Sean B. Fitzgerald It doesn’t go something like this, it goes exactly like this.

30Apr/090

Epic

I didn't get a chance to watch the first 47 minutes of Game 6 between the Bulls and the Celtics. I was too busy playing a pickup game of basketball which involved guys in their twenties, fourties, fifties, and even sixties. In hindsight, I should have stayed home. Thankfully, as I sat on my couch to watch the final seconds, the score was 101-101. No one had an advantage. It was like I hadn't missed a thing. What would follow was three more overtimes in a series that had already had four. In the end, the Bulls prevailed. But with the way this series has been going, a Game 7 was inevitable. I wonder what the odds are on Game 7 going into OT. 3:1? 2:1? Even money? Probably. With that in mind, here are some thoughts regarding the game that will only send a team to the EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS!

  • With the Bulls already winning on the road in this series, home court is thrown out. Barring a Game 3 type performance from the Bulls (Which I don't see happening), this game will come down to the wire. Again.
  • It's tough to imagine that Ray Allen will have anything left in the tank for Game 7. He gave EVERYTHING he had tonight. Scoring 51 points on 18 for 32 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals all in 59 minutes. 59 minutes! Some players don't play that many minutes in their career.
  • For anyone who hates the Celtics (myself) and Joakim Noah (myself), they were put in a difficult position when he stole the ball from Paul Pierce, drove down court, and dunked while being fouled. It was an awkward position for us. "Do we cheer? This puts the Bulls up by three, which is good. But Noah is posturing and yelling like a moron again, which is bad." I ended up cheering. I am allowed one cheer for Noah in my life and I believe chose wisely. But that's it for him. He better not hit a buzzer beater in Game 7.
  • Throwing out money for a second. If the Bulls win on Saturday, the trade for John Salmons and Brad Miller in February was one of the best of the year. What Salmons and Miller have done for the Bulls is taught their young bigs Noah and Thomas how to play in crunch time. In Game 6, Salmons had a team-high 35 points and Miller had 23 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Not to mention hit 4 huge free throws down the stretch. Regardless of what happens in 48 hours, the Bulls have built a young team that has more experience in one series than some of the teams left in the playoffs. And those two guys are to thank.
  • Derek Rose is now my favorite NBA player. I would explain but it would take too long.

29Apr/092

Headlines

Celtics wins in OT over Bulls, lead series 3-2
I don't think I can take it anymore. Someone has got to stop the Celtics. The Bulls were up by 6 with 2:00 left in the game and still lost. Then Paul Pierce did what Paul Pierce does and hit every fade away jumper down the stretch. And he took them all from the same spot. John Salmons was wasting his time trying to man Pierce up around the court, he could have just stood on the right foul line extended and waited for Pierce to come to him. But no, Salmons fell for every head fake and juke thinking that Pierce was going to take him off the dribble. Which of course he wouldn't. The game could have been tied if Brad Miller had hit his two free throws with 2 seconds left. But you have to cut him some slack, he nearly got his head cut off by Rajon Rondo while driving down the lane. If there was wasn't so much home-cooking, the referees would have called that a flagrant foul. I have watched that replay 100 times, and I have yet to be convinced that Rondo was going for the ball. He may have had the intention of going for the ball pre-jumping, but once he was in the air and saw that the ball was out of reach, he decided to take a swipe at Miller's face making sure he didn't make the shot. But you can get away with that if you're a Celtic. Remember, it's good for the league. The Greater Good!

Capitals defeat Rangers 2-1 in Game 7, advance
Well it was fun while it lasted. Those seven games satisfied my hockey fix for the year. It really is a shame that the Rangers choked so bad though. Being up three games to one, it seemed they had a date with the Boston Bruins in the second round. Instead, they'll be heading back to Canada or Mother Russia, or wherever it is they go in the offseason. Now that the Rangers have been eliminated, I have to chose another team to root for. And obviously that team will be any team that is playing the Boston Bruins. So "Go Washington!" Boston has had too many championships over the past several years. The Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and even Boston University has won major championships recently. A Stanley Cup Finals Championship would just be icing on the cake for them. And I don't think I can take another reason for New England to gloat, they're already smug to begin with. With they're Sam Adams and Quincy Park, it's time for them to be cut down to size. Who's with me?!

New York Jets release Brett Favre
This is a fun story. On Tuesday night, Brett Favre was released from the reserve-retired list of the New York Jets. This being on the heels of New York's draft pick of Mark Sanchez. In a statement Favre said, "Nothing has changed. At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football". Oh he's a clever one, isn't he? "At this time". He knows what he's doing. Leaving the door ajar just a little bit, maybe for a possible 97th comeback. I have no problem with him wanting to play football. What I don't understand is his constant flip-flopping on the subject. If you want to play, say you want to play. He knows if he goes back to Pumpkin Nuts, Mississippi, they'll be no crowds, no gun-slinging, no river-boat gambling, no Madden, no fun. There will just be his John Deere tractor and acres of land for him to fiddle around on. He isn't a talking head. He would be lost on ESPN, on FOX, on CBS, or the NFL Network. He would show up to work in his Wranglers and act like Uncle Rico: