Dec 19, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Chicago Bulls shooting guard
Jimmy Butler(21) dribbles the ball in front of Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls at Oklahoma City
DATE: Friday, December 25, 2015
TIME: 1:30 p.m. CST
BROADCAST INFO: ABC
LAST SEASON’S RECORD VS. OPPONENT: 1-1
For many peripheral fans of the NBA, Christmas Day marks the stat of the NBA season. It’s become as much a holiday tradition as football on Thanksgiving Day, watching a full slate of games with some of the best teams in the league. And this matchup won’t be any different with the Bulls, considered by many to be the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago is going through their own transformation; after years of being a defensive-minded team under Tom Thibodeau, they’ve installed Fred Hoiberg at the helm. Hoiberg, like Donovan, was in the college ranks last season. Seeing how he’s handling the stress of his first NBA season is certainly worth watching.
But this team is a legitimate title threat, and will be led once again by Derrick Rose. He’s supposedly at full strength (although we’ve all heard this before) and has been impressive in recent practices for the USA Men’s Basketball team. The team also re-signed Jimmy Butler and are expected to have Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah at full strength.
It’s hard to predict exactly how these veterans will respond to Hoiberg’s coaching and if they’ll have that same grind-them-out attitude on defense. But they still have the talent to go far this season and this Christmas Day game is definitely a present worth waiting for.
While the holidays are supposed to be about friends of family, if you can make time to watch this, you won’t be disappointed.
WATCHABILITY FACTOR: 10 out of 10
Next: Bringing the Heat This Winter