Click here to Watch Orlando Magic v Chicago Bulls Live

                         

Although the Magic might not have been as dominant as they were hoping to be thus far, the team around former All-Star Vince Carter still leads the Southeast Division after four months of play. Hoping to continue their upswing, the Orlando Magic will head to Chicago to face Derrick Rose and the Bulls on Thursday at 1 a.m. GMT.

Much like the Magic, the Bulls’ front-office is not particularly thrilled with the performance of Vinny Del Negro’s squad so far. More specifically, Chicago is still one game below the .500 mark and experienced plenty of ups and downs. That said, the Bulls benefit from being in the comparably weak Eastern Conference as their 24-25 record is still good enough for the sixth playoff seed in the East. One bright spot has been the development of sophomore guard Derrick Rose who earned his first All-Star invitation this year and leads the Bulls’ offense with 19.9 points, 5.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest.

In contrast, Orlando was hoping to make a leap to the top of the conference when they acquired swingman Vince Carter during the off-season. However, even though Carter played very well the team of coach Stan van Gundy made little to no progress compared to 2008-09. Nonetheless, the Magic are currently holding on to the second place in the Eastern Conference and posted a solid 34-17 record. Offensively, All-Star center Dwight Howard continues to dominant the low-post area as he leads Orlando with 17.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Thus, the Magic will enter their encounter with the Bulls as undisputed favorites to clinch another road win on Thursday. Albeit Orlando might have struggled a bit at times, they are still the superior team as far as individual talent and offensive efficiency goes.

You can watch all games of the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.

Posted: 20th Oct 2009

While the Orlando Magic opted to go beyond the luxury tax threshold to become a legitimate championship contender, the Chicago Bulls decided to go forward with their current group of players. After all, the Bulls’ front-office traded nearly half of the team during last year’s campaign and is confident that the young core has a lot of potential. Thus, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic will make their way to Michigan where they will face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday at midnight GMT.

Even though some might have thought that the Magic overachieved when they made it all the way to the NBA finals last year, there is very little doubt about their role this year. More specifically, GM Otis added former All-Star wingman Vince Carter as well as signing unrestricted free agent Brandon Bass. Moreover, Orlando locked up backup center Marcin Gortat for another few years, arguably giving the Magic the best center duo in the league. However, it should be noted that Hedo Turkoglu left the franchise from Florida to play for the Toronto Raptors in 2009-10.

In contrast, the only bigger move for the Chicago Bulls was the departure of shooting guard Ben Gordon who signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons. Even though Gordon was not sharing the ball very well in the past and showcased a questionable shot selection, it remains to be seen if the Bulls can compensate the loss of his 20.7 points per game. Nonetheless, coach Vinny Del Negro will finally have Luol Deng back on the roster after a long injury, as well as the promising rookies Taj Gibson and James Johnson. Furthermore, GM Gar Forman signed Jannero Pargo who is expected to provide reliable scoring off the bench.

Taking everything into account, the Orlando Magic undoubtedly have more talent on their roster than the Bulls. However, Derrick Rose and company have proven in their 2008-09 playoff series versus the Boston Celtics that they are as good as anyone on a decent night. Yet, who will come out on top on Tuesday is a rather complicated matter. Ultimately, both coaches will focus on trying out different looks and plays as well as giving significant minutes to guys at the end of the bench to evaluate rotational players.

You can watch all games of the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.