<div align="center"> <font color="DarkRed"> Chicago Bulls (23-18)</font> at <font color="Gold"> Indiana Pacers (20-20)</font> Game Date: Monday, Jan. 22, 6:00pm at Pacers TV: NBALP, CSN-Chicago <font size=""1""> The Bulls come into tonight‘s contest against the new look Pacers hoping to rebound from a disappointing lose to the Utah Jazz. The last time these two teams met Ben Wallace had a break out game in which he grabbed 20+ rebounds. Will it happen again? Or will the Pacers and their new faces be too much for the Bulls to handle? Bulls….Pacers…..its going down.</font> </div> [div=50%] <font size=""1""> <font color="Gold"> Indiana Pacers</font> <font size=""1""><font color=""gold"">PG</font>- Jamaal Tinsley <font color=""gold"">SG</font>- Mike Dunleavy <font color=""gold"">SF</font>- Danny Granger <font color=""gold"">PF</font>- Jermaine O’Neal <font color=""gold"">C</font>- Jeff Foster</font> <font size=""1"">Coach: Rick Carlisle</font> <font size="3">Season Stats</font> Leading Scorer: Jermaine O’Neal - 19.3 PPG Leading Rebounder: Jermaine O’Neal 10.4 RPG Assist Man: Jamaal Tinsley - 6.4 APG The 'X' Factor: Danny Granger (12.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 APG) [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jamaal_tinsley.jpg[/imgl]<font color="gold">Jamaal Tinsley </font> PPG: 12.4, RPG: 3.5, APG: 6.4 Earlier this week when the Pacers traded away backup point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, what they essentially said was “Tinsley this is now your offense”. The move will allow Tinsley to see more playing time that he had been accustomed too thus far this season. Tinsley is a dangerous point guard with the ability to score going to the basket, or pull up for a jumper. He has been plagued with injuries thus far in his career, but when healthy he is one of the better guards in the league. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/mike_dunleavy.jpg[/imgl]<font color="gold">Mike Dunleavy </font> PPG: 11.5, RPG: 4.8, APG: 3.0 Mike Dunvleavy has received immense criticism thus far in this career, for not being able to live up to the expectations of a former lottery pick, and rightfully so. He has not really developed into the player many expected him to be, but was still rewarded by the Golden State Warriors with a huge contract extension. Accumulate failed expectations, with a huge contract, and you have yourself a guy who will be under heavy scrutiny for a while. Can the move to Indiana revitalize his career? [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/danny_granger.jpg[/imgl]<font color="gold">Danny Granger </font> 12.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 APG In only his second season in the league, Granger has developed into one of the brightest young stars in the NBA. His uncanny tenacity on the defensive end, along with his ability to put the ball in the basket, have already drawn some comparison to other greats of the past. Although, he is still a work in progress, if he continues to develop consistently, he will be one of the best players in the league in no time. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jermaine_oneal.jpg[/imgl]<font color="gold">Jermaine O‘Neal</font> PPG: 19.3, RPG: 10.4, APG: 2.9 After missing a majority of last season due to injury, O’Neal came into this year with a revitalized attitude to win. A new hair cut, and new found determination have helped O’Neal average career highs in rebounds and blocked shots. Off the court it has been a tumultuous season, between O’Neal and management. Only time will tell if O’Neal will finish the year a Pacer, or be wearing a different uniform. The man wants to win, and he wants an organization that feels the same way. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jeff_foster.jpg[/imgl]<font color="gold">Jeff Foster </font> PPG:5.1, RPG: 8.7, APG: 0.7 Jeff Foster, the eight year Pacer, is having yet another solid season (for a role player). He is doing what the team has asked of him, rebounding the ball well in limited playing time, as well as scoring a few points. With the recent trade Foster has found himself in the starting lineup. Now how long will he stay there? [/div] <font color="Darkred"> Chicago Bulls</font> <font size=""1""><font color=""DarkRed"">PG</font>- Kirk Hinrich <font color=""DarkRed"">SG</font>- Ben Gordon <font color=""DarkRed"">SF</font>- Luol Deng <font color=""DarkRed"">PF</font>- PJ Brown <font color=""DarkRed"">C</font>- Ben Wallace</font> <font size=""1"">Coach: Scott Skiles</font> <font size="3">Season Stats</font> Leading Scorer: Ben Gordon- 21.0 PPG Leading Rebounder: Ben Wallace-10.1 RPG Assist Man: Kirk Hinrich- 6.2 APG The 'X' Factor: Luol Deng (17.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.2 APG) [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/kirk_hinrich.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Kirk Hinrich</font> PPG: 15.1, RPG: 3.1, APG: 6.2 Kirk Hinrich has struggled this season, after receiving a huge contract extension from the Bulls earlier this past off-season. Some say that the time he spent playing for team USA wore him out before the season started, others say he has an injury has yet to be brought into light in the media, whatever it may be Hinrich has not lived up to expectations thus far. He has begun to come around recently, but will it be enough to get the Bulls to the promise land? [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/ben_gordon.