I hope I'm wrong but  I fear the Bull's Cinderfella ride will end when the carriage turns back into a pumpkin right before Prince Charming gets a chance to sweep them off to the Magic Kingdom to face Orlando.  We all love fairy tale endings but
how often do fairy tales ever really  come true except when created in the Disney studios?  Unfortunately old Walt is dead so maybe I need to stop sipping the Kool-Aid, take off my  Rose colored glasses (pun intended) and look at the
cold, hard facts. I think they're gonna lose.  My pessimism is based on the following: 
1) Boston is 32 and 0 when leading a series 3 games to 2.
 
2) They're 16 and 3 in 7th games.
 
3) The Bulls are 0 and 5 in 7th games played on the road.
 
4) Vinny is our coach for the biggest game of his career
(granted there have only been 88 of them, many being real
stinkeroos) and asking him to get us over the hump in a
season  where he suffered numerous brain cramps intermixed
with mind-boggling mistakes is like expecting Paris Hilton
to lead a campaign to promote teen abstinence or even less
likely, him allowing Tyrus Thomas to remain on the court
during crunch time even if our interior defense is leaking like a Katrina dyke.
 
5) Last but not least, watching Ratso Rondo do his impersonation of a member of a  Chicago street gang  while  not being suspended or even reprimanded for multiple muggings.  If this serial offender had committed these acts outside of a basketball or hockey arena, he would be looking around for someone
to bail him out of the slammer instead of preparing to stick it to the Bulls in  a
game 7 showdown.
 
I am beginning to side with those conspiracy theorists who think David Stern, the mousey East coast Commish should consider offically renaming the NBA to the NOPO  (Numerous Orchestrated Predetermined Outcomes) to more accurately reflect their track record.   When it comes to officiating it is evident the rich get
richer (superstars and superteams) while the poor are not even part of the winning equation, although I never complained about this perception during the glory years of MJ and his supporting cast with the exception of  the phantom 3 point foul called against Scottie Pippen which cost them a trip to the Eastern finals, and a probable NBA title even without MJ. 
 
How can the league rationally explain away the fact that a) Dwight Howard got suspended for throwing an elbow or b) Robert Horry was heavily fined and received a 2 game suspension for delivering a hip check that landed  Steve Nash into the scorers table.  Oh I forgot, this NHL move allowed the powers to be, or should I say the powers that are to suspend the Phoenix Suns top players at the same time for coming off the bench to aid their bloodied  teamate, while tossing only a reserve in his twilight years, thus assuring their defeat in the finals when it seemed the Suns looked virtually unstoppable up to that point, but were orchestrated to be  the chosen one's being a smaller market and all.  I'm not even going to mention the Dallas/Miami finals which at least had the positive result of getting to watch the ever pompous, juvenile spoiled Mark Cuban  practically have a coronary on the court  when his team couldn't handle the Heat and Dwane Wade's three favorite amigos, the referees. 
 
By taking these ludicrous actions, the league office claimed they were merely enforcing the rules, knowing it would produce a result which punished the victims instead of the perpetrators.  Is anyone naive enough to think this action wasn't deliberate?  And what are the rules?  Realistically, they are whatever Stearn and his boys say they are. After all its their responsibility to meet the bottom line and sometimes in business as in war, all's fair if you want to win (i.e. make lotsa moolah).

It's very reassuring to hear Mr. Integrity proclaiming from the mountaintops, and of course I believe him, that games were never fixed and the refs never deliberately swayed outcomes, except for Tim Donaghy   because  he was the only  bad apple that got  caught with his whistle down.   He wound up having to take the role of  the lone gunman, agreeing to take his turn in the barrel in exhange for a reduced prison sentence and at the same time, deflect the spotlight away from focusing on questionable decisions that could imply manipulation may have been the cause of some really strange outcomes over the years by many others. 

