Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: A Pregame Analysis

Although the calendar will read April 1, 2012, there will be nothing foolish about the showdown against the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The titans of their respective conferences, the Bulls and the Thunder present what some analysts will dub a potential NBA Finals preview.

There is no question that if Chicago were at full strength that this game would be generating a lot more buzz than it is now; however Nick Friedell over at ESPN reports that Derrick Rose will likely sit out his tenth straight contest and Richard Hamilton is a game time decision again.

That’s not to say that all hope is lost, though.

Chicago is 8-2 over their last 10 games (without Rose and Hamilton–mind you) picking up wins against Eastern Conference heavies Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic along the way.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau has been motivating his team to reach deep into the depths of their abilities and they have been performing spectacularly.

Still, the Thunder are as formidable a foe as the Bulls have faced this season.

The contrast of these two teams make for a classic style-versus-style matchup that will enthrall basketball purists for a full 48 minutes.

Despite being short on star power, there are still some things Chicago can do to better their chances of walking out of Oklahoma City with a win.

It all starts on the defensive side of the ball.

To say that Oklahoma City likes to play fast would be a gross understatement; this team averages 103.7 points per game, enough for tops in the league.

Now, it will be tough for Chicago to completely slow them down, but they may not have to.

Looking over the Thunder’s record, they are 10-7 in games where they fail to break 100 points (averaging 91.6 points in those seven losses).

They struggle when they don’t get out in transition, or get a chance to play an extremely uptempo game.

Chicago doesn’t have to completely shut down Oklahoma City’s offense; they only have to keep it contained and prevent the Thunder from breaking out.

This is a more than attainable goal that can be bolstered by the Bulls slowing the pace down on the offensive side.

Chicago’s half-court set is much improved from last season and can be another weapon for neutralizing Oklahoma City.

Players like Ronnie Brewer, Luol Deng, and Kyle Korver move very well without the ball.

The Bulls also have great passing big men which adds to their half-court efficiency.

And even though Rose and Hamilton are out, CJ Watson and John Lucas III have done a good job filling the scoring void.

Chicago still has a very capable scoring team with their current personnel.

They may not light up the board, but their 94.1 points per game without Rose and Hamilton have been more than enough to keep winning especially since the defense has been holding opponents to an average of 85.1 points.

If Chicago can keep the pace steady on the offensive end and play solid defense on the other side of the floor, they will give the Thunder a hard fight on their own home court.

The biggest x-factor will probably be each team’s reserve unit.

Chicago’s reserve unit is league renowned and gives the Bulls a nine man rotation even with two starters sitting.

Oklahoma City’s bench usually doesn’t go deeper than three players, and their biggest reserve weapon, James Harden, plays starter minutes.

Harden is Oklahoma City’s biggest game changer as most teams don’t have an answer for him within their reserves.

This is true for Chicago as well, at least offensively, but defensively Chicago has Brewer to help beat back Harden’s offensive onslaught.

If Hamilton gets the green light for this contest it would be make Brewer even more effective since he won't have to waste energy playing extended minutes. He will be able to better focus on containing Harden.

Any opponent is going to have to concede that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are going to get their numbers almost every night.

Chicago can play those guys tough, making them earn everything they get, but they can take Harden out of game which will leave the Thunder without much offensive potency outside of their star duo.

Chicago is a team built to play and win in a variety of ways.

Even when shorthanded they can play just as deep as every opponent they face, and although injuries have caused them to lose a step on offense, their defense has been stifling enough to help carry them to victory.

This match-up with Oklahoma City is going to be another test of Chicago’s will to win.

When they played the Heat back in mid-March, it was obvious that the Bulls were making a statement during that contest.

Chicago has never been short on confidence and never been big on ego.

They respect each opponent they face and understand that even though some may hype surrounding those games versus the likes of the Heat and Thunder, they are all still just one game out of many on an extensive schedule.

The Bulls know that they will be tested by the Thunder, but they also know that the game has no indication or bearing on future contests.

This team can still win and will play that way; the rest is out of their hands.