The tradition of running with bulls in Pamplona

2007-03-29

The tradition of running with bulls in Pamplona, Spain is not for several months; nevertheless the ones from the Windy City are stampeding through the NBA, gorging opponents on a regular basis with 13-5 record since the All-Star break (11-7 ATS) and have pulled within one game of Cleveland for the second best record in the Eastern Conference.

This next week could very well determine if Chicago is going to make it up into the second slot or be saddled with the fifth seed which is their current status. Starting with Detroit tonight, a home game with Cleveland on Saturday and next Wednesday at The Palace probably will go a long way in sealing Scott Skiles teams’ fate. In the present, point guard Kirk Hinrich and shooting guard Ben Gordon have been superb and more frequent contributions are coming from Luol Deng who is off a career high 38 points. Deng who turns 22 next month, is just starting to show his true abilities and impressing his team-mates. "I don't think he's even reached half his potential right now," teammate Ben Wallace said. "I think he's just learning the game. I think once he realizes how good he can truly be, he's going to definitely be an All-Star in this league." Chicago is still hoping Andres Nocioni injured foot will heal so he can at least become part of the eight man rotation for the playoffs and be another scoring threat along with functional rebounder.

Detroit hit a bit of a bumpy patch losing three games to the trio of Texas terrors and has since rebounded with blowout of Milwaukee and fortunate overtime win against Denver. The Pistons have been awesome on the road with 24-12 record and have equally as impressive with 23-13 ATS mark. Chauncey Billups was back in the line-up for Detroit and presumably so will Rip Hamilton and Chris Webber, who have been battling the flu.

Chicago is a three point favorite Sportsbook.com, owning the East’s best home records at 27-9. (21-15 ATS) Because the Bulls are a perimeter shooting team, they can negate the Pistons zone defense which becomes less effective, since its fundamental principles are cutting off the gaps and denying penetration. If Gordon or Chris Duhon have success is getting inside, they are skilled kick-out passers, leaving Bulls shooters wide open. Chicago is 15-7 ATS in home games after playing two consecutive games as favorite this season.

The teams have split thus far, each winning on the home court, but Chicago has covered both times. These teams are likely to meet on the playoff road and want to establish physical and mental superiority. Even with the earlier loss, Detroit is 15-6 and 16-5 ATS in the Chi-Town. The Pistons have also been perky as road underdogs with 10-5 against the spread mark.

Each club will have plenty to play for and TNT will carry this contest starting at 8:05 Eastern. With this being the most visible NBA contest on the board, this is likely to attract a great deal of attention, thus making a trip to the Betting Trends page is prudent.

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