBA Commissioner David Stern and players association executive director Billy Hunter indicated the sides are far apart on a new labor agreement which if not sorted out by 2011 could see a work stoppage.

Watch below a recap of  the NBA All-Star game from NBA.com

Derrick Rose out of Skills Challenge

A week or so ago Derrick Rose had a big program ahead of him at NBA All Star weekend in Dallas. Since then he has been exempted from the Rookie/Sophomore match and now he has withdrawn from the 2010 Taco Bell Skills Challenge.

Rose pulled out due to a bruised right hip. He suffered the injury early in the big loss to the Orlando Magic earlier this week.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was named as a replacement for Rose. Westbrook scored 40 points when playing for the Sophomore team as they went down to the Rookies 140-128.

Rose is hopeful that he can play two nine-minute segments in the All Star game on Sunday. The Bulls would perhaps want him to not play at all as they have four games in five nights in the upcoming week.

Patty Mills back in the NBA

On January 23 Patty Mills was again recalled fromt he D-League’s Idaho Stampede team to suit up for the Portland Trail Blazers. In five games in the D-League Mills averaged 25.6 points.

Last time with the Trail Blazers Mills had 10 days with the team. He managed to find court time just once and dished out two assists against the L.A. Clippers in five minutes of play.

Since returning to the team Mills is yet to see court time in games against Detroit and New Orleans. Hopefully some minutes will come soon for the Canberra born Australian.

Patrick Mills Sent Back to D-League

Patrick Mills lasted just 10 days in the NBA playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 13 he was sent back to the D-League’s Idaho Stampede.

Mills only saw court time in one of four games when he was called into the NBA team. He had five minutes playing time in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on January 4. He did not score in that match but did manage to get two assists.

Mills averaged 30 points in his two D-League appearances. Hopefully he can earn a re-call to the Trail Blazers some time soon.

Who is Hot and Who is Not in the NBA

As we are not almost into mid-January and approaching the mid-point of the NBA season I thought I would have a look at who is hot and who is not over the last 10 games.

Looking at the Eastern Conference of the NBA we see that the Cleveland Cavs are sitting at the top of the standings. They are 28-10 and have built this with an 8-2 record over the past ten matches. The last start for the Cavs was actually a loss to the Denver Nuggets on the road. It was a close one with the Nuggets getting up 99-97 even without Carmelo Anthony.

Another team that can match the 8-2 record over the past ten games is the Toronto Raptors. They are also on a three game win streak which along with Milwaukee is the best in the East. The Raptors see themselves in sixth spot on the ladder with a 19-18 record.

After those two teams with 8-2 records the next best is a 6-4 mark put together by the Charlotte Bobcats who are seventh with a 16-19 record, the New York Knicks are also at 6-4 however they are in 10th spot with a 15-21 record.

Looking at the worst performing teams over recent times in the NBA Eastern Conference you only have to look at the Detroit Pistons who are on a 12 game losing streak. That sees them with an 11-24 record overall and 12th on the ladder. New Jersey are 1-9 over their past ten matches and still have the worst record overall in the NBA with a 3-33 record. The Indiana Pacers are 2-8 from the last ten and 11-25 overall.

Looking at the Western Conference the Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the NBA with a 28-8 win loss record. Over their last 10 matches they have only managed a 6-4 record including a current two game losing streak.

New Orleans Hornets have a five game win streak at the moment and are 7-3 from the last ten. That along with the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies all have 7-3 records from their last ten outings.  Overall the best team out of that bunch are the Spurs who with a 21-13 record see themselves in 5th on the Western Conference ladder. The Trail Blazers are next with a 23-15 record.

The Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves both with 3-7 records from their last ten have the worst records in that period. The T-wolves are also the worst in the NBA’s Western Conference with an 8-30 overall record.

Of the top teams in the West the Nuggets are struggling with a 4-6 record from their last ten. They still find themselves in third place overall with a 23-14 record.

Looking at individual stats Kobe Bryant leads the points scoring with 30.1 points per game, next comes Carmelo Anthony at an even 30 ppg. LeBron James is third with 28.9, Kevin Durant with 28.7 and Dwyane Wade is in fifth with a 27.1 average.

