Chicago Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors: Game Preview, Prediction
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In a marquee inter-conference matchup, the Golden State Warriors will take on the Chicago Bulls on December 6 in the Windy City. The Bulls have been banged up in the early going, with point guards Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich, and power forwards Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson all missing games due to injury, but have been helped by the early issues of the Cleveland Cavaliers, their rivals in the Eastern Conference. On the West Coast, the Warriors have been taking their conference by storm under rookie head coach Steve Kerr despite being without power forward David Lee, playing elite defense and an exciting, fast-paced offense.
If Rose is able to return for the Bulls’ tilt against the Warriors, spectators will be treated to one of the season’s most exciting point guard matchups. While Rose relies on superior athleticism for his explosive offense, Stephen Curry’s offensive game hinges on elite finesse and shooting skill. Put simply, whichever point guard is able to assert his will might decide which team comes out victorious.
The varying paces of the two teams will also factor the game, and whichever team can control the game’s pace will have the upper hand. Kerr’s Warriors are playing at one of the fastest paces the league has seen this century, while Tom Thibodeau’s sluggish, plodding pace has consistently ranked as one of the league’s slowest for multiple seasons. The Warriors are best when they can whip the ball around and get easy baskets in transition. Conversely, the Bulls excel when they don’t have to shoot much and can focus on feeding the ball into the paint and getting position.
The game will largely come down to which team is able to play its game at the tempo it wants. Given the Bulls’ injury concerns, it’s likely that the Warriors will simply have more talent on the floor than the Bulls on December 6. Unless the Bulls have their full roster healthy, the Warriors look like they’ll leave Chicago with a 105-98 win.
Alex Moss covers the Golden State Warriors for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @Manus_BaldSpot or add him to your network on Google. You can also find his own blog at manusbaldspot.weebly.com.
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