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THE SKINNY



The last time these teams met, the Pacers took down the Bulls. Derrick Rose took personal note of their post-game celebration, setting up a possible playoff preview and a Central Division showdown that will fan the flames of a rivalry that has been revived with a vengeance. It is a rivalry that looks like it's staying as two young conference leaders with physical play go head-to-head in more than just a regular season game.

THE LINEUPS



Point Guard

Defending the Bulls starts here. Darren Collison has a definite disadvantage against the backcourt of the Bulls, and needs to help aggressively and pay attention to passing lanes. He also must not make bad decisions, particularly on broken plays and late in the game.

Shooting Guard

Once a position of weakness, the Pacers can now turn to Paul George to provide a spark on defense that turn into solid contributions on offense. Defending Rip Hamilton or Derrick Rose will keep him busy, but his size allows the Pacers to even up the scales in the backcourt.

Small Forward

Granger vs. Deng has been storied, and Deng can step up his game and provide consistency for the Bulls. If the Pacers want to walk out with a win, Granger should outperform Deng on both ends of the court without forcing things against a stout Chicago defense.

Power Forward

With better and better showings as the season goes on, David West is going to have a very even matchup against Carlos Boozer. Both power forwards have automatic jumpers. Both get physical inside. This matchup is extremely important, and in a game where fouls may be the order of the day, putting offensive pressure on Boozer will help send him to the bench early.

Center

Hibbert is playing with a new fire in his belly after spending time with high-caliber all-stars, and has stepped up his efficiency. While he hasn't been playing as much (due to giant second-half leads) he has been posting excellent numbers in 20-25 minutes of play. If there is a game when 33 minutes of steady production are required, this is it. His opponent will be the active and exuberant Joakim Noah, who he can now contend with down low.

THE BENCH






Tyler Hansbrough has the ability to punish Carlos Boozer, but Taj Gibson is the kind of athletic power forward that he wasn't going to be coming into the league. He needs to stick to his game and stay aggressive, and utilize his jumper. George Hill will be instrumental in establishing tempo and offense for a second unit that can best the Bulls bench.

THE COACHES




Vogel might be the best young coach in the NBA, but Thibodeau might be the best, period. He has led the Bulls to a league-best record and wants to see the success. Meanwhile, Vogel has the Pacers higher in the standings than anyone would've projected at the beginning of the season, and looks to threaten the upper echelon.

THE INJURY REPORT



Pacers
Jeff Foster: Back - Maybe.

Bulls
CJ Watson: Ankle - Maybe.

THE HEAVY MATTERS



-Out-hustle. Both teams live off defense and rebounding. Winning these two categories will establish an advantage.
-Take care of the ball. Shooting can go hot or cold, but turnovers are mistakes that can be controlled.

THE TRADITION

May God have mercy on your souls.

I don't know. Pacers got this new bounty system, apparently it is effective.

I don't care is DRose is mad because we celebrated, he is numero uno on the list.

I'm going to grab Chipotle before the game so I can enjoy two things at once.

Boneman2 wrote:I don't know. Pacers got this new bounty system, apparently it is effective.

I don't care is DRose is mad because we celebrated, he is numero uno on the list.

D-Rose is a Bull, he doesn't go down. He fights through and when he gets mad you best get out of the way because you will get run over.

Bulls fan here. Amazing GT

Let's Gooooooooooooo Not-Bulls!

I hope Orlando loses tonight, as well. Not to be too greedy.

I don't care for the outcome at this point, but damn the OP was glorious....

Mega-Man.

I'll take the first quarter as is, although our clock management was terrible with ~40 seconds left.

They've bottled up Roy. We're not getting at the rebounds.

Nice to see Obie ball working for someone.

I tell you. Vogel still doesn't have his substitution patterns right.

Whenever Hibbert and Granger force shots against such quality opponents, this is the result.

I respect you guys, but it's time to GTFO of our house.

What a waste of a great game thread by the OP for a one page game thread and like three posters. Don't y'all have any fans?

Practice some shooting, maybe.

Hibbert's hasn't taken enough shots tonight, in my opinion.

Collison was definitely a weak link. George Hill has the better savvy in these situations.

Miller4ever wrote:Practice some shooting, maybe.

Hibbert's hasn't taken enough shots tonight, in my opinion.

Collison was definitely a weak link. George Hill has the better savvy in these situations.

Miller come on to the Bulls forum. be a Bulls fan, your thread making talent does not need to be wasted here.

It's okay. Less knuckleheads to moderate.

Such an epic game thread! I wish I was posting here all night!