Professional Basketball: Bulls at Celtics, Game Seven

Nothing for either team, in whole, to be ashamed of. Great defense by the Celtics in the 2nd and late fourth, great resiliency by the Bulls throughout. But this team is a championship team for many reasons, and they were all on display tonight.  Bullets.

• Absolutely phenomenal defense in the 2nd quarter by the Celtics in the 2nd quarter. They forced everything inside, and knowing the refs wouldn’t call it in a game seven, they trapped on the drive and forced turnovers. Quick hands, and recovery and rotation on the perimeter. That’s how they won a championship.
• Kirk Hinrich played really well. Hit his fair share, ran the offense, didn’t force anything.
• If we this series next year? Derrick Rose has about twice his total output for the series. Rose wasn’t able to, nor given the opportunity to take over the game, and he was needed down the strech. That won’t be the case in years to come. This is a learning experience.
• Everything I’ve ever said about Ben Gordon? This game sums it up. Great shooter. Tremendous player, if the game was nothing but a one-on-one series of matchups. But he shot them out of this game. Salmons wasn’t much better, but Gordon had 33 points, which sounds great. In the first quarter, he was phenomenal. But that 33 was on 23 shots, and he was abysmal down the stretch. Instead of drawing up an offense and working for a high quality shot, which the Bulls have been good at hitting throughout the series, VDN just ran the same for Gordon to shoot a runner-to-pull-up three. Over. And over.
• There’s a black hole. There’s a despair-reaping black hole. Then there’s Ben Gordon. Is he aware passing is okay? That sometimes it’s a valuable part of a basketball team? No? Didn’t think so.
• Hey, it was awful nice for someone to come up with an artist’s rendition of Rajon Rondo so quickly after the game.

• Noah grabbed his jersey. He would have stopped him. But instead, the Thespian Point Guard flipped over in mid-air. Note that I’m not blaiming the call. I would have called a flagrant too, from the way Rondo looked like he’d been decapitated. Seriously, Sean Penn was moved to awe by Rondo’s performance.
• Rose still couldn’t guard Rondo.
• Eddie House was brilliant. Huge shots. Phenomenal timing. Great spacing. Clutch shots.
• He was also a gigantic (REDACTED). Just fill in your favorite word of choice. Hey, Eddie. You’ve been there before. Act like it. You don’t run your mouth at knocking off a seven seed at home in Game Seven.
• This was made even more clear by the professionalism of Allen, Pierce, and Perkins. Those guys came out, played hard, did their work, and move on to Orlando.
• Who’s had three days of rest and have better shooters and athletes than Chicago.
• Hmm.
• Thanks, Bulls. You gave us some magic for seven games. And you never quit.
• Let’s.
• Go.
• Magic.