Game Preview #28 - Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons

[Thanks to Duhon's Hangover for today's preview -ed.]

“Ball don’t lie! Ball don’t lie!”

Anyone remember ‘Sheed taunting Noce a couple of years ago as he scored on the low block at will? Well it might happen tonight as the Bulls try to get to .500 tonight with a meeting against the Pistons in Auburn Hills. Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas are expected to be out tonight which leaves the Bulls very thin up front with Gray and Nocioni (Macaroni!) [huh? -ed.].

We can expect lots of small ball lineups with Noce aimlessly parading around at center and most likely a career night from Jason Maxiell, as every big who plays the Bulls turns into Moses Malone. This game, however, is winnable as the Pistons no longer boast the best 5 man starting line up in the league and all of their players, save for Stuckey, seem to be on the decline. Not to mention, the careful chemistry of the Pistons are no longer intact as their leader and friend has been moved for a superstar who is not known for his team-first mentality.

Look for Rose to have his way with the smaller Iverson and attack him relentlessly, AI recently got lit up by Mike Bibby in Hotlanta, and as Michael Curry put it: "The only thing we didn't do well is, we didn't defend Mike Bibby" I get the feeling we should be able to substitute Rose’s name for Bibby’s tonight. Rose is looking to get back on the comeback trail after a “mini-slump” over the past few games and busting out against the Jazz. Stuckey has been playing well of late and easing Piston fans woes about losing Big-Shot, yet he should still have a tough time containing BG who has been pumping out 23ppg the last 6 contests and has been shooting 54% from beyond the arc (SHOW HIM THE MONEY!!).

Deng should have a defensive advantage over Hamilton and be able to contain the svelte UConn alumnus. However, he is still trying to find an offensive rhythm and hasn’t been able to put together solid games in a while since the trade. The once slashing Deng has been reduced to a spot up jump shooter, even extending himself to the 20ft lines, as the lane needs to be clear for Poohdini to operate. Where the real advantage the Pistons will have is in the front court as both Prince and Wallace can hit long range jumpers and will force Noah or Gray to extend themselves and contest. With Noce’s penchant for "gambling" on D, Sheed will have one of two looks: open jumpers and frown face disbelief at the ref.

This game may ultimately be decided with bench play, as Detroit has McDyess back and the Bulls just may not have enough big bodies to crash the boards and defend. This game can turn into a litmus test for the Bulls and a microcosm of this mini-road trip, here’s to a W and shutting Deeettrriiiiooooottt Basketball fans upppppppppppp.

The Bulls have done surprisingly well against the Pistons, our 6-2 record in the last two seasons, sans the postseason, speaks for itself. 

Tonight's probable starters:

Probable Bulls Starters |
Guard 1 Derrick Rose 6-3 | 190
Guard 7 Ben Gordon 6-3 | 200
Forward 9 Luol Deng 6-9 | 220
Forward 5 Andrés Nocioni 6-7 | 225
Center 34 Aaron Gray 7-0 | 270

Probable Pistons Starters |
Guard 1 Allen Iverson 6-0 | 165
Guard 3 Rodney Stuckey 6-5 | 205
Forward 32 Richard Hamilton 6-7 | 193
Forward 22 Tayshaun Prince 6-9 | 215
Center 36 Rasheed Wallace 6-11 | 230

 TV: WGN at 7:00 pm CST. 

Random Thoughts:

• The glory that is the smartest man in basketball, Sheeeeeeeed
  
• Sometimes when I'm lonely and sad, I watch this and feel immediately better

Blogging with the Enemy: Detroit Bad Boys | Need4Sheed | PistonsNationBlog

Tonight’s Pistons match-up starts a 4 game east coast road trip against eastern conference playoff-spot vying clubs of Detroit, Miami, Atlanta, and New Jersey. This will be a tough stretch for the Bulls as all of these games are winnable, but then again with our abysmal road record (3-11) anything is possible.  An optimist would hedge their bets at 2-2 in this stretch but a 1-3 may seem more earthly. Tonight’s game should erase doubts or put more fans into panic mode. The Pistons are still in a funk in the post-Billups era and can’t seem to keep Allen Iverson on the floor in the last minutes of a game. They are coming off of two losses to the Jazz and Hawks and are a mediocre 14-11.  Not too long ago the Pistons were the bees knees of the Central division, but now-a-days the Cleveland Lebrons are the cat's meow.