Bulls Vs. Knicks, NBA Christmas Day: Old Superpowers Rise Again

The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks had some raging battles in the 1990s. But the Bulls have been average or worse for all but two seasons since the end of the Michael Jordan era, and the Knicks have been bad since 2001. That's not the case this season.

With the acquisitions of Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, the Knicks are on the upswing, 17-12 two months into the season. Mike D'Antoni, the famed coach of the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns (starring Steve Nash and Amar'e), finally has the Knicks offense humming in his third season on the job. The defense is rather D'Antonian, but progress is enough right now after nine seasons of sub-.500 ball.

Meanwhile, the Bulls have begun to recapture the aura of power behind superstar guard Derrick Rose and free agent import big man Carlos Boozer. Joakim Noah, currently out with an injury, is also a huge part of equation. But on the atomic level, a great share of credit must be given to Tom Thibodeau, the eons-long defensive-minded assistant coach who worked under Jeff Van Gundy and Doc Rivers.

Thibodeau has been passed over for a dozen head coaching jobs the last few years. Those teams likely regret missing out on Thibodeau after seeing his work turning the Bulls defense, 11th in the league last season, into the NBA's third best outfit. Meanwhile, Thibodeau has been able to put Rose in positions of success, and he's managed the rotation rather well. (Fans have been a bit perturbed by the reliance on veteran Keith Bogans at shooting guard, but that's a quibble after the grand Vinny Del Negro experiment.)

Bulls vs. Knicks tips off at 12 PM Eastern on ESPN. Dan Shulman, Doris Burke and former Cavs coach Mike Brown will work the game. Follow this StoryStream for updates on how the game plays out.