OGT: Chicago Bulls @ Detroit Pistons

[SportsFromA2]

6PM, FSD, @ the Palace.

Detroit Pistons vs. Chicago Bulls

When: 6 p.m.

Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills

Records: Pistons 22-37 (fourth in Central); Bulls 45-14 (first in Central).

Last game: The Pistons ran into early trouble against the athletic Milwaukee Bucks and played disappointingly in their return home from a four-game home stand during Friday's 113-97 loss. The Bulls got a 3-pointer from C.J. Watson late in regulation Thursday to force overtime in a marquee home game against the Miami Heat, which they went on to win, 96-86.

Pistons probable starters: Tayshaun Prince, 6-9, 215 (Kentucky); Jason Maxiell, 6-7, 260 (Cincinnati); Greg Monroe, 6-11, 250 (Georgetown); Rodney Stuckey, 6-5, 205 (Eastern Washington); Brandon Knight, 6-3, 189 (Kentucky).

Bulls probable starters: Luol Deng, 6-9, 220 (Duke); Carlos Boozer, 6-9, 266 (Duke); Joakim Noah, 6-11, 232 (Florida); Richard Hamilton, 6-7, 193 (Connecticut); Derrick Rose, 6-3 190 (Memphis).

Fast facts: The Bulls are 2 ½ games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, and three ahead of the Miami Heat, in the race for the NBA's best regular-season record. … The Bulls have the league's best road record at 21-8. … Rose, who was benched late against Miami after going minus-27 for the game – and seen cheering his teammates harder than anyone as the Bulls won by double-digits anyway – has missed 23 games with injuries this season. … Rose averages 22.4 points per game but his activity level doesn't qualify him among the league leaders. … Three of the 18 most accurate 3-point shooters in the NBA are Chicago's Kyle Korver (seventh, 44.3 percent), Detroit's Ben Gordon (17th, 41.3) and Chicago's Watson (18th, 40.9). … Overlooked, among the Bulls' many strengths, is that Omer Asik and Taj Gibson offer top-shelf post defense off the bench.

Frank-ly speaking: “Outstanding defensively, great rebounding team, extremely unselfish offensively, guys pull for each other, and you can tell they're all invested because their big picture is to try to win a championship. There's a lot to be impressed with. Now, with that being said, if everyone on our part does our job, we'll put ourselves in position to win the game.”

TV: Fox Sports Detroit

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.s...s_vs_ch_3.html

[General283]

Derrick Rose is becoming a complete whiner

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story...ly-rough-fouls

Anyone who saw that foul knows it shouldn't have been a flagrant

AUBURN HILLS, MICH. -- Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is fed up with the way some players in the league are trying to defend him.

Rose, who scored 24 points in the Bulls' 100-94 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, was frustrated that he had a bloody dent on the bridge of his nose thanks to Pistons' forward Charlie Villanueva.

With 4:31 left to play in regulation, Rose drove to the rim and was hammered by Villanueva. The veteran swingman was called for a flagrant foul on Rose, held up after a video review by officials, and then was given a technical foul for arguing.

After the game, Rose was still upset with the way the play went down. He argued with Villanueva for a moment before going to the sidelines for treatment from Bulls athletic trainer Fred Tedeschi.

Rose, who has a well-documented fear of needles and said he would not be getting stitches, wore a band-aid over his nose for the rest of the game.

"I was mad," Rose said. "I'm sick and tired of people trying to take cheap shots at me. You got to say something."

Rose was fined $25,000 last month for making comments toward officials after a March 12 game against the New York Knicks.

"I've gotta be the only superstar in the league that's going through what I'm going through right now," Rose said at the time, referring to a lack of foul calls in his favor. "But I can't say too much about it."

This time, he took matters into his own hands. He felt it was time to stand up for himself against Villanueva.

"You got to," Rose said. "He didn't even aim for the ball. At least go for the ball. I felt like he didn't and that's the reason why I got mad a little bit."

Rose isn't sure why he feels like some players go after him.

"I really don't know," he said. "Probably because I don't say anything or whatever, but I'm a man, where in situations like that you have to say something."

For his part, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was satisfied with the explanation he got regarding the hard foul.

"Look, these guys are great officials," Thibodeau said. "So (the official) said 'it appeared to be worse than it actually was.' That's what he said to me. Usually when they say that, they know they've gotten a pretty good look at it, so I dropped (the complaining) right there."

Rose, who has missed 23 games this year because of various injuries, is averaging 22 points a game this season.

Also, how are these guys with tattoos all over their freaking bodies afraid of needles?

[det2orl]

Eh, CV wasn't making any play on the ball.

But the "I'm the only superstar that goes through this" foolishness is hilarious.

[General283]

Eh, CV wasn't making any play on the ball.

But the "I'm the only superstar that goes through this" foolishness is hilarious.

What the hell? Watch the recap in the video right here: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=320415008

He nearly gets all ball. It's a good, hard but clean foul.

[det2orl]

What the hell? Watch the recap in the video right here: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=320415008

He nearly gets all ball. It's a good, hard but clean foul.

A tomahawk chop across the arms with a detour across the face is all ball?

[General283]

A tomahawk chop across the arms with a detour across the face is all ball?

It's not nearly as bad as you're making it out to be. Look at the 21 second mark of the video. CV is clearly going for the ball, it's a hard fould but clean. The contact with Rose's nose is pretty incidental. No way that's a flagrant foul

[JB61973]

I read that the Pistons sent a message to the bulls. "We're coming".

Goodwill is such a shill.

[det2orl]

I read that the Pistons sent a message to the bulls. "We're coming".

Goodwill is such a shill.

For what? The fishing?

[General283]

I read that the Pistons sent a message to the bulls. "We're coming".

Goodwill is such a shill.

Goodwill didn't write the headline. His article was actually pretty decent

[det2orl]

Goodwill didn't write the headline. His article was actually pretty decent

So the editor wrote the close too?

[General283]

So the editor wrote the close too?

It was in quotes, indicating somebody on the team said it