The greatest first round basketball series in NBA history continues tonight at the United Center in Chicago. As a basketball fan, this has truly been an incredible series to watch and admire. As a Celtics fan, I want to put my head through a wall and throw empty beer bottles across the room. These games continue to go back and forth with neither team giving a budge. With the exception of game 3, there has not been a more even series in the playoffs. Get ready for another great one tonight.
The Bulls are young, talented, scrappy team who know they can play with the Celtics and will be pumped up tonight. The home crowd will give them even more energy and allow them to get off to a hot start. For them to win, they can't let Rondo fast-break the way we all know he can. They have to stop the ball and make the Celtics get into a half-court set. They can't allow Pierce to dominate or get beat on the boards. Perk also has to be kept in check. He killed Chicago last game, and they have to be physical with him but not get into foul trouble.
The best way for the bulls to win is to take advantage of their speed. If they defend and rebound then they can fast break and get easy dunks and jump shots. Rose can penetrate, create, and find guys on the wings. Gordon is lethal and Thomas can fly. Even though Noah looks like a pigeon-rat, he still can play ball and dunk on the Celtics. If they use the athleticism to their advantage, they can run up and down on the Celts and force a game 7. But if they allow the Celts to set up their D most of the night, it will be a long night.
The Celtics must defend and rebound. Plain and simple. They will win if they play Celtics defense and control the boards. A big reason why they have lost close games is because they have difficulty defending the pick and roll at the top of the key. Before a solid pick is even set, it seems like the guard, usually Rondo, comes off his man while the Celt's big man switches. This always creates a mismatch in which Rose and Gordon have taken advantage of. Any good offensive team can exploit mismatches. The Celtics must play tough defense and stick to their men. They should only switch when necessary, talk to each other, and rotate quickly. They also cannot give up open 3's. The Bulls' hot 3 point shooting killed them last game. Rose and Gordon will most likely have great games, but they can't allow Heinrich and Salmons to get hot. If they do, we might see another overtime game.
Offensively, Rondo has to keep doing exactly what he has been doing all series. This guy is playing out his mind and is practically averaging a triple double. Does Jason Kidd ring a bell? I used to say that Rondo has the vision of Kidd, and now he looks just as good in this series. Ray Allen is still pissed from getting 2 pussy calls on him in the 4th quarter. He had to sit out the last 10 minutes of that game, so look for him to step up and get his revenge on fag redneck Brad Miller. Perk had his best game of the series on Tuesday and I would let him take advantage of his strength and size. Ultimately, Paul Pierce needs to step up offensively and carry the load. He hasn't played up to his potential consistently. But with Garnett out, he must have the attitude of "No one can stop me tonight" It's great for him to get everyone involved, but sometimes great players need to be selfish and dominate. That's what I expect him to do tonight and the Celts will come back to Boston with a second round playoff birth.
Celtics 101-98.
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