Taking No BULL-Crap

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.

The Cavs Are Mo' Better

To understand why Mo Williams is laughing now, you have to go back to draft day in 2003. The former University of Alabama guard was selected in the dreadful second round as the 47th pick by the Utah Jazz. Williams has always been a standout on the basketball court, whether it was in high school or college, Mo Williams was the leader and the main attraction on his team. But his new role as a 13 minute a night rookie backup point guard placed a huge chip on the shoulders of a guy that has never came off the bench.

Though his stay in Utah only lasted one year, Williams wanted more responsibilities and exposure as a player in the NBA.

Mo's next destination was the Midwest. The Milwaukee Bucks were in desperate search of a point guard due to a spinal cord injury of starter T.J. Ford. Williams signed with the Bucks before the start of the 2004-2005 NBA season, giving him a chance to show why being drafted in the second round was a mistake. In his first season in Milwaukee, Williams averaged 10.2 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds per game. This wasn't bad for a guy that could have been receiving less exposure and limited minutes in Utah.

Williams relished his role in Milwaukee for the next three years, averaging 17 points and 6 assists as a starting point guard during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 NBA seasons. Mo's reputation as a tough scoring point guard made him a hot commodity throughout the NBA. One team in particular took notice on Williams growth in the league and decided to make a push for the rising point guard during the summer of 2008.

The Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry needed a player that could take some pressure off their young phenom in LeBron James. James created so much offense for Cleveland that no one really paid attention to his Cavalier teammates. After his Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, James cried out for assistance. Ferry acquired Williams in a three team deal with the the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks. The deal included six players, but Cleveland got the prize in Mo Williams.

The Cavalier organization sat on cloud 9 because they knew what Mo Williams could bring to their team. In an article by ESPN NBA writer Chris Broussard on Aug. 14th, 2008, general manager Danny Ferry said "Acquiring Mo strengthens our nucleus of players for both the short and long term. He is entering his prime NBA years and will be the foundation of our future success".

At the start of the 2008-2009 NBA season, it was evident that bringing Mo Williams to Cleveland made the Cavaliers a team to be reckoned with in the NBA. Some people say that when you play with greatness, it rubs off on others. This was the case for Cleveland's new point guard, Williams increased his scoring average from 17. 2 to 17.9 points per game. His three point shooting also increased from 38% to 43%, making him a constant threat.

Not to take anything away from King James, but Mo Williams plays a huge role into why LeBron is having one of his greatest seasons in the NBA. Teams can't focus their entire attention on LeBron's superhero like talents anymore because creeping in the shadows is the deadly assassin known as Mo Williams. The Cavaliers are now equipped with a one-two punch that is the key ingredient for championship teams in the NBA. The Bulls had it with Michael and Scottie, the Lakers had it with Kareem and Magic and the Spurs have it with Parker and Duncan.

The elevation of the Cavalier's play has made their home court a terror dome for opposing teams. The Cavaliers are 37-1 when playing in the comfortable walls of Quicken Loans arena and they boast one of the better records in the NBA at 62-15. The stellar point guard play by Williams made the chemistry of the Cavaliers flow throughout the season. For the first time in his career, Mo Williams was selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star, joining his teammate LeBron James. The honor was well deserved because of Mo's emergence as one of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference and his averages of 17. 9 points and 4 assists per game.

Cavalier fans dreamed of an NBA championship when LeBron James came to the Cavaliers, but Mo Williams can be the key to turning that dream into a reality.


Be Peaceful

• Congratulations to future Hall of fame guard Jason Kidd! Kidd passed up NBA legend and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson this past weekend for the number 3 spot on the NBA's all-time assist list. Kidd now has 10,142 career assist.
• Allen Iverson's days are numbered in Detroit. The 12 year veteran decided to sit out the rest of the season because of his sore back. But more importantly Iverson was quoted as saying that he would rather retire than come off of the bench for the Detroit Pistons. Detroit fans, don't expect to see A.I. in a Pistons uniform next year.
• A standing ovation should be given to "His Airness" Michael Jordan. The greatest player to ever live (in my opinion) was elected into the Baskebtall Hall Of Fame today in Detroit. Jordan finished his royal 15 year NBA career as the third leading scorer in NBA history (32,292 points), six NBA championships and a host of other awards and achievements. Thanks for the memories Mike!!