<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Bulls' midseason record is five games better than it was last year. But the expectations, though difficult to quantify, are so much higher. So where do the Bulls stand with 41 games down and 41 to go in a season that can be termed a success only if a playoff series is won? It's hard to say because the December sizzle has ceded to a January swoon. In December, the offense flowed like drinks at a fraternity party while the defense?supposedly the team's strength?drew questions. Now the Bulls resemble the team that led the league in opponents' field-goal percentage for each of the last two seasons, but their offense has stagnated with too many turnovers and poor ball movement. If they ever could put the two together ? "It wouldn't surprise me if we made the conference finals," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "I think the East is wide open. Obviously, we'd have to play pretty well and improve a lot. But I don't think that's a reach at all." Indeed, the Bulls do reside in the Eastern Conference, which offers cheap rent on first-place property. Exhibit A: the Atlantic Division. The Bulls are just 1? games behind Washington and Cleveland for the conference's No. 1 seed. But any team that goes 14-3 in December and is 4-6 in January entering Monday's matchup at Indiana, creates questions. The biggest is: Can this team be consistent? Another is: Has coach Scott Skiles mastered a team that began the season with eight new faces? As usual, the first answer falls on the team's young core of Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. As much fuss as the Bulls created when they signed Ben Wallace, those four players will determine their ultimate success?as would their replacements if one or more of those players is traded before the Feb. 22 deadline. "You normally don't get in the playoffs playing rookies and we did [in 2004-05]," Skiles said. "So they came along that year. But they have put in summers. They're getting better. Are they the kind of guys who nine nights out of 10 you can pencil in and put a solid game in the book? I don't know that yet. "But they're definitely getting better. And I always say the game-by-game consistency is the last thing that comes. And they're definitely moving in that direction."</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In December, the offense flowed like drinks at a fraternity party</div> Wow, that's ?ber corny.
This article really holds true, when you look at our upcoming schedule. We have some very tough games coming up against the Mavericks and Heat (Shaq & Wade) at home. Then we head out west for seven straight games in Los Angeles (7-3 since Cassel became starter), Seattle, Portland, Utah, Sacramento, Golden State, and Phoenix. It's like the circus road trip all over again. I won't say that this trip will be the deciding factor as to what course our season takes, but it will play a huge role. I would rather play the tough games now though then down the stretch run of the year.
