Chicago Bulls: Rivalry with Indiana Pacers Gives Life to Boring Regular Season

I would like to thank Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers for single-handedly giving excitement to an otherwise boring Chicago Bulls regular season.

Of course, I still love watching Bulls games; Derrick Rose is worth the price of admission alone and the entire team works together so perfectly it is too easy for the Bulls some nights.

The Bulls have almost been too good, and without any drastic changes to the roster other than the oft-injured Richard Hamilton, the Bulls have been in a holding pattern all season waiting for the postseason.

It is not a bad thing per se, but there is nothing interesting happening this Bulls season. Without getting a good look at Hamilton, we are essentially looking at the exact team we saw last year.

If anything, this regular season has me more scared than excited. Every game is another possibility for an injury to a key player.

Whether it is Luol Deng’s wrist, C.J. Watson’s ankle, or Rose’s back and toe, the regular season at this point is nothing but a delay to the inevitable long playoff run.

Thankfully, Hibbert’s celebration at the end of the Pacers' 95-90 win over the Bulls on January 20 gives some spice to this Bulls season.

The usually mild-mannered Rose unleashed some harsh words on the Pacers.

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"I'll never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game...I can't wait to play them again."

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With the Pacers in town Monday night, Joakim Noah’s quotes this week clearly show the fire is still there.

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"When people talk about celebration I just feel like, 'You're not going to out-celebrate me.' Roy Hibbert cannot out-celebrate me. So if they want to see some celebration when we win, I can show them some celebration ... I know how to celebrate."

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Maybe it is trivial, but I will admit the rivalry is fun and gives me something to look forward to this season.

The Bulls players likely need some extra inspiration as well, no matter how trivial.

Not only is it a rivalry that emerged in the mid-90s between Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan and two Eastern Conference contenders, it’s a geographical rivalry, with only 180 miles separating Indianapolis and Chicago.

The rivalry returned in the playoffs last season when the Pacers made the Chicago Bulls look mortal despite a 4-1 series victory from the Bulls.

The Pacers' style of play, including the hard-nosed defense exhibited by Hibbert, Jeff Foster and then-Pacer Josh McRoberts created genuine bad blood between the Eastern Conference foes.

Earlier this year, Hibbert and Paul George posed matchup problems for the Bulls, and their celebration at the end of the game has clearly motivated the Bulls. 

Moreover, the Bulls realize the Pacers are a potential playoff matchup, and unlike most teams this year, the Bulls haven't shown their dominance against them. 

Maybe it is nothing. Maybe it is a small, stupid rivalry. But Monday night’s game against the Pacers has me genuinely looking forward to a Bulls game, as opposed to the usual dredge of a weekday battle with the Washington Wizards.