Even at 5-8, Bears have slim playoffs hopes

As of today, the Bears can still make the playoffs and the scenerio of that happening isn't as wacky as you might think.

Here is a scenerio that might happen and would get the Bears into the playoffs:

Bears win remaining 3 games (at Minnesota, at Green Bay, New Orleans)
Redskins loses at Minnesota, vs. Dallas, at NY Giants
Panthers loses vs. Dallas, vs. Seattle, at Tampa Bay
Vikings loses vs. Bears and at Denver, wins vs. Washington
Arizona loses at New Orleans and vs. St. Louis, wins vs. Atlanta
Lions loses at San Diego and at Green Bay, wins vs. Kansas City
Saints loses at Bears, wins against Arizona and Philadelphia
Eagles loses at Saints and at Cowboys, wins vs. Buffalo

NFC Wild Card Standing:
1. NY Giants
2. BEARS (8-8)
------------------
Vikings (8-8)---division record tie-breaker
Saints (8-8)----head-to-head tie-breaker
Cardinals (7-9)
Lions (7-9)
Redskins (6-10)
Eagles (6-10)
Panthers (5-11)

Bears have better than slim playoff hopes

Believe it or not, every team in the NFC are still alive in the playoff race. Every team. Yes, the Falcons, 49ers, and Rams all are not eliminated yet from making the playoffs. So, if the Falcons have a shot, you better believe we have a shot.

The Bears main goal right now is to get back to .500 (7-7)

Bears play the Redskins on Thursday and then have nearly 2 weeks to prepare for the Viking on MNF. I think the Bears can win both games. The Redskins will be emotional unprepared for Thursday's game and just suffered a tough loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Bears are angry and can't wait to let off their angry on the Redskins. As for the Minnesota game, like I said the Bears will have about 11 days to prepare. They have already faced the Vikings once and that helps. The Bears have to figure out how to stop Adrian Peterson. Putting 8 men in the box might be able to stop him. The Bears should let the Vikings try to beat them with their weak passing attack. Adrian Peterson beat the Bears by himself in the last meeting. The Vikings would have lost without him. If the Bears take him out of the game, the Bears will win.

Upcoming schedules (possible results):

Detroit Lions schedule:
Sun 12/9 Dallas 1:00 pm LOSS
Sun 12/16 at San Diego 4:15 pm LOSS

Arizona Cardinals schedule:
Sun 12/9 at Seattle 4:05 pm LOSS
Sun 12/16 at New Orleans 1:00 pm LOSS

Carolina Panthers schedule:
Sun 12/9 at Jacksonville 1:00 pm LOSS
Sun 12/16 Seattle 1:00 pm LOSS

Washington Redskins schedule:
Thu 12/6 Chicago 8:15 pm LOSS
Sun 12/16 at NY Giants 8:15 pm LOSS

New Orleans Saints schedule:
Mon 12/10 at Atlanta 8:30 pm WIN
Sun 12/16 Arizona 1:00 pm WIN

Minnesota Vikings schedule:
Sun 12/9 at San Francisco 4:05 pm WIN
Mon 12/17 Chicago 8:30 pm LOSS

New York Giants schedule:
Sun 12/9 at Philadelphia 1:00 pm LOSS
Sun 12/16 Washington 8:15 pm WIN

Here is the NFC Wild Card Standings after 14 games:

1. NY Giants (9-5)
2. New Orleans Saints (7-7)
--------------------------
Chicago Bears (7-7)
Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
Arizona Cardinals (6-8)
Detroit Lions (6-8)
Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)

If the standings gets to that point, Bears control their own destiny. Wins against GB and the Saints would get them into the playoffs as the 2nd wild card team.

Why I want Kobe Bryant in a Bulls Jersey

Maybe you agree with me, maybe not. Yes Kobe would be the go-to scorer the Bulls need and might be the player the Bulls need to take that next step, but here is why I really want Kobe:

In the 9 years since Michael Jordan played his last game with the Bulls, the closest player the Bulls came to having a superstar was Jalen Rose. The Bulls don't get respect because no one knows any of the players. Ben Wallace might be a recognizable name but he is more well-known for his afro or his fight with Ron Artest. I wonder how many ordinary fans know about Wallace's defensive ability. Kobe Bryant is well-known for all the right reasons. He is one of the best scorers in the NBA and he has 3 championships. He is the only active player to score 81 points in a game. Michael Jordan never scored 81 points in a game! Bryant is so famous that his 4 letter first name, Kobe, is recognizable. You tell someone that Kobe scored 34 points, everyone knows which Kobe you are talking about. Sure the Bulls have players that can be identified by their first name. They got players whose names are Thabo, Tryus, Jokiam, and Luol. The problem is, Bulls fans are the only fans who know the last name of those players. You think Luol Deng is a superstar? How many times is his name mentioned on ESPN? Why do fans want their team to win championships? It's because they want the nation to pay more attention to their city. The L.A. Galaxy got David Beckham this year. Did they think he'd be a good contributer? Maybe, but they'd be lying if they didn't think Beckham to draw attention to their team. I'm sure many people had not even heard of the L.A. Galaxy before Beckham joined the team.

Will Kobe get the Bulls a championship? I don't know. But the Bulls have a chance to get the best player in the NBA. We as fans will have the opportunity to see a NBA superstar 3-4 times a week. ESPN and other media outlets will be talking about what happened in Chicago not what is going on in LA or New York. I have been to about 2 Bulls games but I never saw Michael Jordan play in person. I am going to a Bulls game in December. This could be my only opportunity to witness a live performance by a future NBA hall of famer. The Bulls have to make this trade. I'm tired of the Chicago Bulls not getting the attention they deserve, less than a decade after they were the greatest team in the world. The Bulls no longer have Jordan and the Cubs no longer have Sammy Sosa. It's time for Chicago to have a superstar. I don't care what it costs. I want Kobe Bryant on the Bulls more than an Eastern conference title, which is the farthest this Bulls team will go in the playoffs.

Week 3: Bears-Cowboys Match-up

Quarterback:

Rex Grossman vs. Tony Romo

Romo has been playing much better than Rex.

EDGE: COWBOYS

Running Back:

Cedric Benson vs. Julius Jones/Marion Barber

The Cowboys have duo running backs and together they'll probably be more productive than Benson.

EDGE: COWBOYS

Wide Receivers:

Moose Muhammad, Bernard Berrian vs. Terrell Owens, Sam Hurd/Patrick Crayton

Of course T.O. is an All-Pro, but the loss of Terry Glenn makes the Cowboys seem like a team with only one WR. The Bears could double team T.O. and force Romo to throw to Hurd and Crayton who aren't as good as Glenn.

EDGE: EVEN

Tight End:

Desmond Clark/Greg Olsen vs. Jason Witten

Witten has a touchdown and that gives him the edge.

EDGE: COWBOYS

Defensive Ends:

Mark Anderson, Adewale Ogunleye vs. Marcus Spears, Chris Canty

No debate here.

EDGE: BEARS

Defensive Tackles:

Tommie Harris, Darwin Walker vs. Jay Ratliff

Um..let me think...

EDGE: BEARS

Linebackers:

Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Hunter Hillenmeyer vs. Anthony Spencer, Bradie James, Akin Ayodele, DeMarcus Ware

Briggs and Urlacher have 35 total tackles and 2 sacks. The Cowboys starting linebackers have 26 total tackles and 1 sack.

EDGE: BEARS

Cornerbacks:

Nathan Vasher, Peanut Tillman vs. Nate Jones/Terence Newman, Anthony Henry

EDGE: BEARS

Safeties:

Danieal Manning, Adam Archuleta vs. Roy Williams, Kem Hamlin

The Cowboys safeties are actually pretty good.

EDGE: EVEN

I'm not longer doing Special Teams because I'm assuming no team has a better Special Teams unit than the Bears.

Keys to Victory:

- Big game for Rex

Rex has to have less interceptions and needs to pass for more yards.

- Throw the deep ball

The Bears should go deep to Berrian on Sunday. It worked last year so why won't it work this year?

- No turnovers

I'll make this prediction: If the Bears make no turnovers, they will win the game.

- Pressure Romo

In this week's Sports Illustrated, Paul Zimmerman said, "If the Cowboys can block the Bears' rush, I see decent numbers for Romo and a Dallas win over the defending NFC champs."

I assume that if the Bears can get to Romo, they should be able to win.

Week 2: Bears vs. Chiefs

Chicago Bears 20
Kansas City Chiefs 10

The Good:

• Bears RB Cedric Benson ran for 101 yards on 24 carries.
• KR/PR Devin Hester returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. Hester had 5 punt returns for a total of 143 yards. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
• LB Lance Briggs had 12 total tackles (11 solo), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and a defected pass. I would say that's a good game.
• MLB Brian Urlacher had 9 total tackles (8 solo) and had his first sack since 2005.
• John St. Clair, a reserve offensive lineman, caught a 2 yard touchdown pass.

The Bad:

• QB Rex Grossman threw two interceptions.
• The O-line allowed three sacks.
• The Bears had three turnovers, but the Chiefs only scored three points off turnovers.
• The offense scored only 13 points and three points were thanks to Hester whose punt return got the Bears to the Chiefs 18 yard line.