In rebounding it is Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard with 13.2 per game who heads the field. Chicago’s Joakim Noah has 12.3 and Gerald Wallace pulls in 11.8 per game. In assists it is Steve Nash with 11.3 per game who is the NBA best.

By clicking on the image of the LeBron James jersey above allows you to buy from NBAStore.com. This site is an affiliate for NBAStore.com and will receive a commission if a purchase is made by following the link.

NBA – Patrick Mills Debuts for Portland Trail Blazers

Patrick Mills from Canberra, Australia made his NBA debut for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Trail Blazers who have suffered a terrible run of injuries called up Mills on January 3 and he got his first NBA minutes on January 4, 2010.

The first game for Mills will go down as a 105-95 loss. He played 4 minutes 55 seconds and was 0-3 from the field. He did manage to hand out two assists.

Mills himself was out injured for the early part of the season after he underwent surgery to repair the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot on July 13, 2009.

Patty as he likes to be called was assigned to the D-League’s Idaho Stampede on December 29, 2009 and impressed straight away. He scored 38 points on debut and backed that up with 22 two days later. He scored the winning basket in his second game.

Mills was selected by Portland in the second round (55th pick overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Portland are currently sixth in the Western Conference with a 22-14 record. This is quite impressive considering their injury toll.

Chicago Bulls on the Rebound

Just like last season the Chicago Bulls got off to a slow start thanks to a big road trip during the Circus time in Chicago. The Bulls’ home venue is taken over early in the season and the Bulls are sent packing. This year the Bulls could only manage a 1-5 record during this period. The road trip included some big losses as shown below.

@ Sacramento 101-87
@ LA Lakers 93-108
@ Denver 93-112
@ Portland 98-122
@ Utah 86-105
@ Milwaukee 97-99

Since 1999 (a.k.a the year after Michael Jordan’s retirement), the team has struggled mightily on its annual road trip, going 9-56, according to the ESPN Stats and Analysis team.

Like last year the Bulls are now starting the climb back into a playoff position. Thanks to the mediocrity of the East it has not been so hard. The Bulls today pulled off an impressive 101-93 over the Orlando Magic. Derrick Rose lead the way with 30 points to see the Bulls take their current win streak to four.

The Bulls are now in seventh spot on the Eastern Conference ladder. They have a 14-17 record and despite losing to the New Jersey Nets a while back and blowing a huge lead against the Kings the season for now has turned around for the Bulls. A lot of this comes from Derrick Rose starting to fire and perhaps the return of Tyrus Thomas.

Rose has stepped things up in December. His average in November was 16.2 ppg, in December he lifted that to 20.4. He is also grabbing more rebounds and handing more assists.

Let’s hope the trend continues and the Bulls can work their way to above 0.500

How did the Bulls lose from 35 up?

I am still trying to get over the Chicago Bulls losing after leading the Sacramento Kings by 35 points. This took place not on the road but at home.

The comeback by the Kings was the biggest since the Utah Jazz won a game from 36 points down back in November 1996. This came against the Denver Nuggets after the Jazz trailed 70-34 in the second quarter. The final score was 107-103.

The Bulls came out on fire taking a 38-19 lead into the first quarter break. This was followed up by a 29-24 second quarter to see the Bulls leading 67-43 at the half. Contrast the first quarter with the last and you see how bad it got for the Bulls. It was 10-33 as the Kings charged homefor the 102-98 win.

The Bulls playing with basically a seven man roster just got tired and starting making mistakes. The Kings on the other hand did not give in and came storming back. They spread the minutes across 11 players. That was probably the key.

The Bulls did not have the energy to keep fighting on defence. Mistakes on offence compounded the problem. Of the five starters for the Bulls three of them played forty plus minutes and Noah was on the court for 39.

Deng top scored for the Bulls with 26 points, Rose had 24. For the Kings it was the rookie who starred with Evans scoring 23 points.

The Bulls fans now have to swallow this after the earlier disappointment of being just the second team to lose to the struggling Nets.

Can the Bulls make a comeback as they did last season or is that too much to expect?

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