Chicago Bulls (6-6) @ Utah Jazz (1-14) -- Two teams sadly going in the same direction

NBA 2013-2014 Regular Season, Game 16:

Chicago Bulls (6-6) @Utah Jazz (1-14)

Game Stream / Blog a Bull (SBN) / Bulls vs Jazz coverage

NBA Finals rematch! From 15 years ago!

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Remember how this season the Chicago Bulls were going to kill it with Derrick Rose back? Remember how this season the Utah Jazz were supposed to lose a lot of games but be competitive? Well, the Bulls aren't killing it and Rose is hurt again. The Jazz are getting killed, but they're giving up the ghost very easily. So one out of four for the predictions isn't that great. What's not great is that the national TV audience on NBA TV is going to see these two teams are their worst tonight. The Bulls, in the middle of a ridiculous six game road trip, just lost their best player. The Jazz -- a team that has something fundamentally wrong with them -- are the league laughingstocks right now.

These two once-proud franchises are sadly going in the same direction right now -- and that's down.

Of course, the Bulls have a lot of experience playing without Derrick Rose over the last few seasons; so they will be able to get out of this tailspin in some fashion (they don't have a Nate Robinson this season). I think their answer is going to come on the defensive end as is their style. The Jazz ascent out of these murky depths appears much less certain and harder to correct.

At least Utah is getting healthier again. That's something.

Enes Kanter (right ankle sprain) is OUT for tonight’s game vs. Chicago. #CHIatUTA

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 26, 2013

We're not completely healthy . . . but hey . . . we're healthier.

Starting lineups:

• Point Guard: Steve Kerr vs. John Stockton
  
• Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan vs. Jeff Hornacek
  
• Small Forward: Scottie Pippen vs. Bryon Russell
  
• Power Forward: Dennis Rodman vs. Karl Malone
  
• Center: Luc Longley vs. Greg Ostertag

No, I'm not over it.

I really don't know what type of teams we're going to see tonight. For the sake of the Bulls fans and Jazz fans I hope we see two teams trying hard during difficult periods. Both teams played last night and lost big. Both teams are having worse seasons than expected. But both teams can't win tonight -- so the team that wants it more is most likely the team that will emerge victorious.

If you can't get excited for a Jazz/Bulls game then you probably have gotten over systematic biases and disadvantages. I'm not over it yet, so I hope the Jazz destroy the Bulls tonight and break our losing streak to the Bulls (6 games), and break our losing streak this season (also 6 games).