Why the Bears won:

Grossman wasn't much better and the Bears had a lot of turnovers. What was the difference? More points. The Bears had three points last week and scored 20 points this week. The key reason was Devin Hester who scored a touchdown and helped set up a field goal.

Player of the Week: Devin Hester- 143 punt return yards, 28.6 PR AVG., 1 TD

You're better than that player of the week: Rex Grossman- 20-34 160 yards 1 TD 2 INT

Week 2: Bears-Chiefs Match-up

Quarterback:

Rex Grossman vs. Damon Huard

Huard passed for only 168 yards last week against the weak Houston Texans. Rex Grossman is going against a defense that was 18th against the pass in 2006 and Huard is going against the Bears defense that made Phillip Rivers look like an ordinary QB, not an AFC pro bowler.

EDGE: BEARS

Running Back:

Cedric Benson vs. Larry Johnson

Even though Cedric Benson could likely end up with more rushing yards on Sunday than Johnson, Johnson is the better RB.

EDGE: CHIEFS

Tight End:

Desmond Clark vs. Tony Gonzalez

If Antonio Gates is the #1 TE in the NFL then it is very possible that Gonzalez is #2 or #1a.

EDGE: CHIEFS

Wide Receivers:

Bernard Berrian, Moose Muhammad vs. Samie Parker, Dwayne Bowe

Bears catch a break with Chiefs starting WR Eddie Kennison not playing on Sunday with an injury. Bowe is a rookie and Parker scored one TD last year.

EDGE: BEARS

Defensive Tackles:

Darwin Walker, Tommie Harris vs. Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards

Haha, this is should be a good match-up for the Bears. Boone is an ex-Bear that the Bears got rid of because guys like Harris and Dusty Dvoracek were better. Edwards had 2.5 sacks last year but still nowhere near as impressive as Harris and Walker.

EDGE: BEARS

Defense Ends:

Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson vs. Tamba Hali, Jimmy Wilkerson

Hali had 8 sacks in '06, but Wilkerson, playing in his 5th season, has 0.5 career sacks. Anderson and Ogunleye already have one sack each.

EDGE: BEARS

Linebackers:

Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Hunter Hillenmeyer vs. Derrick Johnson, Napoleon Harris, Donnie Edwards

The trio of Johnson, Harris, and Edwards is an impressive one that combined for 275 tackles and 9.5 sacks. The Bears trio had only 44 more tackles and 8.5 less sacks. I'll give the Bears the
edge but it's only a slight one.

EDGE: BEARS

Cornerbacks:

Nathan Vasher, Peanut Tillman vs. Ty Law, Patrick Surtain or Benny Sapp

Surtain is listed as the Chiefs 2nd CB on the depth chart but didn't play last sunday. About 4 years ago, I would have given the edge to KC, but Sustain and Law are now both in their 30's and they won't be as big of an impact as Nate and Peanut.

EDGE: BEARS

Safeties:

Adam Archuleta, Danieal Manning vs. Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard

Bears are better even without Mike Brown. Page and Pollard combined for 45 tackles in '06.
Archuleta alone had 60 tackles last season.

EDGE: BEARS

Punters:

Brad Maynard vs. Dustin Colquitt

Colquitt had a 44.3 punt avg. last season. Maynard's avg. was 44.2.

EDGE: EVEN

Kickers:

Robbie Gould vs. Justin Medlock

Medlock is a rookie. Gould made the pro bowl last season.

EDGE: BEARS

Kick/Punt returners:

Danieal Manning, Devin Hester vs. Jeff Webb, Eddie Drummond
Webb and Drummond are both decent returners but neither of them have the same impact as Hester.

EDGE: BEARS

KEYS TO VICTORY:

- Pass more, run less

The Bears gave Benson his shot and he did ok. The Bears need to throw the deep ball. They'll get more yards and score more points. Grossman should throw to Hester or Berrian. Law and Sustain are not as young as they used to be and might have lost a step. This Chiefs defense should be much easier than the Chargers defense

- Protect the football

Turnovers are the reason why the Bears lost last week and if they do it again this week, they could easily lose the Chiefs. If you don't think so, think back to last year with the 2 games against Miami and Green Bay on New Year's Eve. There are no guaranteed wins. I'm not saying be conservative. The last thing the Bears want is a defensive struggle like last week. Benson has to handle the ball with 2 hands, Berrian has to run his routes, and Grossman has got to make smart decisions. The Bears can be aggressive and still be able to not turn the ball over.

- O-line has to protect Rex

Grossman struggled last week because he was getting pressured. If Grossman has time in the pocket, he'll have a great game.....I guarantee it.

- Force turnovers

Even though the offense should do their job, it would be great if the Bears get a bunch of takeaways. The Bears offense does a lot better starting from the OPP. 45 yard line instead of their own 20 yard line.

- Get Hester involved

The Chiefs secondary seems mediocre at best. The punter won't kick it to Hester, so Grossman has got to find a way to get him the ball on offense.

Week 1: Bears at Chargers

Chargers 14
Bears 3

Good:

• Mike Brown had 2 takeaways: an interception and a fumble recovery.


• Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, and Nathan Vasher had sacks.


• Tommie Harris forced a fumble.


• The Bears Defense held LaDainian Tomlinson to 25 yards rushing.

Bad:

• Four turnovers (Grossman INT, McGowan fumble, Benson fumble, Peterson fumble)


• Cedric Benson had only 42 rushing yards.

Why the Bears lost:

Turnovers is why the Bears lost. The Chargers got all their points of turnovers. If the Bears were to protect the football better then they could of won. The punt that bounced off Brandon McGowan is what really lost the momentum and the game for the Bears.

Preseason Week 4: Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns

Browns 19 Bears 9

The Good:

• Bears QB Chris Leak was impressive. Leak was 11-16 for 88 yards and one touchdown. Too bad there is no room for him on this Bears team.
• Bears RB Garrett Wolfe was outstanding. He only average 1.8 yards per carry rushing the ball, but he caught 6 passes for 53 yards and he made a couple defensive players completely miss him when trying to tackle Wolfe.
• Bears WR Mike Hass made only one catch but it was a great touchdown grab that is being called the Bears' catch of the preseason.
• Bears WR David Ball is unlikely to make the cut but he had a solid game. Ball had 4 catches for 40 yards including an amazing one-handed catch in the end zone, but unfortunately Ball landed out of bounds and the catch was ruled incomplete. Hass scored on the next play.
• After being down 19-3 at halftime, the defense prevented the Browns from scoring any more points.
• Bears rookie CB Trumaine McBride led the Bears with 8 tackles.

The Bad:

• Bears QB Brian Griese was only 1-3 for 12 yards in limited action, but what disappointed me the most was that he had WR Mark Bradley open twice and he overthrew him both times.
• The Bears special teams allowed 9 points. Bears safety and kick returner Danieal Manning fumbled a kick-off out of bounds in the Bears end zone for a safety. Browns' punt returner Josh Cribbs returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown.

Why the Bears lost:

The Browns made fewer mistakes than the Bears and that is one of the big reasons the Browns won. The Bears can't be allowing safeties and punt returns for touchdowns. Plays like that lose games. The Bears also hurt themselves by making 3 mistakes on offense that cost them at least a field goal:

1. Bears QB Kyle Orton had the Bears at the Browns' 44 yard line when he threw an interception on 1st down. 14 more yards and they would have been in Bears kicker Robbie Gould's field goal range.
2. Leak had the Bears at the Browns' 23 yard line and was then sacked for -12 yards. Gould's 53 yard field goal attempt on the next play was no good.
3. Leak had the Bears at the Browns' 36 yard line and it was 1st down. Leak's next pass was intercepted.

What hurt the Bears was special teams mistakes and drive killing plays on offense. Also, Browns punter Dave Zastudil did a great job at punting the ball inside the Bears' 10 yard line making it hard to score.

Kobe to the Bulls?

Many News sites have said that L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is demanding a trade and the Chicago Bulls are a possible destination.

Excerpt from Msnbc.com's article about Kobe:

Just weeks after announcing on a sports radio show of being "frustrated" and expressing a desire to be traded from the Lakers only to later back off after talking to coach Phil Jackson, Bryant met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Friday in Barcelona and reiterated his trade demand, the Los Angeles Times and Press Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) reported.

Bryant is the only NBA player with a no-trade clause in his contract. He had said he would waive that clause. But he could make a trade more difficult because he has a three-team wish list, the Press Enterprise reported Friday. Two of the teams are the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

One report had the Lakers hoping to acquire Bulls center Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chicago's No. 1 draft pick (9) for Bryant.

But the sources said every team, including the Bulls, knows the Lakers will try to "gut" a team in order to get as much value as possible for Bryant.

Bryant could also veto a trade if he thinks the team has to give up too many players, which, the sources said, could also make a trade more difficult.

For a team to acquire Bryant, it cannot swap one or more players exceeding 125 percent of his $19,490,625 million salary he'll earn this season.

