In the preseason, this Christmas Day showdown looked poised to be a preview of a round in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Both the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets had rosters that could easily make a run through the conference . However right now, both teams are easily two of the biggest disappointments in the NBA. The Bulls are riddled with injuries. The Nets have no identity.
The Nets are coming off their fourth-straight loss. The Bulls have not won back-to-back games in over a month. This game is a must-win for both teams simply because both squads are desperate for some positive momentum.
Health wise, both teams have seen their share of setbacks. The Bulls are dealing with the loss of Derrick Rose while Brooklyn will be without Brook Lopez for the remainder of the season. Chicago also is without Jimmy Butler, Luol Denge and Kirk Hinrich. The Nets might be missing Deron Williams who is always day-to-day, along with Jason Terry among others.
The Bulls December has been a roller coaster. The team started the month averaging just 76.5 points on 36.1 percentage shooting during a six-game losing streak. However, they bounced back to put up 96.3 points on 46.2 field-goal percentage during a three-game win streak. Against the Cavaliers, Carlos Boozer lead the charge with 19 points while Joakim Noah added 18 rebounds.
The Nets are desperate to start getting a few wins to their 9-18 season that so far has been deemed a failure. Brooklyn dropped their third-straight game in disappointing fashion, getting blown out by the Indiana Pacers. The team shot just 38.2 percent from the fielder while missing 20 3-point shots. Without Lopez, the Nets are 2-8 and are showing no signs of improving.
The Nets are much different team than the one that lost to the Chicago Bulls during the 2013 NBA Playoffs. Despite the upgraded roster, Brooklyn is actually a worse a team than last year. Chicago is not playing much better as injuries have depleted the roster. The NBA was certainly hoping this Christmas Day game would be an exciting showdown and a revenge statement for Brooklyn, but it is now just two desperate teams looking to turn their year around.
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