The Bulls are in Detroit on Friday to take on the Pistons, a team they haven’t lost to in nearly four years. Detroit’s last victory over the Bulls came on Dec. 23, 2008, when Rip Hamilton started for the other side along with Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson.
Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon started together in the Bulls backcourt, Joakim Noah managed to spend nearly 17 minutes doing nothing, and Larry Hughes and Tyrus Thomas combined to score 35 points off the bench.
If you re-read those first two paragraphs over again, it’s OK. I did, too.
But since that Christmas Eve, eve, the Bulls have won 13 straight games over the Pistons heading into Friday night’s contest at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It's a good sign considering Chicago has had very little trouble with the NBA’s perennially bad teams this season.
Case in point: Wednesday night’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers was the Chicago Bulls' 10th consecutive over their Central Division foe.
A win on Friday night puts the Bulls two games over .500 at 10-8 and gives them much needed momentum – and cushion in the standings – as they prepare for tougher matchups against the New York Knicks on Saturday and the Los Angeles Clippers next Tuesday, both games being played at the United Center.
Detroit began the season 0-8 but has improved greatly since their Halloween night opener. Rookie Andre Drummond has been making the most of his increased minutes of late, and he and Greg Monroe appear to be a frontcourt tandem that could be dominant in the future.
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But the future is not now.
The Pistons are a talented team, but they’re also young. The Bulls should use Friday night’s game as a tune-up because more talented opponents in the Knicks and Clippers await them.
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