Chicago Cubs Week-in-Review: April 9-15

Cubs weekly record: 1-4
4/9 vs. Houston Astros L 3-5
4/10 vs. Houston Astros L 2-4
4/11 vs. Houston Astros Postponed (expected to be made up on July 12)
4/13 vs. Cincinnati Reds L 5-6
4/14 vs. Cincinnati Reds W 7-0
4/15 vs. Cincinnati Reds L 0-1

Cubs overall record: 4-7 (6th in NL Central)

Notable Season Stats (as of Monday April 16):

Derrek Lee: .372 AVG 6 R 5 2B 8 RBI
Aramis Ramirez: .406 AVG 5 R 1 2B 1 HR 5 RBI
Alfonso Soriano: .234 AVG 5 R 6 2B 1 RBI
Cliff Floyd: .276 AVG 29 AB 4 R 2 2B 2 RBI

Rich Hill: 2 GS 2-0 0.64 ERA 14 IP 4 BB 11 K
Ted Lilly: 3 GS 1-1 2.37 ERA 19 IP 3 BB 24 K
Carlos Zambrano: 3 GS 1-2 7.88 ERA 16 IP 11 BB 10 K
Ryan Dempster: 5 GP 0-0 0.00 ERA 2 SV 5.0 IP 1 BB 8 K

Player of the Week: Rich Hill
1 GS 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 4 BB 5 K

Important Fact of the Week: Cubs are 1-4 at home this season.

Lou Piniella

It was only the 2nd week of the season and Lou is already losing his temper.

Postgame comments by Cubs manager Lou Piniella after the Cubs blew a five run lead and ended up losing 6-5 to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday April 13:

-"This guy (Zambrano) is your ace, you got a 5-0 lead with the eighth and ninth hitters coming up, you feel pretty good about that inning and all of a sudden it turns into a six-run inning."

- "What do I do? I pitch him when it's his turn again. What else can I do?"

-"And then I bring in the reliever (Will Ohman) who's throwing 30-to-40-foot curveballs to boot. I can see. I can start to see some of the ways this team has lost ballgames. I can see it. We've got to correct it obviously. ... This game here is one that got away from us that really shouldn't."

-When asked what's not working:
"What the hell do you think isn't working? You see the damn game."

If Lou is going to be this upset in April, how will he act in July?

Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano has been struggling. Zambrano has allowed 17 hits and 14 earned runs in 16 innings. Zambrano's WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) is 1.75, which higher than the Cubs' WHIP average of 1.14. Zambrano struggled in April last season.

Zambrano in April 2006:
6 GS 0-2 5.35 ERA 33.2 IP 33 H 20 ER 25 BB 38 K 1.72 WHIP

Hopefully he will improve later in the season.

Rich Hill

Zambrano is still the ace of the Cubs, but not by much. Rich Hill has been pitching great and has a 0.64 ERA after two starts. Hill has a chance at making the NL All-Star team and I predict that he will win at least 16 games this season.

Cubs Lack of Offense

So far the offense has been disappointing. This is an offense that could potentially have three players hitting 40+ home runs this year. The Cubs have scored three runs or less in 5 of their 11 games and have scored four runs or less in 7 of their 11 games. The Cubs lack of hitting is one of the main reasons the Cubs are 4-7.

Chicago Cubs week-in-review: April 2-8

Cubs weekly record:
4/2 L 1-5 @ Cincinnati Reds Box Score
4/4 W 4-1 @ Cincinnati Reds Box Score
4/5 L 2-5 @ Cincinnati Reds Box Score
4/6 W 9-3 @ Milwaukee Brewers Box Score
4/7 W 6-3 @ Milwaukee Brewers Box Score
4/8 L 4-9 @ Milwaukee Brewers Box Score

Cubs overal record: 3-3 (tied for 3rd in the NL central)

Notable Season Stats at the end of the week:

Derrek Lee: .440 AVG 4 R 3 2B 3 RBI
Aramis Ramirez: .440 AVG 4 R 1 HR 4 RBI
Mark DeRosa: .333 AVG 7 R 2 HR 6 RBI
Alfonso Soriano: .214 AVG 2 R 4 2B
Michael Barrett: .158 AVG 1 R 3 RBI

Carlos Zambrano: 1-1 6.00 ERA 12 IP 8 K
Ted Lilly: 1-0 1.29 ERA 7 IP 9 K
Jason Marquis: 0-0 1.50 ERA 6 IP 1 K
Rich Hill: 1-0 1.29 ERA 7 IP 6 K
Wade Miller: 0-1 13.50 ERA 4 IP 0 K
Scott Eyre: 0-0 22.50 ERA 2 GP 2 IP 3 K
Ryan Dempster: 0-0 0.00 ERA 2 GP 2 IP 3 K

Player of the Week: Aramis Ramirez

Important Fact of the Week: Cubs are 3-1 when scoring 4 or more runs

The Cubs started the season with a record of 1-2 after the Cubs' offense only scored seven runs in the first three games. The Cubs had a good shot at winning two out of three against the Reds in the final game of the series, but Bob Howry blew a 2-1 lead in the 7th and Reds eventually won 5-2. Against the Brewers, the Cubs' offense did better and averaged 6.33 runs per game during the three game series. After winning the first two games, Wade Miller had a bad game in the final game of the series allowing six runs in only four innings and the Brewers won 9-4 on Easter Sunday.

Player Notes:

Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano has shown that he can't pitch well on opening day:

Opening Day 2007: 5 IP 6 H 5 ER 5 BB 2 SO 2 HR
Opening Day 2006: 4.2 IP 7 H 5 ER 5 BB 5 SO 2 HR
Opening Day 2005: 4.2 IP 7 H 3 ER 4 BB 8 SO 1 HR

Could it be a fluke that Zambrano pitches bad on opening day? Maybe. However, I think he gets too excited on opening day. It is probably hard to be the first pitcher of the first game of the season. If Zambrano struggles during opening day, how will he do in the playoffs?

Zambrano in the 2003 playoffs:

2 GS 0-1 5.40 ERA 16.7 IP 5 BB 12 SO

Those aren't great stats. If the Cubs reach game 7 of the world series, they might have to consider maybe having someone other than Zambrano start.

Ted Lilly

Great game for Lilly during the Cubs 4-1 win over the Reds on April 4th:

(W) 7 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 BB 9 SO

This is why the Cubs got him and I hope he can be a 15 game winner with a sub-4 ERA.

Rich Hill

In the first five innings of Hill's first start on April 6th, Hill allowed no hits and no walks. Hill pitched seven innings, allowed just one hit which was a home run ending his bid for a perfect game and a shutout, and walked zero batters. If Hill can keep it up, he has a chance at being a NL All-Star this year.

Mark DeRosa

I was hoping he would be good but I didn't expect him to be leading the Cubs in home runs after the first week of the season. So far, he is hitting better than Alfonso Soriano. DeRosa ranks 1st on the Cubs in home runs and RBIs and rank 3rd on the Cubs in batting average. I don't expect him to hit 40 home runs, but he is off to a great start.

What will the Bulls' seed be when the playoffs start?

The Bulls are currently the 5th seed, but I think they could be higher than that once the playoffs start. I decided to predict the records of the teams who the Bulls are either going to have to pass or have to stay in front of.

NOTE: I have not included the Toronto Raptors, who are currently the #4 seed. After looking at their remaining schedule, I don't think they will win as many games as the Bulls so it would be meaningless to try to predict their record. The reason the Raptors are #4 even though the Bulls are better is because they are leading their division and the Bulls are not. Division leaders are guaranteed a top 4 seed. I think the Raptors will win their division, so if the Bulls can not finish better than the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers the Bulls will have a lower seed than the Raptors.

Detriot Pistons: Currently 41-22

Mar 16 at Phoenix- L
Mar 18 vs Dallas- L
Mar 20 vs Philadelphia- W (42)
Mar 22 at Houston- L
Mar 23 at San Antonio- L
Mar 25 at Milwaukee- W (43)
Mar 26 vs Denver- W (44)
Mar 29 at Chicago- L
Mar 30 vs New Jersey- W (45)
Apr 1 vs Miami- W (46)
Apr 3 at Indiana- W (47)
Apr 4 vs Chicago- L
Apr 8 vs Cleveland- W (48)
Apr 9 at New York- W (49)
Apr 11 vs Orlando- W (50)
Apr 13 at Toronto- W (51)
Apr 15 vs Philadelphia- W (52)
Apr 17 vs Toronto- W (53)
Apr 18 at Boston- W (54)

Predicted Record: 54-28

Cleveland Cavaliers: Currently 40-25

Mar 17 vs Utah- L
Mar 20 at Charlotte- W (41)
Mar 21 vs Dallas- L
Mar 23 vs New York- W (42)
Mar 25 vs Denver- W (43)
Mar 27 at Indiana- W (44)
Mar 28 at New York- W (45)
Mar 31 at Chicago- L
Apr 1 at Boston- W (46)
Apr 3 at Minnesota- W (47)
Apr 5 vs Miami- W (48)
Apr 6 at Washington- L
Apr 8 at Detroit- L
Apr 12 vs New Jersey- W (49)
Apr 14 vs Atlanta- W (50)
Apr 17 at Philadelphia- W (51)
Apr 18 vs Milwaukee- W (52)

Predicted Record: 52-30

Washington Wizards: Currently 35-28

Mar 17 vs New Orl/OKC- W (36)
Mar 20 at Portland- W (37)
Mar 21 at Seattle- W (38)
Mar 23 at Golden State- W (39)
Mar 24 at LA Clippers- W (40)
Mar 26 at Utah- L
Mar 28 vs Philadelphia- W (41)
Mar 30 vs Toronto- L
Apr 1 at Milwaukee- W (42)
Apr 3 at Charlotte- W (43)
Apr 4 vs Charlotte- W (44)
Apr 6 vs Cleveland- W (45)
Apr 7 at New Jersey- W (46)
Apr 10 vs New Jersey- W (47)
Apr 11 at Miami- L
Apr 13 at Atlanta- W (48)
Apr 15 vs Chicago- W (49)
Apr 17 vs Orlando- W (50)
Apr 18 at Indiana- W (51)

