2013-2014 Schedule: Most Anticipated Games Of The Regular Season (Part 2)

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) warms up before game five against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) warms up before game five against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

I am back with the second part of this series that I started just a few days ago, a look at the most anticipated games of the 2013-2014 regular season.  On Wednesday, we brought you the first installment, as we looked at games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat.

If there are any games on the schedule that you are looking forward to watching and I did not have it listed within these first two installments, please comment below.  I would love to hear what you have to say.

Ready for part two?  Well lets dive back into it.  We start off by looking at January 29th where the Chicago Bulls coming roaring into town.

May 4, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) before game seven of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bulls – January 29, 2014 – Televised on ESPN at 8:30 PM EST

The first time that San Antonio fans will get a glimpse of Derrick Rose, once again, in a Bulls uniform.  Rose missed the whole 2012-2013 season due to a knee injury and as many have hoped that he would of returned during the playoffs last season, all rumors were squashed.

San Antonio handed the Bulls 14- and 18-point losses, respectively, in their two meetings last season, and a Chicago team with a healthy star would provide a great test for the Spurs’ defense.

This match-up against the Chicago Bulls will mark the Spurs fifth game in eight days.  Spurs fans know how this can effect the team as they have had battled with fatigue in games that are on just a few days of rest.  That and of course the schedule that they came off of were against some the leagues best teams: Oklahoma City, (at) Atlanta, (at) Miami and (at) Houston.

This game will be televised on national television over on ESPN at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.  We hope that we see all teams and their stars on the floor. There are a few things to look forward to during this game: Kawhi Leonard will possibly be guarding Derrick Rose, and this will be the first game that Marco Belinelli plays against his former team.

My Prediction:  San Antonio will come out and put the pressure on Rose and the Bulls.  The Bulls will have to play good team ball to give Rose a hand.  I feel that without Belinelli on the Bulls roster, it will be hard for any other player to get to the rim.  Also, no Nate Robinson for Chicago either.  He truly is a spark that this team really needed last season during the playoffs.  I got San Antonio in this one.

April 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) looks on during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The City Thunder defeated the Warriors 116-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

at Oklahoma City Thunder – April 3 – Televised on TNT at 7:30 PM EST

The Western Conference rivals split four 2012-13 meetings, and the home team won each game. The Spurs will have already had their two home games against Oklahoma City, so Duncan and Parker must prove they can carry San Antonio to an important road victory.

Oklahoma City Thunder saw their playoffs end when point guard Russell Westbrook went down.  One of their budding stars, Westbrook surely has this game marked on his calendar as one that can provide possible setting for playoff seeding.

Last season, these two teams were separated by just two wins.

With this game being in an arena that is dubbed as ‘a college like atmosphere’, San Antonio will have to play as poised as ever during this game.  I have been to this arena and am always in awe by how loud it can become.

The Thunder always plays tough against the Spurs.  They have the weapons (Westbrook, Durant and Ibaka) that can make life miserable for their opponents.  This I find will be as competitive of a game as many of theirs have been in the past.

My Prediction:  With their crowd behind them and Durant and Westbrook being the type of scorers they are, I feel that they will have complete control of this game from the tip.  I want to see the good guys pull out the win but I feel that with the weapons that the Thunder have and the way they play on their home floor, propels them to the victory.