But if David says it ain't so, who am I to question the great one?  Some people actually believe that some of the great financiers on Wall Street were on the up and up, except for poor old Bernie Maddoff who was just trying to provide for his family, and of course, half the Obama cabinet members failed to pay their income tax because apparently they  thought April 15th was only significant because of the opening of the major league baseball season.  I also believe outside of a tiny handfull, ball players never abused and are no longer abusing steroids, Micheal Vick loves dogs and the Easter Bunny really does exist. After all, I've actually seen his colorful eggs with my own eyes.
 
Most thinking people know that non-partisianship is a myth and everyone has their own personal favorites and agendas, whether stated or not. It's especially obvious in the media, politics and  journalism big time as well.  As human beings we all have biases, in my case I admittedly lean more towards Tyrus Thomas and Adam Lambert of American Idol.....not that there's anything wrong with that because our opinions can't affect the outcomes of games or shape their
results, unlike the suits in the NBA offices. 

Meanwhile back to the game.  The master of the cheap shot, Raving Rajon Rondo, was allowed to get away with hipping and then tripping Hinrich on a breakaway causing him to land hard on his  noggin, resulting in multiple stitches which kept him off the court for over 8 minutes, although mostly due to being on the bench during one of  Vinny's fits of temporary dementia,  while the Celts overcame a big Bulls lead in the 4th quarter of game 5.  To randy Rajon, this was mission accomplished, especially since Kirk was having his best game in 3 years, scoring 19 points in 21 minutes while clinging to last years finals MVP, Paul Pierce like O J's glove during his murder trial,  preventing  him from going off like he did the previous game, as Hinrich was acknowledged as the Bulls most effective lock down defender even by Doc Rivers, of course he wasn't exactly being measured against stiff competition.
 
Rondo's "Tripping with the Stars" routine was a hard act to follow but in the tradition of Extreme Fighting where practically anything goes, he again saved the Celts by smashing Miller in the mouth with a closed fist just as he was about to deliver the game tying layup on a missed defensive assignment.  If big bad Brad had done a similar thing to litle Rajon, he would have probably been banned from the league, as evidenced by his giving a hard shove to Big Baby Davis after he attempted to decapitate him, again with no flagrant being called.  It did upset the officials enough to tee up Miller and order him tossed out of the game until he was overruled by another official who said this would make the WWF look more legit than the NBA if they followed through on that one. 

Rondo is not only a great player and a  master of dirty tricks,  he's also really, really fast. His lightening quick reflexes and terrific right jab not only saved the game for Boston it also enriched Brad's orthodontist. Besides requiring 7 stitches in his mouth to close his wound, it also necessitated a dental trip the next day for a dislodged tooth.  And all real Bulls fans know how important Miller's Clint Eastwood macho smile is a reflection of  his own unique persona, maybe even more important to him than maintaining his stash to mellow him out after games  like this.  He could be a great Western star except when the 7 footer mounts his horse it will resemble a pony at a kiddie amusement park.
 

Instead of calling at the minimum a Flagrant 1 or a should have been  flagrant 2, which in the past have been assessed for much lesser offenses, the officials (assclowns with whistles) waited a couple of minutes for Brad to pick himself up off the floor, have the trainer get the bleeding under control and give the cleaning crew time to wipe the pool of blood he desposited off the floor as well.

Assuming their implanted mikes were now working, they proceeded to make THE MOST FLAGRANT BAD CALL OF THE SEASON by not even calling it  a flagrant foul which would have given the Bulls possession after the free throws and likely the game. Amazingly,even though aware that millions of impartial observers could clearly witness the obvious injustice, these 3 stooges showed absolutely no sign of embarassment, indicating   a) they either had a lot of money  riding on the Celtics,   b) since they had never been officially diagnosed as legally  blind and  although it is'nt considered a detriment to being governor of New York, this handicap does make one ineligible to be an NBA referee or an air traffic controller as well. Because David Stern stresses the need for maintaing high standards, the same goes for amputees but there is no age limit preventing senior citizens from making the calls even if they can't even beat the Bull dissing whale currently known as Charles Barkely in a footrace across the court.   or c) they're functionally illiterate, thus preventing them from either reading or understanding the NBA rulebook or d) like many of their peers before them once again have put on display the depths of their incredible ineptitude and incompetence, with the exception of Violet Palmer, of course.   Is it any wonder why many disgusted former fans have been turned off by the charade and gone back to watching honest sports like Texas holdem tournaments in Las Vegas or Olympic skating  and diving events with Russian judges. 
 