Predicted Record: 51-31

Chicago Bulls: Currently 39-28

Mar 17 at Memphis- W (40)
Mar 20 vs LA Clippers- W (41)
Mar 22 vs Denver- W (42)
Mar 25 at Indiana- W (43)
Mar 26 vs Portland- W (44)
Mar 29 vs Detroit- W (45)
Mar 31 vs Cleveland- W (46)
Apr 1 at Atlanta- W (47)
Apr 4 at Detroit- W (48)
Apr 6 vs New Jersey- W (49)
Apr 8 at Toronto- W (50)
Apr 10 vs New York- W (51)
Apr 13 vs Charlotte- W (52)
Apr 15 at Washington- L
Apr 18 at New Jersey- W (53)

Predicted Record: 53-29

Miami Heat: Currently 34-29

Mar 15 at New Jersey- W (35)
Mar 16 vs Sacramento- W (36)
Mar 18 vs Orlando- W (37)
Mar 21 at Atlanta- W (38)
Mar 23 at Indiana- W (39)
Mar 24 vs Philadelphia- W (40)
Mar 26 vs Atlanta- W (41)
Mar 28 at Toronto- L
Mar 30 at Minnesota- W (42)
Apr 1 at Detroit- L
Apr 3 vs Toronto- W (43)
Apr 5 at Cleveland- L
Apr 6 at Boston- W (44)
Apr 8 vs Charlotte- W (45)
Apr 10 at Charlotte- W (46)
Apr 11 vs Washington- W (47)
Apr 13 vs Indiana- W (48)
Apr 16 vs Boston- W (49)
Apr 18 at Orlando- W (50)

Predicted Record: 50-32

Here is my predicted playoff seeding:

1. Pistons 54-28
2. Bulls 53-27
3. Wizards 51-31
4. Raptors
5. Cavaliers 52-30
6. Heat 50-32

I have the Bulls getting the 2nd seed in the playoffs. I offer no guaranttees. It is very likely that each team will have 1-2 less wins than my predictions. There are many games each team could very easily lose, but I have picked the wins based on games they should win. For example, it can be argued that the Cleveland Cavaliers could beat the Washington Wizards on April 6. However, because the game is in Washington, I said that the Wizards would win. Now, you may notice that I have the Bulls beating the Pistons in Detroit. I picked the Bulls to win because the Bulls beat the Pistons by 17 points in their 1st meeting and then lost by 2 in Detroit after leading by as many as 16 points. I think the Bulls should beat the Pistons, because I don't think Detroit is better than the Bulls and I don't see any reason for me to believe that the Bulls will lose. I hate making predictions because I'm not always right. We'll see how close (or far away) I was at the end of the season.

Is 50 wins still realistic for the Bulls?

A while ago, I made my predictions on how many more games the Bulls would win. The Bulls have 39 wins, so they are still 11 wins short of 50 wins.

Here is how I did so far with my prediction (actual result in parentheses):

Feb 20 vs Atlanta- W (W)
Feb 22 at Cleveland- L (W)
Feb 23 vs Washington- W (W)
Feb 25 at Detroit- L (L)
Feb 26 vs Orlando- W (L)
Feb 28 vs Golden State- W (W)
Mar 2 vs New Orl/OKC- W (W)
Mar 4 at Milwaukee- W (W)
Mar 7 at Miami- L (L)
Mar 8 at Orlando- W (W)
Mar 11 at Boston- W (W)
Mar 13 vs Boston- W (W)
Mar 14 at Philadelphia- W (W)
Mar 17 at Memphis- W (?) (40)
Mar 20 vs LA Clippers- W (?) (41)
Mar 22 vs Denver- L (?)
Mar 25 at Indiana- W (?) (42)
Mar 26 vs Portland- W (?) (43)
Mar 29 vs Detroit- W (?) (44)
Mar 31 vs Cleveland- W (?) (45)
Apr 1 at Atlanta- W (?) (46)
Apr 4 at Detroit- L (?)
Apr 6 vs New Jersey- W (?) (47)
Apr 8 at Toronto- L (?)
Apr 10 vs New York- W (?) (48)
Apr 13 vs Charlotte- W (?) (49)
Apr 15 at Washington- L (?)
Apr 18 at New Jersey- W (?)(50)

I still have the Bulls winning 50 games. I want to make changes to my current predictions. I have decided to change my predicted losses to Denver, Detroit away, and Toronto away into wins. That would have the Bulls finishing the season with 53 wins.

Chicago Cubs questions (and possible answers) entering the season

If the Cubs want to be playoff contenders, they have many questions that need to be answered:

Pitching Questions:

#1. Will Mark Prior/Wade Miller be and stay healthy?
#2. Will Rich Hill avoid the sophomore slump and pitch as well as he did last year?
#3. Will pitching in different league turn Ted Lilly into an all-star pitcher (or at least a productive middle of the rotation pitcher)?
#4. Can Jason Marquis bounce back after having the worst season in his career?
#5. Will Ryan Dempster be the closer this year and have a ERA below four?
#6. Can Kerry Wood be effective again and stay healthy?

Hitting Questions:

#1. Can Cesar Izturis provide offense (like he did in 2004) as well as defense?
#2. Can Derrek Lee hit 45+ home runs (like he did in 2005) after he missed 100+ games last year?
#3. Will Alfonso Soriano provide great numbers again, or will the pressure of being the top player on a playoff contender cause him to have a disappointing year?

The Big Question:

Can the Cubs make it to the playoffs?

While I can't answer the questions now, here are the positive and negative answers to my questions:

I'll start with the negative answers:

Pitching answers (negative):

#1. Prior and Miller miss a lot of the season. Prior makes 12 starts and Miller has to pitch out of the bullpen after a long stay on the disabled list.
#2. The batters adjust to Hill after seeing him more and Hill has a disappointing year: 9-16, 4.87 ERA
#3. A new league doesn't produce new results for Lilly: 10-14, 4.45 ERA
#4. Marquis doesn't fix his problems and has another bad season: 8-17, 5.98 ERA
#5. Dempster loses his job as closer after failing to record saves early in the season: 4+ blown saves, 4.67 ERA
#6. Wood is unable to pitch frequently due to arm problems. Wood makes 13 appearances out of the bullpen.

Hitting answers (negative):

#1. Izturis struggles to produce offensively: .205 batting average, .245 on-base percentage
#2. Lee stats are not as good as they were in 2005: 28 home runs, .275 AVG
#3. Soriano has a good season but not as great as everyone was hoping for: 31 HR, 73 RBI, .262 AVG, .323 OBP

Negative answer to The Big Question:

Cubs finish 82-80, 3rd place in the NL central. No playoffs appearance for the Cubs in 2007.

And here are the positive answers:

Pitching questions (positive):

#1. Prior and Miller are healthy most of the season: Prior 15-8, 3.35 ERA; Miller 11-13, 4.12 ERA.
#2. Hill has an even better season than last year: 16-9, 3.34 ERA
#3. Lilly has the best season of his career because he no longer has to face good hitting AL teams: 17-11, 3.41 ERA
#4. Marquis rebounds nicely from his horrible 2006 season: 15-9, 3.81 ERA
#5. Dempster improves from last year's bad season: 35 saves, 3.12 ERA
#6. Wood is healthy and ends up being a key member of the Cubs bullpen: 73 GP, 3.24 ERA

Hitting answers (positive):

#1 Izturis hits pretty good for a #8 hitter: .282 AVG, .325 OBP
#2. Lee proves that he is 100% healthy: 41 HR, 113 RBI, .321 AVG
#3. Soriano shows that his 2006 season was no fluke: 48 HR, 102 RBI, 43 SB, .287 AVG

Positive answer to The Big Question:

Cubs win 95 games and finish 1st in the NL Central. Cubs make it to the playoffs.

My answers are just guesses and it is too early for my questions to be answer. I am hoping for the positive answers to happen, but I am worried that some or most of the negative answers will happen. The only way to find out is to watch the entire 2007 baseball season.

Bulls may trade for Abdur-Rahim, Wells

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls are unlikely to acquire Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol, but might trade for Sacramento Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Houston Rockets guard Bonzi Wells.

Here is an excerpt from today's article in the Tribune titled "Bulls have eyes for Abdur-Rahim, Wells":

Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the most prominently mentioned possibility in the latter scenario, though a late rumor Wednesday had the Bulls trying to pry Bonzi Wells from the Rockets.

A Bulls team source said Paxson wasn't optimistic but had to wait until Thursday to see if Grizzlies general manager Jerry West would lower his asking price for Gasol. That chance has been rejected categorically in public comments from West and Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley.

Paxson is active, though, and said to want a deal with his team underachieving in the winnable Eastern Conference.

P.J. Brown's expiring $8.6 million salary has drawn considerable interest, but the Bulls are keeping him in case the Gasol talks change direction Thursday. Neither team expects that to happen.

