The Boston/Chicago series.

[rickortreat]

If you haven't watched one yet, and you're a basketball fan, you're really missed out on some very entertaining basketball.

Without Garnett, the two teams are very even, in spite of Boston's extreme experience advantage.  As a result these games are going into overtime, nearly every time they play. It comes down to mistakes and who makes fewer of them down the stretch, and who makes that fantastic, athletic play that changes the game.

Ray Allen scores 51 points and it still isn't enough. The Bulls have forced a game 7 with some great defense on the Celtics.  In a triple overtime!

Gotta watch game 7. Yowza!

[WayOutWest]

The refs are horrible in this series, the Bulls should have won this series already.  Pretty digusting IMO.  All the OT because of BONEHEADED selfish play is fun to watch I guess.....

There is a lot of drama to this series, I've loved watching it but I can't help shaking my head at how the Bulls have been getting shafted all series long.

[Joe Vancil]

I got in late on the game tonight, but from what I saw, I'm glad to see the Bulls win the game.  The Rondo no-goaltend-call on Hinrich's shot was ridiculous, and the Rose block on Rondo shows why Rondo is a passer, not a shooter.  Why did Allen not see the ball at the end of the game?  Chicago should have done much better.

It was exciting, yes, but I don't think it was all that good of basketball.  Outside of Allen, the hustle of Noah, and one particular drive by Glen Davis , I felt that it was a lot of isolation stuff that doesn't really interest me.  The person who has wowed me in this series is Ray Allen.  Sweet stroke, fast release, you can know it's coming, but you still can't do anything about it.

The battle of the point guards is good, but in my opinion, tonight, both Rondo and Rose showed a lot of rookie tendencies.  Rondo forgot who he was - the distrbutor, not the scorer - and Rose remembered who he was - the guy to miss free throws that would have really slammed the door.

[jn]

Man!  Good times on the board.  I agree with all three posts.  Obviously this has been an exciting, high energy series with  so many overtimes.  Also, yes the reffing has been very weak and much of the offense has been based on individual plays. 

Sadly there is one big negative I am taking away from this series and that is the fact that Rondo is a punk!  That crap with Hinrich tonight was just pathetic.  He gets boxed out and suddenly he turns into a roller derby chick flinging someone by the arm into the railing. 

[westkoast]

One of the best series in the last few years.  I was pretty pissed I missed tonight's game because I was on a flight back home.  What was cool was the pilot was updating us on the score in triple over time over the intercom.  Might have been the coolest thing on a flight ever lol

I loathe Ben Gordon now due to this series.  The guy has irked me in three seperate games in this series.

[Lurker]

I agree with jn...good posts.

Chicago has no offensive scheme.  Del Negro is completely out of his league as a coach.  The entire Bulls offense is Rose/Gordon/Salmons isolated at the top of the key/wing.  No picks, no movement.  Bigs are there to hit the glass after ball handler dribbles half of shot clock and hoists up a jumper.  VDN is lost and the Bulls are winning on energy and athleticism.

Boston has so much experience they are overcoming Doc's shortfalls as a coach.  You have Rondo, Allen & Pierce...so you run iso for PP at the same spot over & over & over.  No adjustments when the Bulls start doubling.  No passing.  And through all this you are freezing out the hot hand in Allen.  The "rah-rah crap" he preaches in the huddle only goes so far...diagram a *@%&^ play!  The Celts are staying in the series thanks to their experience, talent and beneficial officiating.  They get to play a more physical game than Chicago does.

[westkoast]

The refs are horrible in this series, the Bulls should have won this series already.  Pretty digusting IMO.  All the OT because of BONEHEADED selfish play is fun to watch I guess.....

There is a lot of drama to this series, I've loved watching it but I can't help shaking my head at how the Bulls have been getting shafted all series long.

The whole rookies have to 'earn' respect from the refs is such a crock.  Had Rose got calls like Rondo this series would be over by now.  The poor kid is getting grabbed, pulled, and pushed all over the place with no whistles being blown.   Part of the reason I am really into this series is I wanted to see how Rose would look in the playoffs.  He had a real good regular season but muscles get tight in the playoffs!  I would say he's playing well for a rookie.  Granted he is turning the ball over too much but a coupe of those, esp in game 5, were caused by getting fouled.

Why do rookies need to 'earn' love again?  Shouldn't a foul be a foul if you are a rookie, a vet, its the 1st quarter, the 4th quarter, etc??

