NBA Entertains With Chicago Vs Utah Jazz at The O2 Arena In London.

If David Stern wants to expand the NBA to the rest of the world The Bulls and Utah Jazz did not hurt his plans on Tuesday night at the O2 Arena in London. The teams put on a very competitive game that was enjoyed by both novices and true fans of the game.

Most people came to see local boy Luol Deng who is one of the cornerstones for the Chicago Bulls. Deng, who had to sit out the Great Britain games over summer due to injury, did not disappoint. He finished as the leading scorer with 18 points although he did not play the fourth quarter.

As expected both teams mostly played their reserve players and rookies as it is prudent to save the legs of star players for an 82 game regular season.

James Johnson (Bull) had a poor start but recovered to score 18 points including the game winning shot after beating veteran Andre Kirilenko to an offensive rebound with about three seconds on the game clock.

Joakim Noah was an absolute star. Although he was an unknown, thanks to his DNA people connected with him immediately. The Brits, well known for their tennis, embraced the son of Yannick Noah with open arms. Noah responded by bringing excitement for the favored Bulls.

When Utah had several opportunities to clinch the game in the last minute Noah's defense was reminiscent of the 2006 NCAA tournament where he set a record for most blocks (6) in a Final Four by a player. He finished with 10 points 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocks.

The other high scorer for the Bulls was janero Pargo, who took advantage of the absence of Derrick Rose, and finished with 16 points. Rose was notable absent due to a sprained ankle.

Utah Jazz was also very impressive, however the home crowd warmed to the young Bulls not only because of Deng but due to the fact that they are the most known NBA team outside the US due to a certain recent Hall of Fame inductee, Michael Jordan.

Paul Millsap paced the Jazz with 18 points and Deron Williams and Wesley Mathews had 16 points apiece.

The only notable downer was, The BBC who broadcasted the game could have chosen a more experienced expert to call the game for a crowd that was predominantly soccer fans.

The expert was John Amaechi, who confessed that he had not kept up to date with the NBA since his retirement in 2003 when he last played for the Utah Jazz. Although he was miles ahead of his peers he struggled with basic facts including not knowing the three point line was 24 feet.

Never the less the audience at home was kept entertained by interviews with several well known sporting heroes and celebrities in attendance. The O2 arena was more alive than when Great Britain hosted a three day tournament back in August ahead of Eurobasket in Poland.

I am not sure if London is ready to host a NBA team however this game will be remembered for a while, and could be the foundation of a young fan base.

Bulls won with a final score was of 102 to 101.