Celtics 106, Bulls 104 (OT): Another thriller, though this ends in heartbreak

Evenly matched players and an over matched coach. At first I was livid about the officiating or the last play of the game, but in the end that dosen’t matter. We had control of the game and we lost it. Blame it on players or coaching but please don’t blame anyone but ourselves. This is truly a brilliant series.

maybe it’ll get enough attention where we get some kind of benefit from it.
 (i’m getting desperate now)

fail.

Plus I had to see this game at work? Major Fail. I got a fukin headache

another loss. This one doesnt hurt as much as the R. Allen game winner since I knew it would of taken a miracle shot by BG to win it.
-11 point lead and your best defender on the bench
-a lineup of 3/4 guards(if you count Salmons) can’t take of the ball down the stretch
-VDN did his best Skiles/B$*^#lan impersonation calling the BG iso to end the game
-VDN running out of TO’s at the end of OT so PP can just miss the FT, ok the last one is nitpicking but I’m just saying

When Gil and King both say to take the ball out of PP’s hands before the play something is wrong.

I didnt read it till now, cuz I thought you’d crap on them alil harder (you didnt, thanks). I still think we can win in 7..esp since Boston is wearing down…evn if not and we lose next game..im completely happy with this season..all I ask is for progression from this point on

he wouldn’t have had to intentionally brick the 2nd one at least.

I feel like both teams know each other so well something is going to give.

I’m not really a believer in one game affecting the next in a series, but you have to think that if there is such a thing this game is really gonna hurt us on Thursday. Just hope that we can push it to seven.

There is no reason (especially after TT saved game 1) that miller should be in there instead of him. He played piss poor the entire game when Tyrus was actually putting in a decent effort.

make it a separate fanshot. It slows shit down in here.

Barkley is adamant that it’s a flagrant. And seeing the replay sure makes it seems so. Actually, it’s pretty fucking obvious.

Plus got to hear Rondo’s explanation about how he didn’t mean to do it, and he’s so much smaller so he has to foul harder. Fine show of media savvy. But it’s still flagrant if it’s above the shoulders.

3:34 in the first, 5:05 in the second, and 10:02 in the third the Celtics just wanted the loose ball more than two Bulls that had angles to get it.

should of been a no brainer call. 2 shots and the ball…… it should of been. I understand the refs not wanting to decide the game, but whether the flagrant was called or not, they wouldnt of decided the game. but it should of been called because it was the right call to make….

I have the letters “NC” tattooed on my back, just as he does with RR.

Honest to God this might be the biggest joke of a tattoo I’ve seen in my life, and I’ve seen Hinrich’s wrist bracelet tattoo

and on a side note: has anyone noticed the point differential for the 4 close games in this serious…..0…………345-345……fuckin crazy ass series….thats for sure…

and see Miller’s interview after the game..kinda funny, in a sick weird way

Wouldn’t it make sense for Miller to be too “hurt” to come back out?

I think Doc would get to choose who takes the FTs.

So he would have to choose between Rose, Hinrich, Gordon, Salmons.
I feel alot more comfortable with those guys shooting instead of Miller who hasn’t been shooting well.

Ya he would have been out the whole game, but I’m sure TT and Noah could have been well enough to play 2OT.

we’re missing the bigger picture of how Big Gravy Davis looked like fuckin Malone, Duncan, and Barkley rolled up into one big sloppy burrito. There’s no way he should’ve been doing some of the things that he did or allowed to score as many points as he did. If it’s not him, then it’s Rondo.

I have yet to see anyone on the Bulls hard foul any Celtic at all. If they’re not gonna play D (which we’ve figured out they aren’t), then at least deliver a solid blow to someone and make them think twice about it. This is getting pretty ridiculous.

when we start Linton Johnson III, and he hammers Rondo within the first few minutes on Thursday?

- I thought Rose was bad today. His turnovers really hurt and he wasn’t probing the defense. He needs to be aggressive. He also needs to make it a point to look for BG. Too many times he looked for Salmons over BG on curls when I thought BG should have got the ball. I think Rose was overwhelmed by the moment. The last 2 games – 13 turnovers. I can’t remember back to back games this season where he has had so many turnovers. He didn’t get some calls and he seemed to get frustrated for the first time this year. On the other hand his off the ball D was the best its been all year. I think 3 steals has to be a season high. Rose and the rest of the Bulls were active all night.

- VDN seriously screwed up by not playing Thomas more. The Bulls need players to protect the rim.

He also screwed us by leaving Salmons on an island. You need to help and rotate in that situation. Pierce was killing Salmons, we needed to force the ball out of his hands, especially with Allen fouled out. The Bulls played right into the Celtics hands by playing a 4 guard line up. The Celtics have no interior depth. So of course VDN plays a 4 guard line up. The Celtics best interior bench player is Scalabrine – we should have been going big all night.

- The officiating was bad tonight. Salmons and Rose got hit a number of times going to the basket with no call. The non-flagrant call on Rondo was ridiculous. He grabbed Miller by the face and we don’t get 2 shots and the ball?! Miller has to knock those down, but the officials blew that call and a lot of others.

- PIerce made some tough shots. That is why they are champs.

- Hinrich played really well. Hit a number of big shots in the first to keep the bulls in it. And once again, Tyrus needs to play more minutes.

- The Bulls and Celtics are evenly matched without KG. The main difference is experience and coaching. I don’t know if we can overcome both. 2 of 3 – Rose, Gordon or Salmons – need to have good games on the same day for the Bulls to win this series. I have been impressed with Salmons effort, but not his production. We need those guys to shoot well to win.