Further evidence that maybe all 3 scenarios were in play that night can be seen when looking at Kendrick Perkins' game stats:  19 rebounds (with close to half being achieved by pushing off or aggressively climbing over his opponents backs while muscling them out of the way), 7 blocks (5 of which consisted of hitting every part of the anatomy except the ball) and 16 points.  Adding to this stellar display after deducing the officials may be Boston fans, enabled him to set a bunch of  illegal moving picks usually accompanied by hard shoves thus freeing the shooters to get clear lanes to the rim or open j's, confusing  poor souls like Derrick Rose who were feeling like they were in a game of pinball or maybe
hide and seek instead of basketball, having lost their men so many times after being shoved away from the action behind a large Boston behemoth.

And all this was done without Kendrick being whistled for a SINGLE FOUL!
Actually, if you analyze this it really is a very big deal. Perkins amazing "accomplishment" or should I say "accomplice"ment owes special thanks to the RINOS (referees in name only),who being who they are under the protective umbrella of King David and company,  never need to present a reasonable explanation or rational justification for thier travesties.  Being an NBA ref, like being a starry eyed lover, means you never have to say you're sorry.
 
Another possibility to consider is they have in fact had miniture microphones implanted in their earlobes with direct communication links to the league office reminding them that the Bulls are only a lowly 7th seed while the Celtics are still defending World Champions, and this is a tough economy to be seeking employment if certain protocols aren't adhered to.  in other words, follow the script fellahs. After all, outcomes are important because everyone's revenues depend on them. 

It's implied but never overtly stated that in the NBA, the rich always seem to be getting richer (superstars and superteams) while the poor don't even figure in the equation.  The league has it's Kobes, LeBrons, Wades, etc.  Nobody gives a rats ass about the Washington Generals, sometimes referred to as the small market teams along with the also-rans, regardless of population.  The Knicks just stink too much to try a bailout.
 
How else can one explain that in the entire history of the NBA, only 2 Hall of  Famers, who many claim are the 2 greatest players of all time, except for Jordan of course,  were able to get at least 15 points, 5 blocks and 15 rebounds in a single game without fouling?  I can with complete confidence, categorically state that Kendrick Perkins not only isn't in their league, he hasn't even earned the right to sniff their jock straps at this point in his somewhat less than illustrious career.  But now we are supposed to believe he can forever be grouped with the basketball Gods, the creme de la creme in his preferential treatment.  Give me a freaking break.
 
Just when you think the odor can't get any worse than being stuck in a room with a bunch of pigs being tested for swine flu, the double standard became a triple standard in game 6 when the "Little Thug that Could Get Away with Anything other than Homicide" (still not sure about that one), locked Kirk Hinrich's arm in a vice grip as he was boxing out in the first quarter, whereupon Rondo whipped him like a WWF cage fighter, smashing him sprawling into the scorers table.

Fiesty Kirk instead of backing down, bounced off and immediately ran with eyes glowering to retaliate against the Punkmiester, (whose facial features make me think he could be perfectly cast to play the alien in a remake of ET if Sam Casell turns down the part),  Rondo suddenly lost his perennial swagger, replacing it with a look of fear.  The little weasel's false bravado disappeared faster than my 401K, as he backpedaled like a cockroach  exposed to a sudden light, but not before throwing an elbow at the oncoming raging bull, only he missed almost as badly as he did shooting in game 6 being 4 for 17, since his  attention had likely shifted to being more focused on not wetting his pants than making contact with an out of control Bull. 
  
The great thing about having a 1080P Hi definiton large screen LCD TV set is that you can watch the replays in extra slow motion, to enable one to seperate perception from reality.  Vinny didn't go through the roof because he didn't see the play, but Doc did and was in a state of panic mixed with anger towards his explosive point guard. 
 
