NBA East/ West Battle: Bulls vs. Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are back at full strength now that Dirk Nowitzki has rejoined the team after missing 9 games due to injury. They may be 12 games over .500 (prior to Wednesday night’s game), but they are a hefty 8.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest division of the Western conference, and hanging on for the 4th seed. The task gets tougher for Dallas as they will be traveling to Chicago to take on the surging Chicago Bulls.

Chicago is led by none other than their start point guard Derrick Rose. Rose was expected to be a tremendous talent in this league, and he has lived up to the hype. Rose is blessed with size and speed. He has developed into a very good shooter, and can overwhelm smaller point guards with his strength. His 24.7 points per game leads the team, but his contributions in rebounding and assists far outweigh his scoring.

The Bulls offense is loaded with players that can score inside and out. Carlos Boozer is one of the best players in the league at his position, yet he never gets the credit he deserves. Luol Deng is a sneaky good scorer that is averaging almost 18 points per, and has the length to rip down rebounds as well. Joakim Noah has worked hard over the past few seasons to solidify his offense, and has done just that with a 14 point average. His rebounding is what makes him so valuable to the Bulls as he pulls down almost 12 per contest.

Chicago is extremely talented, but are over-looked in the East as the Heat, Celtics and Magic get the majority of the attention by NBA experts. They are on a pace to exceed all of the sportsbooks NBA predictions in regards to games won and lost this season, and are just young and inexperienced enough to not know that they aren’t supposed to be this good. They will be tested on Thursday when Dallas comes to town.

The Mavs have been regarded as a top 3 team in the Western conference for several years, and have answered the bell once again in the 2010-11 season. As good as their 26-14 record may seem, it is not a true reading of incredibly talented this team really is. Six consecutive losses have moved them from the number 2 seed to the 4th position. This is a good indication of how important Nowitzki is to this team. Having a “go-to” player in your line-up can make all the difference between winning and losing in highly contested games. Nowitzki has been the difference maker time and time again in those spots, and will be needed over the second half of the season if the Mavs are to make a run at the NBA Championship this year.

Both of these teams play a similar style of basketball, and will put the majority of their efforts onto the defensive side of the ball Thursday night. Expect a low scoring game that comes down to the shooting of Nowitzki against the quickness and speed of Rose. Tune in for what should be a thriller in Chicago!

Related posts:

1. NBA Elite Battle Friday: Celtics vs. Mavericks
2. Bulls & Hawks Battle in Critical Game 5
3. Heat look to Finish Bulls in Chicago
4. Bulls starters need to help Rose
5. Miami needs Win to Keep Pressure on Bulls

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