One of the better playoff series in the NBA this year has to be the Boston Celtics versus the Chicago Bulls. But who would have thought it! An inexperienced Bulls team left the city of Boston on Monday tied one game a piece against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.When I flash back to April 15, 2009, a bit of disgust runs through my mind and out of my mouth. If you can remember, The Bulls just finished losing a crucial final regular season game against the over-hyped Toronto Raptors, placing them as the 7th seed in the upcoming NBA playoffs. I've probably never heard the city of Chicago so quiet and seen so many worried looks by Chicago fans. The Bulls shot themselves in the foot because they would face the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics instead of the defense-less Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs.
But this wasn't the same Celtic team that was on pace to challenge the 72-10 record of the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. The Celtics were without leader Kevin Garnett because of a knee ligament injury, Stephon Marbury was still trying to find his rhythm on the basketball court and Doc Rivers worried about his team's defensive intensity with the loss of Garnett. The Celtics also had an embarrassing 107-76 loss against King James and his Cleveland Cavaliers in the Quicken Loans Arena. With all of these setbacks for Boston, in the back of my mind, I still thought that these "Baby Bulls" didn't stand a chance against the battered Celtics.
Over the past two NBA seasons, the Bulls are 1-6 against the Boston Celtics. In those games, Chicago lost by an average of 17.8 points per game. Also in those games, Kevin Garnett was running up and down the court making his presence felt on the offensive and defensive end.
With Garnett in street clothes and on the bench, these "Baby Bulls" saw a rise in their own confidence and it was very evident in the first two games in the TD Banknorth Garden. To many people's surprise the Bulls came out and defeated the Celtics on their home court, proving that youth has nothing to do with putting the ball in the hole. The Bulls had stellar performances from Ben Gordon, who never turns down a chance to shoot, and Joakim Noah.
But it was the youngest Bull to lead these windy city party spoilers. Derrick Rose displayed one of his best performances so far in his early NBA career. The rookie, yes I said rookie, scored on almost every Celtic player, fan, child, hot dog vendor and ticket collector in the Boston.
Rose poured in 36 points and added 11 surgical assists in his first playoff debut. Rose's point total also tied Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul Jabaar's 36 point effort in his playoff debut as a rookie in 1970. Magical and tremendous are two words that enter my brain as Rose put himself in elite company for playoff debuts. The rookie played like a 10 year veteran, running the ball down the Celtics throat with ease.
Before the series started, I could count on my two hands the number of people that believed the Bulls could beat the Celtics in Boston. To my disbelief, the Bulls beat the Celtics, giving the "Baby Bulls" a lead in this first round playoff series. This was the Celtics first home playoff loss since May 22nd, 2008 against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics almost loss Game 2 as well, but Ray Allen showed why he is one of the best shooters in the NBA.
But the fact that Chicago has held it's own against a proven champion, simply shows that their confidence is at an all time high. The Bulls have challenged Boston on every defensive possession and Vinny Del Negro has his team focused on taking advantage of the loss of Celtic forward Kevin Garnett. Just a year ago the Bulls were sitting at home watching the NBA playoffs. This year, in Game 1, Chicago shot an impressive 43 % from the field, beat out the Celtics in rebounding (53-45) and gave birth to a star in rookie Derrick Rose. What a difference a year makes huh.
The passion and enthusiasm of Chicago will be awaiting the "Baby Bulls" when they play in front of their home crowd on Thursday night. It will be important to see who steps up for the Bulls in Game 3. The first two games had different Bulls players leading the charge, while the others laid back in the distance. But has the question been answered for Chicago.
Can the Chicago Bulls defeat the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs?
Be Peaceful,
- Congratulations to Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown! Brown won the NBA's Coach Of The Year award on Monday. Brown coached his Cavalier's to 66 wins, a Central Division title, best home record in the NBA (39-2) and the number 1 overall playoff seed in the 2009 NBA Playoffs.
- Dwight Howard showed all season why he is one of the best defenders in the NBA. Howard was awarded the NBA's Defensive Player Of The Year award after averaging 14 rebounds and 3 blocks a game! Howard's presence inside the paint creates problems for opposing teams.