[JoMal]

......... I've loved watching it but I can't help shaking my head at how the Bulls have been getting shafted all series long.

  

 

 

 

[JoMal]

Why do rookies need to 'earn' love again?  Shouldn't a foul be a foul if you are a rookie, a vet, its the 1st quarter, the 4th quarter, etc??

Once the playoffs start, there are no rookies any longer, but there are still bi-assed refs.

Great series but the execution of the "plays" just sucks. When you have Brad Miller bailing out the Bulls, not once, not twice, but four times, how is that your gameplan? Rondo should be suspended for game seven for his general thuggery in this series so far. Who is this guy that he gets a free League pass? Allen is totally impressive, especially when you consider that Rivers seems to try to isolate Pierce every time down the court and all Allen is doing is taking the optional shot when Paul gets stuff by a triple team.

I have no problem with what Del Negro is doing, though. Rookie coaches need to gain playoff experience just like players. He seems like a smart guy with a love of the game and he will only get better coaching in a series like this one.

[Derek Bodner]

Rondo forgot who he was - the distrbutor, not the scorer

I'm not sure I entirely agree with that.  He did, after all, have more asssists than he did field goal attempts.  I realize some of that is because Ray Allen was unconscious (he really is criminially underrated), and do concede that he made some mistakes down the stretch, but over the course of the game I didn't think he was playing that badly.

[rickortreat]

I agree with jn...good posts.

Chicago has no offensive scheme.  Del Negro is completely out of his league as a coach.  The entire Bulls offense is Rose/Gordon/Salmons isolated at the top of the key/wing.  No picks, no movement.  Bigs are there to hit the glass after ball handler dribbles half of shot clock and hoists up a jumper.  VDN is lost and the Bulls are winning on energy and athleticism.

Boston has so much experience they are overcoming Doc's shortfalls as a coach.  You have Rondo, Allen & Pierce...so you run iso for PP at the same spot over & over & over.  No adjustments when the Bulls start doubling.  No passing.  And through all this you are freezing out the hot hand in Allen.  The "rah-rah crap" he preaches in the huddle only goes so far...diagram a *@%&^ play!  The Celts are staying in the series thanks to their experience, talent and beneficial officiating.  They get to play a more physical game than Chicago does.

Keep in mind that Salmons and Miller weren't there for most of the season, and it was their addition that turned Chicago into a playoff club.  On top of that he has a rookie point guard and most of the players have been in the league for only a few years. 

What makes this series so interesting is how evenly matched it is. It's really coming down to who makes the fewest mistakes, and while you would think Boston has the edge there, the game was lost when Pierce was holding the ball and Noah came from behind, stole it and went down the floor for a dunk.  To top that off, Pierce fouled him and that was his sixth.

Allen is the best pure shooter in the game now.

[ziggy]

The refs are horrible in this series, the Bulls should have won this series already.  Pretty digusting IMO.  All the OT because of BONEHEADED selfish play is fun to watch I guess.....

There is a lot of drama to this series, I've loved watching it but I can't help shaking my head at how the Bulls have been getting shafted all series long.

The whole rookies have to 'earn' respect from the refs is such a crock.  Had Rose got calls like Rondo this series would be over by now.  The poor kid is getting grabbed, pulled, and pushed all over the place with no whistles being blown.   Part of the reason I am really into this series is I wanted to see how Rose would look in the playoffs.  He had a real good regular season but muscles get tight in the playoffs!  I would say he's playing well for a rookie.  Granted he is turning the ball over too much but a coupe of those, esp in game 5, were caused by getting fouled.

Why do rookies need to 'earn' love again?  Shouldn't a foul be a foul if you are a rookie, a vet, its the 1st quarter, the 4th quarter, etc??

I will forward this question onto Greg Oden, and get back to you with his response.

[msc]

I will forward this question onto Greg Oden, and get back to you with his response.

Can you cc: Andrew Bynum on that too?  Thanks 

[westkoast]

How do you guys feel about Rondo not being suspended?

IMO....What he did is no different than what Robert Horry had done a few years back when he got suspended.  If you are also dealing out suspensions to players for throwing elbows or committing hard fouls on players with no play on the ball how does he not get suspended?  Heinrich could have been injured, he also started a fight, and there was no play on the ball.  In fact there was no play period.  He straight ran up to him and shoved him.

Dead serious, something is up.  I don't see why they are going through the trouble seeing as this team is not getting past the Cavs either way.

[Joe Vancil]

Obviously, the league doesn't want to see Stephon Marbury play any more minutes, either.