Being in a temporary state of carefree enjoyment following the Magic's 25-point rout of the 76ers last Thursday, I feel an urge to praise the rest of the league's post-season play while my capacity for objectivity remains relatively intact. There are many reasons why I love watching basketball and particularly the NBA playoffs, but today I'll stick with a few recent examples of stellar ball from the riveting Celts-Bulls round 1 series, which ends tonight in Boston (8:00pm Eastern).
While most teams in the west continue to flounder beneath purple-and-gold hegemony, the quality of Eastern Conference hoops has improved by leaps and bounds over the last couple of years. This series between Chicago and Boston really says it all. Here we have the second-seed reigning champs going up against a scrappy young side that's (until this year) obviously seen better days.
What I love about this series is that it serves to exemplify how personality-driven a great basketball game can be. You've got a variety of character types on the court. On the C's side, there's obviously been a major change on the floor with the absence of Kevin Garnett at power forward. His missing furiousness aside, however, the Celtics still possess a strong personality, albeit of a quieter variety. Driving from the 1 is Rajon Rondo, who is developing into one of the more pugnacious players in the league. Between those question-mark flagrant fouls and his fiery intensity within the arc, he's the reason the Celtics are where they are right now.
On the Bulls, the clear captain is 26-year-old shooting guard Ben Gordon, who is currently averaging 20.5 points per game in the series and exploded for 42 in Game 2's loss in Boston. Gordon's play is so inspired at times it's truly sickening to watch. His match-up with Ray Allen pits two of the league's most excellent clutch shooters against one another.
This is the recap of Game 4, which the Bulls won. Watch closely at around the :50 mark when Ben Gordon banks in an off-balance one-hander. Simply ridiculous.
Although he may be the league's biggest bore off the court, rookie of the year Derrick Rose has displayed extreme levels of early talent in this series against Boston. He scored an absurd 36 in Game 1. Below he blocks a late shot attempt from Rondo in triple overtime to keep Chicago up at the buzzer.
As I'm sure is the case with everyone else, I am incredibly excited for Game 7 tonight, which (if prior contests provide any indication) ought to redefine the term "hard-fought." While my head is trying to tell me the Celtics will come away with the win, I can't help but support Chicago's attempt at an upset. Either way, this series is going down in history as one of the greats.
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