:Crinkle Paper:

Anyway, tonight is the first opportunity to see if the Bulls will, as the Cavs before them, take their experience from the previous spring and apply it toward becoming a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. Last night the Bulls beat one of the teams most have as among the five true championship contenders in the San Antonio Spurs and led nearly the entire game. Sure the Spurs were on the back end of a back to back to start the season, but Chicago showed plenty of guile for a team that lost its expert marksman from the last handful of years, Ben Gordon. Not to mention this edition of the Bulls now has Luol Deng healthy and ready to harass the likes of Paul Pierce, something he did fairly successfully on occasion on less successful Bulls' squads. Add to that 50% FG shooting from Joakim Noah (EARTHBALL!!!) and development of future NBA stud point guard, Derrick Rose and you've got something there. Of course they still have Vinny Del Negro coaching, but given that the Cavs made huge leap with Mike Brown at the controls, it seems possible that anything is possible, right KG?

As Celtics fans we all know how much better the Celtics are than the rag tag bunch of guys who attempted to compete last spring, but looked more like the minutemen in the "Spirit of '76." Listing the improvements is pointless as if you're reading this, you're already aware of these additions and improvements. What is different is how a team with Garnett, Perkins, and Wallace will impose their will upon the likes of Noah, Ty Thomas, Taj Gibson, and the guy Rajon Rondo shouldn't a Christmas card from, Brad Miller. The Celtics front court will have to impose it's will upon the Bulls and keep Derrick Rose from engaging in the same sort of star making performance Celtics fans saw in Game 1 of last spring's first round series.