The Bulls also have the expiring deals of Michael Sweetney and Malik Allen, which could be used in a deal with the Kings. Abdur-Rahim has three years and $18.6 million left on his deal.

Wells is a post-up guard about whom coach Scott Skiles has talked favorably in the past. Off the court, Wells has been cited for criminal trespass while with the Trail Blazers and had several run-ins with coaches, including being deactivated earlier this season by Jeff Van Gundy for a lack of conditioning.

Those character issues would seem to run counter to the philosophy of an organization that has sent Tim Thomas home and J.R. Smith to the Nuggets for lesser transgressions.

Wells' $2.1 million salary is a matchable trade with Sweetney's $2.7 million deal.

Skiles met with Paxson on Wednesday morning before the team departed for Cleveland.

"As coaches, even though I know more than the average person, I still have to operate under the assumption that this is the team we're going to [have] the rest of the season," Skiles said. "If you don't do that, you're making a mistake."

Sam Smith wrote what he thinks Bulls chances are of getting either Abdur-Rahim or Wells in his column today:

The talk is that the Kings want to come out of the deal with a young player, a draft pick and salary-cap relief. They don't have all those assets, which could open the way for the Bulls to end up with Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Wells is a post-up guard who is on the outs with the Rockets and again exhibiting unreliable behavior. His contract status, though, is favorable. He has an opt-out after this season he says he will use, and he had a great finish for the Kings last season.

Wells inexplicably rejected an offer of about $30 million to re-sign, and Wells was left to take just $2 million from the Rockets. There's a good chance he would be motivated for two months to get a new contract and could be a weapon for a team like the Bulls if they don't make a major deal. Still, the Bulls have a history of avoiding potentially difficult players such as Wells.

For two months, the Bulls probably could put up with a character. Perhaps Houston would accept salary-cap relief and a second-round pick.

I don't really want either trade to happen. Most likely the Bulls might have to trade one of their young stars: Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, Luol Deng, or Andres Nocioni. Unless the Bulls can get a trade done without including those five players, I say let the trade deadline pass and stick with the players the Bulls have now. The Bulls are already a good team and my fear is that a trade could make them worse, not better.

Who's better: 2003 Cubs or 2007 Cubs

A good way to see if the 2007 Chicago Cubs are going to make the playoffs is to compare them to the most recent successful Cubs team. The 2003 Cubs not only made the playoffs, but they also were one win away from reaching the World Series. I decided to compare the two teams. Instead of comparing the entire team, I compared the starting line-ups and the starting rotations of both teams. I do think the bench and the bullpen are important, but a team's starters play the majority of the game (and I didn't have the time of effort to go into a huge comparison).

NOTE: The offensive starters and starting rotations I will use for the 2003 Cubs will be from the roster they had going into the playoffs. The players the Cubs acquired during the season (Kenny Lofton, Aramis Ramirez, and Randall Simon, etc) helped the Cubs get into the playoffs and into the NLCS. For the 2007 Cubs, I will create the starting line-ups and rotations using the depth chart on http://www.cubs.com/ that way I'm using an expert opinion to determine who the starters might be instead of using my opinion which will most likely end up being wrong. Stats of 2007 team are from the 2006 season.

Offensive Starters
-------------------
1st base:

Randall Simon 16 HR 72 RBI .276/.309/.434 410 AB

vs.

Derrek Lee 8 HR 30 RBI .286/.368/.474 175 AB

2nd base:

Mark Grudzielanek 3 HR 38 RBI .314/.366/.416 481 AB

vs.

Mark DeRosa 13 HR 74 RBI .296/.357/.456 520 AB

Shortstop:

Alex Gonzalez 20 HR 59 RBI .228/.295/.409 536 AB

vs.

Cezar Izturis 1 HR 18 RBI .245/.295/.318 192 AB

3rd base:

Aramis Ramirez ('03) 27 HR 106 RBI .272/.324/.465 607 AB

vs.

Aramis Ramirez ('07) 38 HR 119 RBI .291/.352/.561 594 AB

LF:

Moises Alou 22 HR 91 RBI .280/.357/.462 565 AB

vs.

Matt Murton 13 HR 62 RBI .297/.365/.444 455 AB

or

Cliff Floyd 11 HR 44 RBI .244/.324/.407 332 AB

CF.

Kenny Lofton 12 HR 46 RBI .296/.352/.450 547 AB

vs.

Alfonso Soriano 46 HR 95 RBI .277/.351/.560 647 AB

RF:

Sammy Sosa 40 HR 103 RBI .279/.358/.553 517 AB

vs.

Jacque Jones 27 HR 81 RBI .285/.334/.499 533 AB

C:

Damian Miller 9 HR 36 RBI .233/.310/.369 352 AB

vs.

Michael Barrett 16 HR 53 RBI .307/.368/.517 375 AB

Comments on the offensive starters:

It seems like the '07 team has a better offensive infield. Although Simon posted higher HR and RBI totals, notice that Lee had over 200 fewer AB. Also, Lee's AVG, OBP, and SLG are higher than Simon's. The only edge the '03 team has on the infield is Gonzalez over Izturis. Although Izturis has the higher average, Gonzalez has a better SLG and has the same OBP Izturis has. Also, DeRosa may have more power, but I think Grudzielanek may be the better hitter because he has a higher AVG and OBP. I'll say there is no edge between the two second basemen.

I have to say that the '03 team has a better hitting outfield. Soriano does have the best stats, but Alou, Sosa, and Lofton (who by the way has a better AVG and OBP than Soriano) are a better offensive group than the '07 outfield led by Soriano. Although Jones and Murton posted good numbers in '06, can they do it again in '07? I'm also worried about Floyd who had the fewest AB of the outfielders that were listed.

A big plus goes to the '07 team for having a good offensive catcher. Most teams' catchers are bottom of the order hitters, but Barrett is arguably one of the best hitting catchers in the National League. Barrett destroys Miller in AVG, OBP, and SLG and even had more AB than him.

Overall, I think the '07 team is a slightly better hitting team.
__________________________

Starting Rotation
------------------

#1:

Mark Prior ('03) 18-6 2.43 ERA 245 SO 211.3 IP

vs.

Carlos Zambrano ('07) 16-7 3.41 ERA 210 SO 214.0

#2:

Kerry Wood ('03) 14-11 3.20 ERA 266 SO 211.0 IP

vs.

Ted Lilly 15-13 4.31 ERA 160 SO 181.2 IP

#3:

Carlos Zambrano ('03) 13-11 3.11 ERA 168 SO 214.0 IP

vs.

Jason Marquis 14-16 6.02 ERA 96 SO 194.1 IP

#4:

Matt Clement 14-12 4.11 ERA 171 SO 201.7 IP

vs.

Rich Hill 6-7 4.17 ERA 77 SO 99.1 IP

#5:

Shawn Estes 8-11 5.73 ERA 103 SO 152.3 IP

vs.

Mark Prior ('07) 1-6 7.21 ERA 38 SO 43.2 IP

or

Wade Miller 0-2 4.57 ERA 20 SO 21.2 IP

Comments on the starting rotations:


Clearly the '03 team has the better starting rotation. However, the bottom of the rotation players on the '07 team could end up pitching their way into the upper half of the rotation. If healthy, Prior's stats could look more like '03 Prior and less like Estes. Hill's stats are average, but if he hadn't started the '06 season so bad, his ERA would be under four easily. I'm not sure if Miller will have a spot in the rotation, but he too could have a good season if healthy. Prior and Miller combined for 14 starts (nine for Prior and five for Miller) in 2006 so it is unfair to say that Clement and Estes were better pitchers than them just because they had better stats. I would like to see both Prior and Miller pitch 100+ innings in a season before trying to compare them to anyone.

The top half of the rotation is dominated by the '03 Cubs. Although Zambrano is a Cy Young candidate, it will be interesting to see if newcomers Lilly and Marquis are able to keep their ERA below five. Lilly is coming from the AL East that has teams like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, so I expect his ERA to be lower in 2007. Marquis is from the NL so he has less of an excuse than Lilly. Seeing that Marquis is in the same division this year as he was last year, I don't see Marquis improving as much as Lilly. The '03 team had Prior, Wood, and Zambrano at the top of the rotation and all three of them:
a.) had 14 or more wins
b.) had an ERA below 3.50
c.) pitched over 210 innings

Those achievements make them more impressive than the 2007's potential top three starting pitchers.

The '03 team had three potential #1 starters (Prior, Wood, and Zambrano) and Clement could have been easily a #2 or a #3 on another team. Overall, the '03 team had the better pitching and their pitching helped get them to the NLCS in 2003.
_______________________________

I am not going to make a prediction of who will end up being the better team. This is only a comparison. There is no way of telling whether the 2007 Cubs will finish first or last. No one knows who will get injured and who will be traded. The only way to find out is to wait until the end of the 2007 season.

Can the Bulls Win 50 Games?

In today's Chicago Tribune, there is a short article titled "Bulls' 50-win goal seems like a stretch".

Here is an excerpt from that article:

Players are giving more voice to a quietly formed goal of 50 victories, even as it appears to be slipping away.

The Bulls must go 21-7 over their final games—14 at home, 14 on the road—to meet this goal, which seemed a foregone conclusion in the giddiness after signing Ben Wallace. The way the Bulls limped into the break, with five losses in six games, suggests the task will be tall.

