Avenging Bulls Keep Crazy Series Alive

CHICAGO -- It was a primal scream, delivered with all the rock-star force and decibels that Joakim Noah could muster in a half-raucous, half-exhausted arena. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" he yelled, or something like that. After another three hours and 56 minutes of psychoball, part of an epic series with four overtime games, seven overtime periods, 65 ties, 105 lead changes, 16 stitches, a claw to the face and a slammed body into an NBA Cares advertisement, what else would The Greatest First-Round Series Ever do but produce a Game 7?

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And what else would it do but provide the Chicago Bulls with sweet revenge, from the ultimate dissing of Rajon Rondo to the clumsy but deserved justice of Brad Miller? There was Rondo, the town villain, in position to be a hero in the final seconds of the third overtime. This on a night when he hurled Kirk Hinrich into the scorer's table and escaped without an ejection, two nights after he popped Miller in the mouth at game's end and escaped without punishment of any sort. The United Center crowd was frantic as Rondo pump-faked, then began to launch a turnaround jumper that could have turned a one-point deficit into a buzzer-beating victory and the conclusion of a series unlike any other in pro basketball history.

Next thing we saw was a large, imposing palm, slapping back what Rondo was bringing with eight seconds left. The hand belonged to Derrick Rose, the rookie who plays like a sage when required, defending the honor of his hometown by rejecting the Boston pest and preserving a 128-127 classic. It means the Bulls have a chance to eliminate the defending champions on their home court, even as inevitable whispers surface that Kevin Garnett will shed his tailored suit and trade it in for his green uniform Saturday night.

"This definitely is the best series I've ever coached in," cracked Vinny Del Negro, the Bulls rookie coach, who somehow has a team on the brink of NBA lore. "There's no pressure on us. The pressure is on them, in their building, defending champions. There's no magic pill, no perfect scenario. We've got to make plays. We've got to get ready to play."

All of us associated with the series -- players, coaches, media, fans -- grasp that we're part of something very special. This fortnight (usually reserved for Wimbledon speak) belongs somewhere in the upper crust of NBA theater, with debates raging as to exactly where. "This has never happened before. Even though it's only the first round, this is the best series of basketball that anybody has ever seen," argued Chicago's Ben Gordon, who has contributed his own madness. Sorry, I can't go there, not when it's in the opening round, not when the Celtics are too tired and injured to repeat as champions and the Bulls are too young. But the incredible feeling of endlessness, coupled with the procession of last-second shot-makers that now includes the great Ray Allen, places this in an all-time pantheon. It's certainly the craziest series ever.

"It's crazy, but you've got to love it," Rose said.

"It's special to be part of this, and I know that it's a series people will be talking about for a long time," Noah said. "I feel very fortunate to be in it."

"It's a lot of fun -- tiring, thrilling and heartbreaking. I'm sure the fans, after all the overtimes, were wishing they could have another beer," Miller said. "You've got a whole season of NBA 'Amazing Happens' commercials from this series alone."

"It's unbelievable," Boston's Kendrick Perkins said. "Shot after shot, tough make after tough make. It's a tough series. They are a young team playing with a lot of confidence."



The Bulls were ready to play deep in the night, wearing down an opponent with tired legs and a short, unproductive bench. Every big play that was needed, the Bulls made it. Start with Noah, the wild-haired big man from Florida with a penchant for off-the-court mischief. He made the biggest play of his professional life with 35 seconds remaining, stealing a bad pass by Paul Pierce and taking off on a court-length dash. Pierce raced after him, but Noah wasn't to be caught in his ponytail, dunking the ball as Pierce foolishly hacked him and fouled out. Noah made the free throw and gave the Bulls a three-point lead. I believe the rafters bent a bit when he looked toward the roof and shouted several times.

"Words can't really describe this," Noah said. "It's emotional, but at the same time, we haven't accomplished anything yet. I'm real excited to be still alive. We were really close to death today. You're numb to being tired. This series is bigger than aches and pains. In five years, if we beat the Celtics, no one is going to remember that you were hurt. People don't care."

Did he ever think about passing the ball to the trailing John Salmons, who was brilliant all night with 35 points? "I thought I was gonna get fouled once I got the steal. I just dribbled downcourt, but the foul never came. I dunked it in," he said. "It felt like it took forever to get to the basket. I'm glad I got there."

He traded chest bumps with everyone in sight, including Miller. How poetic to see him at the free-throw line with 28.3 seconds left and the Bulls holding a one-point lead. The other night, when he was knocked woozy by Rondo, Miller had to shoot free throws with seven stitches in his mouth. He missed the first, purposely clanked the second and watched his team lose. This time, he calmly made both free throws, part of a triumphant night in which he led the Bulls' rally from an eight-point deficit late in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and a driving layup -- as Rondo stood beside him, watching helplessly. "Brad Miller was the savior. He made two big plays," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, "He gave them a lot of hope. When you have an eight-point lead, you don't have to score again. You have to play defense. We didn't."

"They were going in tonight. No doubt about that. Wasn't going to miss them tonight," Miller said. "I haven't slept much since that game. I've been in my own world and was extremely focused tonight."

Rondo showed his youth when he lost his composure late in the first quarter. As Hinrich tangled him up, the skinny provocateur decided to grab him by the shoulder and whip him into the ad board at the front of the scorer's table. The NBA postseason precedent, of course, came when San Antonio's Robert Horry hip-checked Phoenix's Steve Nash into the same ad board in a 2007 series that remains controversial to this day. When Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the Suns bench, they were suspended for a game. What's forgotten is that Horry, who was ejected, received a two-game suspension. Rondo's heave of Hinrich was a little more forceful than the Horry hip-check. So why wasn't Rondo ejected? Why did he receive a flagrant foul 1 instead of a flagrant foul 2, which would have placed him in a potential suspension situation for Game 7?

Del Negro didn't push it afterward, though he did ask an official to review the play on replay. "There's so many things that could have happened there," he said, leaving it at that. Two straight games, Rondo got away with physical abuse that should have led to stronger penalties. The Bulls have a right to be mad, though they'll likely shake if off when they fly to Boston today.

Even if the Celtics win Game 7, let's think realistically about their long-term possibilities. How can they be expected, assuming Garnett remains sidelined, to reclaim their energy and beat both the Orlando Magic and LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next two rounds? RIvers doesn't want to hear about fatigue, saying, "We had our chances. We stopped playing. We tried to hold onto the game the last three minutes, and that's not how we got the lead and that's not how we ever play ... My son played five AAU games last week. It is what it is. We're not gonna cry (about being tired), and they're not gonna cry. Show up and play." Alas, the Celtics wasted a spectacular 51-point effort by Allen, who described the locker-room frustration well.

"It's very bittersweet," Allen said. "There's nothing to really talk about anymore. We lost, and we have the agony that it wasn't enough. When I was sitting in the shower, I was thinking about all the shots I missed, the ones where I had good looks and they didn't drop."

Man. Jesus Shuttlesworth hits 18 of 32, nine from beyond the three-point line, and he's dwelling on the misses.

So off we go to Game 7, where it's anyone's guess what possibly could happen next. "It's so unbelievable, with so many things and great plays to talk about," Del Negro said. "Ray Allen was unbelievable. Derrick was making plays. Jo's steal. I'm just so happy with how our guys fought. It looked good for us, it didn't look good for us, then it looked good for us. This is what it's all about."

Memo to whomever is writing this screenplay: Whatever you're drinking, eating and smoking, I'll have what you're having. We have entered territory where no basketball playoff series has ventured before.