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Ben Gordon</font> PPG: 21.0 PPG, RPG: 2.7, APG: 3.4 Is it just me or does it seem like every time we count Ben Gordon out, he comes right back and surprises us even more? Ben Gordon aka Air Gordon aka Madison Square Gordon is averaging career highs in points, field goal percentage, assists, and rebounds. The man has been nothing short of brilliant, and his play has earned him a starting spot in the lineup once again. Ever since being reinserted into the starting lineup Gordon is averaging 23.4 points a game. What will he do tonight? Tune in and find out. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/luol_deng.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Luol Deng</font> 17.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.2 APG Luol Deng has been arguable the most consistent player on the Bulls all year thus far. Deng is having an all star type season averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category. Despite some recent struggles, Deng is still looking like a stud, and one of the leading candidates for the NBA most improved player award. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/pj_brown.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">PJ Brown</font> PPG: 4.5, RPG: 4.2, APG: 0.5 Ignore the stats when talking about Brown. What Brown brings to the table is something that does not show up on the box score. A veteran leader, locker room presence, and tenacious defender. Brown is finally beginning to understand his role amidst a young upstart Bulls squad. Despite some early season turmoil Brown is back in the starting lineup and looking better than ever. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/ben_wallace.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Ben Wallace</font> PPG: 6.6, RPG:10.1, APG: 2.2 Ben Wallace has finally found his place among his Bulls teammates, and his numbers are sky rocketing with each passing game. He has had some incredible rebounding/blocking efforts this year, and on several occasions come up three or four blocks short of a triple double. This past game against Utah Wallace’s stat line read 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 blocks. What will Wallace do for an encore? </font> <div align="center"> </div> <ul><font color="DarkRed"><font size=""1"">Put the ball in the basket</font></font> <font size=""1"">basketball is a simple concept. To win a game you most outscore the opposition. The Bulls struggled to understand that against Utah during their last contest, shooting under 40% from the field. No matter how good your defense plays, you cant win a basketball game if you cant score, plain and simple. So my first key is to control the tempo of the game and score the ball.</font>[/list] <ul><font color="DarkRed"><font size=""1"">Don’t settle for threes</font></font> <font size=""1""> the Bulls shot a whooping 8% from three point range against the Jazz. If you can’t make a shot, why settle for it? The Bulls need to be aggressive against the Pacers, they must try and get O’Neal into foul trouble early. </font>[/list] <ul><font color="DarkRed"><font size=""1"">Team defense</font></font> <font size=""1""> the Bulls cannot allow Wallace to play O’Neal on an island all night. They need to provide some type of help defense. Despite Wallace’s ability defensively, if you play someone 6’8” against a near seven footer, one on one all night, it’s not rocket science to see who has the advantage. </font>[/list] <ul><font color="DarkRed"><font size=""1"">Don‘t play down to competition</font></font> <font size=""1""> this has been a major issue with the Bulls all season long thus far. When they look at the schedule and see a team like the Heat, Pistons, Spurs, etc. they come out looking to make a statement. When they see Bucks, Knicks, etc. they feel they can afford to come in, give a half ass effort, and still come out on top. The Pacers are 20-20 but are still a good team. If you don’t come in ready to play they will embarrass you. </font>[/list] <div align="center"></div> <font size="1">Skiles more than likely gave the Bulls an hear full in practice due to the lack of effort they showed against the Jazz the other night, so expect them to come in motivated to prove a point. I think the Bulls will take an early lead, eventually let the Pacers back in it, but pull away late in the fourth quarter and win the game. Bulls by six. </font>
Great preview.. they have a lot of size in the starting line-up. With Dunleavy and Granger both 6-9, I wonder who Hinrich is going to guard.
<div class="quote_poster">Carter Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Damn Blur, how long did it take you to make this preview?</div> Not that long actually, getting the pictures and stuff updated takes longer than the actual preview does, since I already have a template saved and all. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Great preview.. they have a lot of size in the starting line-up. With Dunleavy and Granger both 6-9, I wonder who Hinrich is going to guard.</div> I'm really concerned about that as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see us play some zone most of the night, because most of the match ups in terms of height favor the Pacers. I expect us to try and run as much as possible and use our speed to our advantage.
I'm confident that the Bulls can win this game. The Jazz game was dissappointing because that was a for sure "W" for us. But, we've handled the Pacers two times already, we know how to win this match up.
Ben Gordon has a small ankle sprain, he is listed as day-to-day, should be a game time decision for tonight.
I'd really love to see Gordon shoot the ball more. He's are star scorer and we need someone to take controll of the game.
Very poor game by the Bulls early on, but they came back and played nicely in the second half it just wasn't enough to overcome the staggering defecit.