Poor decision-making on offense, a recent lack of focus and intensity on defense and an injury to Andres Nocioni, whose participation Monday is questionable, has left more reasons for pessimism than optimism recently.

Still, hope exists.

"This is the time of year where we've started playing really well the last two years," coach Scott Skiles said. "We're close in a lot of games to playing really well. We've had our inconsistencies. We need to come out of the gate and play well after the break and try to build some momentum."

Indeed, the Bulls have closed the last two seasons by going 21-12 after the break in 2004-05 and 18-12 last season. But improvement is needed, especially in terms of consistency. Indeed, the Bulls seem to have one prolonged stretch of inconsistency and bad play each game, from which they don't recover.

K.C. Johnson, the author of the article, said that the Bulls must improve on bench play, the transition game, and energy levels.

I have listed the Bulls remaining games. The Tribune article said the Bulls must go 21-7 to reach 50 wins (they are currently 29-25). I am going to predict the outcome of each game and see what are the Bulls chances of winning 50 games.

Feb 20 vs Atlanta- W (30)
Feb 22 at Cleveland- L
Feb 23 vs Washington- W (31)
Feb 25 at Detroit- L
Feb 26 vs Orlando- W (32)
Feb 28 vs Golden State- W (33)
Mar 2 vs New Orl/OKC- W (34)
Mar 4 at Milwaukee- W (35)
Mar 7 at Miami- L
Mar 8 at Orlando- W (36)
Mar 11 at Boston- W (37)
Mar 13 vs Boston- W (38)
Mar 14 at Philadelphia- W (39)
Mar 17 at Memphis- W (40)
Mar 20 vs LA Clippers- W (41)
Mar 22 vs Denver- L
Mar 25 at Indiana- W (42)
Mar 26 vs Portland- W (43)
Mar 29 vs Detroit- W (44)
Mar 31 vs Cleveland- W (45)
Apr 1 at Atlanta- W (46)
Apr 4 at Detroit- L
Apr 6 vs New Jersey- W (47)
Apr 8 at Toronto- L
Apr 10 vs New York- W (48)
Apr 13 vs Charlotte- W (49)
Apr 15 at Washington- L
Apr 18 at New Jersey- W (50)

Surprisingly, I have the Bulls winning 50 games and finishing at a record of 50-32. The games I think the Bulls will win are games the Bulls will probably be the favorite to win. There is a good chance the Bulls will lose some of the games I have marked down as wins, but they could also win some of the games I have marked down as losses. I am not an NBA expert, so I can not guarantee that the Bulls will win 50 games. You are just going to have to watch the remaining games and find out.

Chicago Loses to Detriot in Shooting Stars Challenge

The Chicago team, represented by Chicago Bulls' Ben Gordon, Chicago Sky's Candice Dupree and ex-Bull Scottie Pippen, lost tonight in the finals to the Detriot team during the Shooting Stars challenge. The Shooting Stars Contest was part of the All-Star festivities tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here is a brief summary of the contest from http://aol.nba.com/allstar2007/shooting_stars/:

Team Detroit won the 2007 Haier Shooting Stars challenge by default as team Chicago took its shots out of order in the final round on Saturday. The team of Bill Laimbeer, Chauncey Billups and Swin Cash had the second-best first-round time by finishing the six-shot course in 1:06 and then needed just 50.5 seconds to complete its final-round run. Chicago had the best first-round time (48.9 seconds), followed by Detroit, defending champion San Antonio (1:32) and Los Angeles (2:00).

Like the summary said, Detriot had a time of 50.5 seconds in the finals. Chicago was doing good and then Gordon shot when Dupree was supposed to shoot. Chicago finished with a better time, but after the officials looked at the replays, it was announced that Chicago was disqualified and Detriot was named the winner. I'll forgive Gordon since it was only an All-Star contest, but Pippen, who made what would have been the winning shot, and Dupree are probably mad at him for costing them a chance at winning the $15,000 prize to the winner that goes to each player.

Pippen Wants to Play for Heat

Today's Chicago Tribune reported that the Miami Heat are the team Scottie Pippen would like to play for.

Here is an excerpt from Sam Smith's article in today's Tribune:

Pippen, never shy about stating his opinions and intentions, made it clear he'd love to play for the Miami Heat.

"I'm looking at teams like Miami, Cleveland, Dallas, San Antonio. I feel there are a few teams I could help," Pippen said.

Sitting at a nearby table later on, Kobe Bryant said he'd call Pippen and ask him to consider the Lakers.

"I'd like an opportunity to help a team contend for a championship," Pippen said. "I'd like to go play with Shaq. That would be the ideal place. He's probably the best in the game, he and Dwyane Wade. Teams in the East still are bunched up, but [the Pistons and the Heat] will be fighting it out in the Eastern finals."

Though O'Neal said he hadn't heard about any Pippen interest in Miami, Wade was excited.

"I'm already playing with [Gary] Payton and Shaq; Scottie and Michael are two guys I used to play with on video games," Wade said. "To add Scottie to the mix, that would be crazy. It would be a dream."

It seems like the Chicago Bulls are not one of the teams Pippen is looking at. He wants to play for a team that is a title contender and not a team that could be a first round exit in the playoffs. Pippen said, "I don't see anyone really a threat to them." The "them" is his quote was probably the Miami Heat. Pippen said, "the Bulls still are lacking that inside presence." The Heat, unlike the Bulls, do have an inside presence: Shaquille O'Neal. Although the Heat are currently the eight seed in the Eastern conference, Pippen probably thinks they are one key player away from being a serious contender and he is hoping he is that key player. However, just because he wants to play for the teams he mentioned doesn't mean they will sign him. The Bulls are probably still a possible destination for Pippen, but it is unlikely that the Bulls will be able to sign him if Miami, Cleveland, Dallas, or San Antonio offers him a contract. The Bulls and the rest of the NBA will get a good look at Pippen tonight when he participates in the "Shooting Stars" contest during the All-Star weekend festivities.

NBA was probably right for not picking Thomas, Sefolosha

I was disappointed when I saw that Chicago Bulls rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha were not picked to be on the rookie team for tonight's Rookie Challenge All-Star game. I was even more upset for Tyrus because he was the fourth pick overall in last year's draft. Only nine players were selected to play for the rookie team, but I thought Thabo and Tyrus were good enough to be one of those nine players. I was wrong. Thabo and Tyrus were left off for a good reason. I checked the stats of the rookies playing in tonight's game and I compared them to Thabo and Tyrus's stats. Because they play on a playoff team, Thabo and Tyrus's minutes per game are lower than anyone on the rookie team. Therefore their stats aren't as good as the players selected to be on the rookie team. So, I decided to research everyone's stats per 48 minutes. Looking at their stats per 48 minutes would tell me how they would do had they played the entire 48 minutes of a basketball game. The problem with stats per game is that if a person scores four points in four minutes in a game, he would have only four points per game. However, he would have 48 points per 48 minutes. It is unfair to call someone better if he scored 23 points in 35 minutes and the other person scored 20 points in 20 minutes. The person with 20 points played 15 less minutes than the person with 23 points. So, by adjusting the stats to stats per 48 minutes, everyone had an equal opportunity.

Tryus is a forward so I compared him to the other rookie forwards and Thabo is a guard so I compared him to the other rookie guards.

NOTE: The following stats are all stats per 48 minutes. For example, points is points per 48 minutes, rebounds is rebounds per 48 minutes, etc. (* means on rookie team)

Forwards:
*Andrea Bargnani 21.5 points 7.0 rebounds 1.6 assists
*Paul Millsap 18.6 points 13.6 rebounds 1.9 assists
*Adam Morrison 19.2 points 4.8 rebounds 3.3 assists
*Jorge Garbajosa 14.3 points 8.6 rebounds 3.4 assists
Tyrus Thomas 16.2 points 12.9 rebounds 1.9 assists

I noticed that everyone had an edge on Tyrus except for Jorge Garbajosa. Therefore, at first I thought that Tryus should have been named to the team instead of Garbajosa. Also, Tyrus was the 4th pick overall in the draft and fans might have wanted to see him. The only reason I can think of why Tryus wasn't selected was because of the slam dunk contest. Tryus is scheduled to be in the Slam Dunk contest tommorow night. The NBA might have been worried about Tryus getting hurt in the Rookie Challenge and that he would not be able to play in the Slam Dunk contest. If Tryus did get hurt, it would be very difficult for the NBA to get a good replacement in time so the contest would remain competitive. I would rather see Tyrus play in the Slam Dunk contest so I think the NBA made the right decision in not selecting Tryus to play on the rookie team.

Guards:
*Jordan Farmer 15.4 points 4.8 rebounds 6.1 assists
*Randy Foye 20.4 points 6.1 rebounds 5.6 assists
*Rudy Gay 19.6 points 7.9 rebounds 2.1 assists
*Brandon Roy 21.8 points 5.9 rebounds 4.9 assists
*Marcus Williams 20.6 points 5.9 rebounds 8.7 assists

Thabo Sefolosha 13.5 points 8.0 rebounds 3.4 assists

This comparison was not as close as I thought it would be. Thabo may be the best rebounder of the bunch, but he is not as strong in the other categories. The five guards selected are statistically better than Thabo, so I agree with the NBA on not selecting Thabo to play on the rookie team.

