I’ve been a 50-plus year fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as a middle school basketball coach for years. As a youngster I was a die hard Boston Celtics’ fan, but being from Illinois, when the Chicago Bulls arrived on the scene, I soon jumped on their bandwagon.

I’ve been disappointed with the NBA this year because they have delayed the beginning of the 2012 season. However I’m still enough of a Chicago Bulls’ fan that I will identify five special moments from the 2011 season.

The Chicago Bulls’ regular season performance:

Nothing was more astounding than the Chicago Bulls’ overall record for 2011. They finished the season with a (62-20) record which was good enough to win the Eastern Conference. Further, it was the best record in the entire NBA.

What was really satisfying was that the Bulls finished ahead of the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. Both of these teams were favored to be better than Chicago.

Chicago Bulls sweep Miami Heat in regular season:

Yes I know that in the playoffs the Bulls got whipped. However, the Miami Heat were considered to be, at the beginning of the 2011 season, invincible. Chicago swept Miami (3-0) with the last game taking place in Miami. It was very exciting.

Derrick Rose, Derrick Rose, Derrick Rose from 2011:

Unfortunately near the end of the 2011 season Derrick Rose got injured. However as these plays show you, the savvy point guard of the Bulls can penetrate, guard, dunk the ball and pass as well as any player. When I think of 2011 I must think of him.

Dennis Rodman’s Hall of Fame Speech:

Pro forward and super rebounder Dennis Rodman was a hard nose player for the Bulls (and Detroit Pistons ) who lived on the edge of insanity and odd behaviors. He gave one of the most touching Hall of Fame speeches ever given.

Dennis Rodman made me proud to be a Bulls’ fan.

Ultimate Disaster: Heat Beat Bulls in Playoffs:

All Bulls’ fans knew their playoff team wasn’t the same team from the regular season and to make matters worse the team they would ultimately lose to the Miami Heat.

Looking back over 2011 the course of events that stood out included winning the Eastern Conference with the best NBA record, watching Derrick Rose, beating the Miami Heat, listening to Dennis Rodman enter the Hall of Fame and unfortunately losing to the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

A little revenge – Lack of Miami Heat class:

The Miami Heat ultimately lost to the Dallas Mavericks. During this time the Heat players showed how little class they had by mocking Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James showed how he could “fake a foul.”

As always there was good and bad in during the season but overall for Bulls’ fans 2011 brought more pleasure than pain.

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Read More: Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers, Dec 25, 2011 4:00 PM CST

CSNChicago reports that the NBA has finalized its opening day schedule, giving the Chicago Bulls a 4 p.m. CST tip off at the Staples Center on Christmas Day. The Bulls will begin their season facing Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 25.

There were concerns that the game might be scheduled during the Sunday night NFL football game between division rivals the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, but the NBA avoided that by giving the Bulls a late afternoon start. The Bears games will not begin until 7:20 p.m. CST, so the Bulls and Bears will only overlap if the Bulls go into overtime.

Also playing on opening day, the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks face off in Dallas, the Boston Celtics play the New York Knicks, and the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Orlando Magic.

For updates on free agent moves, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For in-depth coverage of the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull. For up-to-the-minute coverage of all of the key personnel moves, check out the SB Nation NBA free agency StorySteam.

By SportsDirect

This is the second part of a series breaking down the Lakers’ potentially troublesome Eastern Conference opponents.

Team: Chicago Bulls

Lakers’ record versus Chicago last season: 1-1

How Chicago fared last season: Lost in five games to the Miami Heat in Eastern Conference finals

Why Chicago is a threat to the Lakers: Last time I checked, there’s no one on the Lakers and very few in the league who can stop Derrick Rose. The Lakers don’t really have the resources to upgrade at point guard, and trouble dealing with Rose could prove to be a consequence.

The Lakers can improve all they want on rotations and communication. Rose will simply just run past Derek Fisher/Steve Blake and make any defensive switches from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum completely irrelevant. Here’s the scary thing: Rose can easily top the 29.5 points and 8.5 assists he averaged last season against the Lakers. 

Also, Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau historically has managed to find ways to ensure Kobe Bryant’s high volume of shots come at the expense of team balance. Another scary thing about Chicago: Rose’s skill set and Chicago’s suffocating defense will improve after an impressive first season.

Why the Lakers are a threat to Chicago: The Bulls may have a solid supporting cast in Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng. But consider how different Boozer and Noah performed between the regular season and playoffs: Boozer (17.5 points, 51%; 12.6 points, 43.3%), Noah (11.7 points, 52.%; 41.1%). The Lakers will have their hands full with Rose, but their depth will require that he carry most of the load. 

Verdict: The Bulls will give the Lakers trouble should they meet in the NBA Finals, but the Lakers would still win in a seven-game series. It’ll be nearly impossible to minimize Rose’s quickness and scoring ability. But the Lakers’ size advantage in Bynum and Gasol will be too much for Boozer and Noah. 

RELATED:

Miami Heat would give Lakers trouble in NBA Finals

Lakers will rebound against Dallas Mavericks next season

Kobe Bryant’s worth to the team doesn’t fit context of regular-season MVP race

–Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times