Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks: Can Derrick Rose Outshine Amar'e?
Kicking off the Christmas Day games is a matchup between two teams who had a similar offseason. Both teams gutted their rosters to make room for LeBron James, both teams were spurned, both teams signed elite big men and both teams are significantly improved because of those signings.
It sets up the stage for a natural rivalry for years to come and the two teams will be vying on one of the premier stages in the NBA, Madison Square Garden, on Christmas. Expect both teams to be bringing all their focus and energy for the big game.
On the home front, the Knicks will be led by Amar'e Stoudemire, aka "STAT" (Standing Tall and True), who has been putting up some pretty big stats for the season. He's scoring an NBA second-best 26.4 points per game to go with his 9.3 boards.
He'll be leading a Knicks team that is basing its hopes on offense. They run the second-fastest pace in the NBA and score a league-high 108.1 points per game, while they are fifth in Offensive Rating. On the other hand, the defense is, well, sometimes there, but not often. The Knicks are No. 28 in the NBA in points allowed and No. 23 in Defensive Rating.
In short, the Knicks are going to be looking to press the pace of the game and just try and outscore the Bulls, taking a lot of shots from behind the arc. That strategy worked for them in the two teams' previous meeting, when the Knicks were white hot from the three-point line and beat the Bulls.
The key for the Knicks will be which Stoudemire shows up to play. Will it be the one who scored 30-plus in nine straight games or the one who has failed to reach 25 in the last three?
Enter the Bulls defense, ranked third in the NBA and second in opponent field goal percentage. The Bulls will be hoping to prove the first game was an anomaly. With the help of Carlos Boozer in the post, they hope to avenge their earlier defeat. Twice in three tries the Bulls have won the rematch in games where they lost the first.
The Bulls have won nine of their last ten, and have outscored their opponents by an average of 20 points in their last three games. They will be led by their superstar point guard, Derrick Rose, who along with Stoudemire is making a case for Most Valuable Player. He and Boozer have been averaging over 45 points per game over the last five.
It may come down to which tandem plays better, as the Knicks' point guard, Raymond Felton, has become the best under-the-radar acquisition of the offseason. He and Stoudemire have averaged for 44.6 points on the season.
Both clubs are enjoyable to watch, with an abundance of youth, athleticism and energy. It should be a great game to launch the Christmas Day specials, but in my very biased opinion, the Bulls will be playing the Grinch in New York and steal the presents from under the Christmas tree. Look for the Bulls to shut down the Knicks offense and take home the win, 90-86.