One more thing to mention: Tyrus and Thabo are both among the top defensive rookies in the NBA this season. However, the Rookie Challenge is more of an entertainment game than a competitive game. The defense is usually weak on both teams. Despite the game being 40 minutes instead of 48 minutes, the Sophomores beat the Rookies by a score of 142-118 in the 2004 Rookie Challenge. The last time neither team reached 100 points was in 2000 when the Rookies won 92-81 in overtime.

Pippen may return to the NBA

The Chicago Tribune reported today that former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen is considering making a comeback to the NBA and he hopes to play for a playoff team.

Here is an excerpt from Sam Smith's article in today's Tribune:

Pippen, who turned 41 on Sept. 25, says he's in better condition and health than at any time in the last five years. And in the Eastern Conference, his veteran presence could change the balance of power and be a major influence in the playoffs. Or he might be the long-sought backup to relieve the pressure on the Suns' Steve Nash. The possibilities are intriguing.

"I'm thinking of trying to come back for the playoffs," Pippen said. "Something like the last two months of the season, somewhere I can come back and play limited minutes to start, play point forward for someone and build toward the playoffs. It's something I've been thinking about for the last three months."

"Being out of the game, my body feels great," Pippen said, adding that his body fat is at an all-time low 5 percent and he's at his top playing weight of about 220 pounds.

"Taking this break, it feels amazing. I'm looking at somewhere I could play maybe 15 minutes. I'm not trying to be a big-money guy or anything, [just trying to] get with a team I can help in the playoffs.

"My knee is good," Pippen said. "I've been working out regularly, doing drills. I see my body like guys like Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar, who played till he was 42) and Robert Parish (who played until just short of 44). My body is lanky and flexible like theirs. That gives me some hope I can do it.

"I'm moving good. I feel pretty fast and you don't forget the game. I watch and see so many young guys who don't know how to run a team and I feel I could help someone."

Sam Smith also writes, "[Pippen] didn't mention the Bulls as a possible destination, but he doesn't seem like a good fit with their surplus of guards and small forwards."

In Smith's article, he mentions that Pippen said his condition and health is better than at any time in the last five years. Five years ago, Pippen was in the middle the 2001-2002 season and was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. That season he started in 60 games and averaged 10.6 points per game. Pippen also averaged 32.2 minutes per game which is more than the 17.9 minutes per game he averaged with the Bulls in the 2003-2004 season.

I think the Bulls should consider getting Pippen. If he is as healthy as he says he is, the Bulls should take a chance on him. The Bulls should schedule a workout for Pippen to see how heathly he is and if they think he is in good shape, then I think the Bulls should release Viktor Khryapa and sign Pippen. The Bulls should be one of the teams Pippen wants to play for and the Bulls are currently on track to be in the playoffs this year. Not only can Pippen be a leader with veteran experience, he can also maybe even contribute to the team which was something he didn't do as a Bull in the 2003-2004 season. The Bulls can get an early look at Pippen tommorow. According to Smith's article, Pippen will participate in the "Shooting Stars" contest tommorow night as part of the All-Star festivities. He will be joined by Bulls guard Ben Gordon and the Chicago Sky's Candice Dupree. Let's hope Bulls G.M. John Paxson will be watching.

Bulls Lose to Weak Eastern Team

The Chicago Bulls can probably think of many excuses for losing 100-85 to the Charlotte Bobcats last night. It was the last game before the All-Star break. This was the second game in a row for the Bulls. According to an article at www.bulls.com, the Bulls didn't arrive in Charlotte until 3 a.m. because the snowstorm in Chicago delayed their flight. All of them would have been good reasons except for the fact the Bulls were facing the Bobcats who entered the game on a four-game losing streak with a record of 18-33. This was a game that the Bulls could of, should of won, but they didn't. On December 23rd, the Bulls crushed the Bobcats by a score of 115-76. It was the Bobcats worst loss in their three-year history according to www.bulls.com. It seemed likely that the Bulls would win again especially after leading 29-24 at the end of the first quarter. However, Gerald Wallace's three pointer at the buzzer gave the Bobcats a 49-45 lead going into halftime. A basket by Kirk Hinrich got the Bulls within three points with under nine minutes left in the third quarter, but that would be the closest the Bulls would get to getting the lead back. The Bobcats outscored the Bulls by 11 points in the second half. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 20 points. Emeka Okafor of the Bobcats grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 15 points with six blocks. Wallace of the Bobcats had a game-high 32 points.

Here are the post-game quotes provided by www.bulls.com:

Quoting Bulls Head Coach Scott Skiles

On the loss:

“It was definitely an embarrassing effort, and an embarrassing loss. Right from the beginning we started slow. We hung in there for a while, but they just wore us down, and we weren’t able to get anything going. We're not playing like a high-level team. No reason to run from that, it's true.''

On Luol Deng:

“I thought he gave a great effort. We just didn’t provide any support at all. He was alone with Wallace, and didn’t get the help over there. Overall I think he gave a great effort.”

On Gerald Wallace and Matt Carroll:

“Our game plan against them was to get up on them to try and create turnovers, which we’ve been very good at. [We wanted] to get out on the open floor and disrupt their offense, and we just didn’t do those things. We were really soft on Felton and soft on the ball out in front. When they went into their high pick-and-roll game our traps were soft, and allowed them to split us a little bit. We were in a rotation game, and they made open shots.”

On the second quarter:

“Even though we were staying with them points-wise, we could tell from the bench we weren’t totally here tonight. That doesn’t mean you can’t go on and win the game. You know… its not we felt totally defeated. We felt like we could get something going, and somebody could spark us. At one point we were one for ten off the bench, so going to the bench wasn’t working. We just were not really able to find anyone to spark us.”

On missing Andrés Nocioni:

“We missed him for sure. I mean not only do we miss his shooting and his points, but there are also certain match-ups he can really exploit. When we go small, and he’s the four spot he can guard the fours, as well as get into his pick-and-pop game and make shots. So we definitely miss him. "

On Okafor’s effectiveness:

“There’s no question. He gave us problems all night long. I thought he was aggressive early. His rebounding was a big factor in getting in getting some easy hoops. Then there are his blocks. A blocked shot usually leads to an easy basket. He put up six tonight, and in the third when we seemed to be getting momentum he blocked a few.”

On getting the bench going:

“We knew when we put Ben Gordon in the starting line up that there was a risk of taking points away from our bench. Your putting a guy in the starting line up that, at the time we did it, who had just got 40 points off the bench a couple weeks before that. That’s why we put Andrés back there to get some points coming off the bench. Those are the points you miss off the bench. I mean guys on the bench are getting an opportunity. They need to seize that opportunity, and they’ve struggled with that so far. We’ve just got to do a better job off the bench, and find ways to be productive.”

Quoting Bulls Guard Chris Duhon

On his shooting:

“I’ve just been shooting with confidence and trying to take good shots. It’s been a normal movement for me, it’s never been a guess of whether or not I should or should not shoot this. It’s just been going in."

On the game:

“It is hard to explain. It is very disappointing. We know we are a better team than what we are displaying. We haven’t been able to play to a high level. Its like we coast and coast and we wait until we are down and then try to put out one last burst to win the game. We just need to do more than that to win.”

Quoting Bulls Guard Kirk Hinrich

On the game:

“It is definitely not a high point. We talked about getting some momentum going here before the break. We wanted to get a couple of games. But it just did not happen tonight.”

On the first half of the season and upcoming break:

“It was the complete opposite. I’m just disappointed. With the first half we had opportunities that we just missed. It is easy to think back about all of the opportunities we had to win games and we just didn’t take advantage of the situation so far. After the break we just have to come back and defend more consistently, get more consistent on offense and finish our games.”

Quoting Bulls Forward Luol Deng

On the game:

“It was tough. We didn’t play with a lot of energy. Maybe the trip had something to do with it, I don’t know. We really tried to find our offense and our defense wasn’t where it was supposed to be. We just didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

On the second half of the season:

“We are an energy team so the break is really going to be good for us. When we come we have to realize that we need to play with a lot of energy like we have done before.”

Quoting Bobcats Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff

On the game:

“I thought the guys defended their shooters consistently and made them earn it. The Bulls are a very good basketball team. They execute well and put pressure on you. I thought it was a very consistent performance; we had 24 assists and 36 field goals. You have to go from strong to weak side against them.”

On Emeka Okafor:

“We told him he ended up with 21 rebounds, and he still thought that wasn’t enough. He had six blocks, and they were at critical times in the game. Other than his rookie year, the thing with Emeka is that he still has to learn how to play 82 games.”

On team efficiency:

“We were pretty good tonight. We did all the right things, all the hustle things, and we shared the ball. We moved the ball from strong to weak side, and that’s the only way you can play against Chicago.”

On going into the All-Star Break with a win:

“I think it’s good. Hopefully we can get healthy so that we can come back and get busy.”
On the first half of the season:“We’re probably a little ahead of schedule compared to last year. There were a couple games along the stretch I thought we could pick up. When you consider everything, I still take my hat off to the small group of guys who held us down on the road trip. We had other guys out, and we really could have been buried. Those guys stepped up, and kept us playing in Los Angeles and Denver. They saved the day for us.”

