Tonight at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN the Chicago Bulls (1-2) travel to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana to take on the undefeated Pacers (4-0) who have carried every sliver of momentum gained during the Eastern Conference finals into this season. Live stream the game free here. Bulls fans can listen to the game on ESPN 1000, while Pacers fans can catch the radio broadcast on 1070 The Fan.
While the Pacers are the unbeaten squad, and the Bulls' offense has been shaky while readjusting to the presence of Derrick Rose, Paul George termed this game as a chance to raise team morale through the roof.
"It would be a big win, a huge confidence booster," George said. "But it's no statement. The season's still early."
Realistically, if Chicago can muster a win tonight it would likely have a bigger impact on them. Their offense has looked stagnant for long stretches of time, and Indiana enters play tonight giving up a meager 85 points a night. Opponents are shooting under 38 percent against this defense.
That is bad news for Rose, who is shooting just 28 percent since coming back from a torn ACL. He is now dealing with neck soreness, which probably contributed to his poor showing in a loss to the supposedly "tanking" Philadelphia 76ers.
"I would blame tonight on me," said Rose after the game. "Turnovers, missed shots, miscommunication -- I just couldn't get in my groove."
While Indiana's defense is in postseason form, the Bulls' trademark D hasn't quite shown up yet. "You've got to correct things immediately; you got to put the work into it," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
"You can't hope it to happen; you have to make it happen. And we need everybody doing it. We can't rely on a certain two or three guys to do everything. Our entire team is needed. This isn't a Derrick issue, this is a team issue and we have to correct it."
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