East vs. West Showdown: San Antonio & Chicago

February 17, 2011

The best team in the NBA will face one of their toughest tests on Thursday as they take on one of the most surprising teams in the league this year. The San Antonio Spurs have been shredding the opposition all season long. With 55 games under their belt thus far, they have only 9 losses. This phenomenal record has been the product of a tremendous combination of scoring, assists and rebounding. The weakest part of the Spurs game is the strongest part of the Chicago Bulls…..defense!

Derrick Rose has made a huge impact on this Chicago squad. His ability to penetrate on just about any defensive scheme creates many easy baskets as well as wide open shots for the rest of his teammates. What many NBA experts don’t talk about is that Rose is equally as effective on the defensive side of the court.

The Bulls defense ranks second in the league allowing just 92.3 points per game. Part of the reason for their tremendous success is that they rarely allow teams second chance opportunities. At 44.1 rebounds per game, Chicago has shown that they are tough inside and aren’t afraid to get physical. Joakim Noah leads the team with almost 12 boards per contest, and Carlos Boozer is not far behind with over 10 per game. Noah has been out with a thumb injury, but is expected to make his return sometime next week. Not having Noah in the starting line-up hasn’t slowed down the Bulls as they have won 9 of their last 11, and are closing in on Miami and Boston for the best record in the East.

The team with the best record in the West and the entire league will have to be at their best on Thursday if they hope to take down the Bulls on their home court. The Spurs are a veteran team that win due to their experience and leadership. Three of the core 5 players that led this franchise to NBA Championships are still around. The only difference is their role. Manu Ginobili has taken over as scoring leader with a 17.9 average this year. Tony Parker is the floor leader, and contributes over 17 points to the offense as well. Once considered the best power forward in the game, Tim Duncan has taken a much smaller role offensively, but is still a big threat on defense. His skills have diminished over the years, but Duncan still has the savvy moves inside the post that allow him to score on younger and stronger opponents.

This game could potentially be a preview of the NBA Championships. Although neither team is expected to make it despite their incredible records, they both seem equally as hungry to prove all of the basketball predictions wrong. Tune in Thursday night as East meets West in a battle between 2 of the best teams in the NBA!

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NBA

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