- Best series of the playoffs. If the Bulls continue to be aggressive attacking the basket, they will win game 6

without committing a single foul? That has to be a playoff record. Perkins had 16 pts, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks with 0 fouls after committing 6 fouls in Game 5 in Chicago. NBA refereeing – its fantastic.

source? i dont remember seeing that??

Sorry for being the Celtic fan on your blog right now. I’m not here to rub anything in, I swear it.

But I had a question I just really felt like asking you right away.

How do you think the Celtics played? What did you think of our play? I know it’s hard to judge an opponents team and all that, but do you think we did the best we can? Or did you see a team out there that just misses KG a lot? Or do you think we’re not as good as last season has led us to believe we are?

Again, I’m sorry about the loss for you guys. You’re putting up great games against us and making it a really, really scary series for us. I hope this goes to game 7, and may the team that plays best win. (that last remark was a jab at the horrible officiating of the last few games)

He made a couple of jabs at VDN throughout the game, but two in particular stuck out. He pointed out that the Bulls took 6 or 7 seconds to advance the ball over half court before calling timeout, when they would have just as easily called one and gotten the automatic advance. The second thing he pointed out was brilliant! VDN called for the high screen roll with gordon and noah near the end of regulation (probably because that is the only play they have). Collins pointed out that gordon does not need a screen and bringing the screen over allowed perkins to help on the play. Sure enough, gordon misses the shot.

Poor coaching again.

Also, Rose had a poor shooting night, but this looked like one of those games where on most possessions he dribbled it over half court, waited for someone to come around some screens, then passed it off and never got it back. Why is that? When the Bulls started running plays for Rose in the 4th quarter, Rose really got going. Rose could not hit a jumper, but was finishing well around the basket. Yet, Del Negro hopes that a gimpy gordon will be their savior. Ugh.

Every day I respect the Bulls players more and more.

Great game, great series.

Was one helluva call by Vinny. That was no accident as we’ve used that play at least 2 other times in the Miller era.

Either way Brad totally f-d up though….missing the crucial FT was one thing, but then him not hitting the f-ing rim….that’s unacceptable for a 12 year former star vet.

Oh well. A very very sloppy game……and Ben looked a lot less explosive, though got the job done for the most part down the stretch.

I still think we have a chance, though that one is a killer. Through 5 games, I think we’re the better team, but I also think we’re making stupid TO’s at bad times (young)….I mean I think that last game went unhinged really with Rose’s big turnover when we were up 11 or maybe 9 in the fourth…..that was the momentum shift, and Rose’s TO there was completely unforced, a rookie mistake…

A tough tough loss, but a fun fun series.

Kendrick Perkins placed his name in august company with an odd accomplishment, if you can call it that, in the Celtics’ 106-104 overtime win over the Bulls. Perkins played 48 minutes without committing a personal foul. The only other starting centers to do that in an NBA playoff game were Wilt Chamberlain (five times) and Bill Russell (twice).

Yeah right! He made those fouls, man – like that foul-block on Rose. Only the refs were not calling…

Since KG went down, the C’s have been living on the edge, and getting through mostly on heart. I can recognize it when I see it, and in 4 of these 5 games, I’ve seen more heart from Chicago than i’ve ever seen in early round playoffs.

in this series, is that salmons is not that great of a clutch performer…although he’s capable of hitting a good 3 @ key times in the game…he can do a Deng dissapearance. Granted, that happens when your SG dribbles a lil too much

No excuse for not playing Tyrus down the stretch of this game as Rondo was getting to the hoop uncontested. I am absolutely sick of the way he manages games and lets winnable games slip away because he’s a fucking moron who can’t figure out that when you’ve got the lead, stopping the other team from scoring is what’s most important.

He coudln’t even figure out to go offense/defense in the end of the game when he actually did have the timeouts to use. Nor did he double Pierce in overtime, a blatantly obvious move is in my mind unexcuseable.

And the play they ran for Miller, an obvious flagrant but that’s been discussed ad nauseam already, had that been Tyrus the ball would’ve been dunked long before Rajon Rondo would’ve had the opportunity to foul him, I have no doubt about that.

Miller needed stitches!

Because he felt that if it was TT, he would screw it up?

When Rose dominated the 4th quarter Sunday, they consistently ran screen/rolls with him and Noah/Brad with Boston switching. Rose gets a big man on him and gets to the hoop, pretty simple.

Last night, that happened only 2 or 3 times, and Rose either got to the hoop or made a shot on all of them. Way too many times they just dribbled the shot clock out and hoisted bad shots. I’m glad Salmons and BG made some really tough shots, but let’s be real some of those clutch field goals were some of the dumbest shots you’ll ever see in the NBA.

Also, Kirk can have such a good game, yet I still consider him a dumbass. Unlike Gordon, he doesn’t realize to keep looking for his shot when he’s on. There was no one to put pressure on Boston in the 4th quarter once they had the big lead, and it just wilted away.

Kind of like Vinnie’s coaching. I was surprised and delighted with the final inbounds play that sprung Miller. I absolutely did not expect them to break form and go away from Ben or Derrick.

Yet… boy, is there any doubt Tyrus or Noah would have jammed that puppy home? Brad is just S-L-O-W and that killed.

And, um… Pierce was the only guy left at the end and we persisted in allowing him oa one-on-one showdown against Salmons after we’d done a nice job of trapping him in the first half. What the hell.

And boy, we’ve really gone away from Rose down the stretch. I’d really liked to have seen a couple plays tailored to getting him inside.