Quoting Bobcats Forward Gerald Wallace

On the game:

“(We played) the way we want to play every game, but especially right before the All-Star break. We’re coming off a little slump, so we came out and tried to be aggressive. We knew they played last night, and we remembered what they did to us in Chicago on our back-to-back.”

On Chicago playing the second game of a back-to-back:

“(They were tired), but they’re still a good team. We figured that we could run them and take them out of what they were doing. They’re primarily a jump-shooting team, so we knew that with them playing last night in a close game, their legs would eventually get tired and they would start missing. The thing about that was that we had to rebound. We knew we couldn’t give up rebounds, but we kept giving them second chances. Once we buckled down on that and got our offense going, they weren’t able to do what they wanted to do.”

On getting a win going into the All-Star break:

“It’s good to get momentum going into the second half of the season. We had lost four games in a row, so we didn’t want to go into the second half of the season on a five-game losing streak.”

On their play:

“They made me play one-on-one because they don’t like to rotate. They like to get up on you and press you, then rely on Ben Wallace to clean up the penetration. We got the ball swinging, found open looks, guys got drives to the basket on their close-outs and we had great rotation. We took them out of what they did and approached the game with more aggressiveness than they did tonight.”

On the second half of the season:

“We want to finish strong. We need to come out and make a playoff push. We may not make the playoffs this year, but (it would be nice) to make a push and have something to play for in April instead of playing just for pride like the last two years. (It would be nice) having a goal that we can try to reach for and accomplish.”

Quoting Bobcats Guard Raymond Felton

On getting a win before the All-Star break:

“It’s very important to go into the break with a bang so that when we come back, we come back on a positive note because we got a win. Then, we’ll try to come back from there and make the second half of the season a good one, try to make a run for the playoffs.”

On Emeka Okafor:

“That’s what Emeka (Okafor) does. I feel much more comfortable out there playing defense when I know I’ve got a big man down there that’s going to clean up like that. I can pressure like I want to, I can be physical like I want to, and I can reach, because I know if I make a mistake, he’s going to clean it up. It’s a lot of fun playing with him.”

On playing in the Rookie-Sophomore game in Las Vegas:

“I’m looking forward to going out there because it’s a wonderful experience. Our team and our players are getting some publicity. That means a lot to our team and to our fans. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Adam and I are going to represent the Charlotte Bobcats the way we’re supposed to. (Adam and I) are teammates, but when we’re out there, there’s going to be a lot of junk-talking. We’re going to have fun with it, and somebody’s going to get bragging rights.”

On the season so far:

“I’m not satisfied, but I’m happy with where the team is at right now. I see a bright future for us.”

Atlanta's Johnson picked over Gordon, Deng

Chicago Bulls players Luol Deng and Ben Gordon were denied as a replacement player for injured Eastern All-Star Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets.



According to http://aol.nba.com/allstar2007/news/johnson_070214.html?rss=true:



Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star Jason Kidd (back) of the New Jersey Nets on the Eastern Conference Roster for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 18 in Las Vegas.
Johnson, in his sixth NBA season, will be making his first NBA All-Star appearance.




Johnson not Deng or Gordon will
be playing for the East instead of
Jason Kidd during the All-Star
game.

Bulls comeback then lose in final seconds

After being down by eight with under two minutes to go in the game, the Chicago Bulls took the lead and then lost two free throws later by a score of 112-111 to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors led for most of the game and after Andrea Bargnani made both free throws to give Toronto a 110-98 lead with 4:04 to go, it seemed like the Bulls were on their way to a loss. However after getting within eight points, Chris Duhon hit two three pointers and Toronto's lead was down to two with 35 seconds left. The Bulls got the ball back when Toronto threw the ball out of bounds. With 21 seconds left, Ben Gordon drove to the lane, got fouled, and made the basket to tie the game at 110. Gordon would make the free throw giving the Bulls a one point lead. With 9 seconds left, T.J. Ford's shot was blocked by Tyrus Thomas. However, Chris Bosh of the Raptors came down with the rebound and was fouled by Thomas. Bosh made both free throws and Toronto went up 112-111. The Bulls had only 2.1 seconds left to try to win the game. The ball was inbounded to Gordon whose mid-range jumper at the buzzer fell short of the rim. Bosh led the Raptors with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Deng scored 30 points for the Bulls.

Here quotes after the game provided by http://www.bulls.com:

Quoting Bulls Head Coach Scott Skiles

“We were almost able to steal it. We just did not have enough at the end. They probably deserved to win. They outplayed us for 40 minutes. I thought we came out in the second half with a lot more energy and got back in the game. We just could not get over the hump. We got it close and they took it back up to five or eight. Not until the very end were we able to get it close. We fouled, they made two free throws and we missed the last shot."

On Gordon’s shot to win it, was there contact?

"A little bit, but not enough to call it there."

There was good ball movement early, but it looked like you were a step slow:

"We were more than a step slow. Their bigs are like ours. Bargnani is like a guard. He is very skilled. Garbajosa is skilled and so is Bosh. They can put the ball on the floor and shoot threes. We tried multiple pick and rolls coverages but we couldn't stop them. Not until we went with the zone late with the small line-up did we have any success at all."

On using 11 guys in the first quarter:

"It was clear from the first four or five possessions that we were a step slow. It is understandable. I'm not mad at anybody at that point. I'm just trying to find something to get going. We need to get a lift off our bench. We are not getting enough energy and the kind of play off our bench. It hurts that we do not have Chapu (Nocioni) coming in and we are not getting enough off the bench except Chris Duhon."

Is it a challenge to go with the small line-up?

"In the last two years it is something we have had to go to. We were hoping early in the season that it was not something we would have to go to. So many teams play small now. Our turnovers and ballhandling have been questionable lately so we like the three guards out there."

On the Tyrus block at the end and the defensive effort:

"We needed to get over quicker but I can't fault the effort of our guys in the last three minutes of the game. I like the fact that the call was made if it was a foul. There are too many times that the guys hold the whistle at that time of the game. The problem is that I don't know the secret of getting the call. Tonight they got it and I like that generally. I like if a guy shoots it with a second on the clock and he gets the foul call. I think it is inconsistent sometimes."

Quoting Bulls Guard Chris Duhon

"It was tough to come all the way back at the end and even get the lead. We just couldn't get the right play at the end. We got in late last night. Even with the day off, you still feel the effects of different time zones. With us knowing we have to leave right after and go right back on the road, that can be mentally tiring as well. We played pretty well tonight, we played well enough to win. We just didn't win."

Quoting Bulls Guard Ben Gordon

"We really didn't take control of the game like we should have in the first half. To get so close and lose, I'm a little disappointed."

Was there contact on your final shot?

"Absolutely. But we didn't get the call. I don't know why. I thought they got a lucky one at the other end. That's just how the game went."

Quoting Raptors Head Coach Sam Mitchell

"The Bulls are a good basketball team. They played hard. We had the lead with two minutes to go, up by ten, and they made shots and kept getting extra shots. I kept telling my team they are not going away."

What's different about this year's Raptors team?

"We're a better basketball team. I think the record says that. We have a lot of guys who can make plays. T.J. has won some games down the stretch, Garbo (Garbajosa), Bosh, Andrea, all the guys. We're just a better basketball team. Rasho and Jose had good games, we're just a better basketball team."

Quoting Raptors Guard Anthony Parker

Late in the game, how would you have played this any differently?

"I had a decent look in the corner, Mo (Peterson) had a decent look in the corner - if one of those three's goes in, that's the icing on the cake. So I don't know if I would change anything except, of course, the turnover. I just lost the ball. It came at a funny angle and I just lost the ball. I think we played decent defense. They hit some tough shots, that's why they're a good team. To come into Chicago, on their home court after the streak they've had, is a great feeling."

Bulls-Raptors Preview

Bulls vs. Raptors
7:30 PM
United Center
Ch: Comcast Sports Net
Bulls by 5

Probable Starters

Chicago Bulls
C. Ben Wallace
PF. Tyrus Thomas
SF. Luol Deng
SG. Ben Gordon
PG. Kirk Hinrich

Toronto Raptors
C. Rasho Nesterovic
PF. Chris Bosh
SF. Jorge Garbajosa
SG. Anthony Parker
PG. T.J. Ford

Players to Watch

Chicago Bulls

Tyrus Thomas: Thomas had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the Bulls 116-103 win over the Phoenix Suns last Sunday night. Thomas could get the start tonight if P.J. Brown hasn't fully recovered from his sore back. Toronto is ranked 29th in the league in rebounding, so Thomas has a shot getting 10+ rebounds.

Toronto Raptors

Chris Bosh: Bosh is scoring 23.2 points per game along with 10.7 rebounds per game for the Raptors. On February 7th, Bosh scored 41 points in a Raptors 113-103 win over the Orlando Magic If Brown is out, Bosh will be defended by Thomas most of the night. Bosh could have a big night if Thomas struggles to guard Bosh. Bosh is also the bigger player. Bosh is listed at 6 foot 10 inches, 230 pounds and Thomas is 6 foot 9 inches, 215 pounds.

Notes
-The Bulls are 29-23, 3rd in the Central division. The Raptors are 27-24, 1st in the Atlantic division.
-The Bulls are 20-6 at home. The Raptors are 9-17 on the road.
-The Bulls have won 6 of their last 10 games. The Raptors have won 8 of their last 10 games.