Apparently the NBA forgot its own rule which calls for immediate rejection and suspension (ala Dwight Howard) for anyone throwing a deliberate elbow even if it fails to connect.  The official who was on top of the play a few feet away and saw the whole thing immediately called out  flagrant  2.  This caused Joey Crawford to run over to whisper sweet somethings into his ear. 

Our lead conspirator, I mean lead official, who achieved infamy in the playoffs a few years ago for tossing out Tim Duncan as he sat on the bench, forced there after being charged with phantom fouls that couldn't even be detected  with a microscope, all because he was caught derisively laughing  at another bad call and Joey being the sensitive kind, with skin thinner than a Etheopian refugee, assumed  he was mocking his judgement along with his shiny, pasty white completely bald head which can look pretty disgusting when sweat beads are dripping off like a melting ice cap. 

The problem was Joey forgot Tim is a certified superstar and you don't treat superstars like mere mortals.  The league came down hard on Crawford and he was suspended without pay for the rest of the playoffs and halfway into the following season before he did his mea culpas and was reinstated by Cardinal Sterns. 

After commiserating with Joey, the refs knew a flagrant 2 on Rondo  meant automatic rejection and likely suspension for a game 7. With KG gone, Rondo is on the list of untouchables according to the unwritten code of the NBA.  The call, of course, was mysteriously reversed, much to the shock, relief and joy of Doc Rivers, who silently thanked God for remembering to bring his rosary with him to the game. If you look closely right after the melee, you can see him fumbling with his beads while praying that the biblical passage, "Ask and ye shall recieve" was a literal translation.  He saved his anger for Rondo, which I think affected the twerps game from that point forward. 
 
On its face, the decision was so ridiculous, that Crawford could barely
keep his implant from imploding in his ear, likely due to the Commish barking orders, yelling that if he didn't act quickly, his ass was going to be suspended again and this time he may not ever get rehired. (I admit I have no hard proof, but there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that this took place.  Why else was Joey constantly grabbing his earlobe with a pained expression on his face before the call was reversed?  Had he possessed the cojones (of a Ben Gordon) and done the right thing, principal over pragmatism, Rondo would be history for the rest of the series and the Bulls would be almost assured, barring a miracle of moving on to the next round. 

Can't you just picture Joakim Noah, yelling  "Hey mom, We're going to Disneyland." as the braying Jackass Kevin Garnett, so depressed by the loss, is running down the street naked, throwing F-bombs at everyone he passes, with his hideous contortions no longer even scaring toddlers as long as they're parents are Bulls fans. while he can't remove from his mind, the image of an equally irritating Noah yelling at the top of his lungs, hi fiving everyone in the City of Chicago. 
  
Happy endings do sometimes occur in real life.  They also take place in movies when scripted that way, and as I already said, sometimes basketball games. So my question is, how is the game 7 script going to be written?  Maybe when the ratings and the rantings as well pour into the league offices, the Simon Cowell's of the NBA may decide it's time to have a new American Idol, especially since KG is unlikely  to return and the Bulls do have a magnificent Rose just starting to blossom in front of the entire nation.  So anything is possible. And it really doesn't matter because the script has already been written for the finals when hyping the ultimate matchup  asking if the baton will be passing from Kobe to LeBron this yar as the next Micheal Jordan couldbe.

But I still think this is my own Rosy pipe dream fantasy since it seems highly unlikely they want the Bulls to win otherwise why is  Rondo being allowed to impose his usual havoc on the Bulls chances in game 7 under circumstances that cannot be explained by any objective standard, other than concluding  that those of us wearing tinfoil hats are maybe not that looney after all.
 
And finally, everyone seems obsessed nowadays by going green. I say the hell with the Celtics and the hell with all  the government's global warming hype which seems more interested in imposing a trillion dollar carbon tax than saving us from being dissapated by the suns rays.  I'll be more open to these theories once it stops snowing in April all over the world.  So I say we start a new movement. Down with going green, up with going Red as long as our new leader's name is Derrick Rose, not Karl Marx.