Greatest First Round Series Ever!

I watched game seven of the Celtics-Bulls first round series last night and thought it was one of the most entertaining series ever. You had the the defending NBA champs (the Celtics), minus their emotional leader (Kevin Garnett) as well as top bench player (Leon Powe), against the upstarts (the Bulls), with the Rookie of the Year (Derrick Rose), the injured sniper (Ben Gordon) and Sideshow Bob (Joakim Noah).

If KG had been available, this series wouldn't have been close. The Celtics overcoming that was a major plot line thoughout the series. The other major plotline was the battle between Rose and Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo.

Game One,which the Bulls won 108-105 in OT, had Derrick Rose tying the scoring record for a rookie's playoff debut. The guy he tied was some guy named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Rajon Rondo had a triple double.

Game Two featured Ray Allen hitting a 3-pointer with two seconds left to give the Celtics a 118-115 win despite Gordon's 42 points.

Game Three showed why the Celtics are the defending NBA champs as they crushed the Bulls 107-86 and snatched back home-court advantage.

Game Four went to Double OT with the Bulls prevailing 121-118. Rondo almost had another triple double but it wasn't enough as Gordon, playing with a bad hammy, willed Da' Bulls to the hard-fought win. Rondo had another triple double for the C's.

Game Five? Another OT thriller. With Paul Pierce leading the way, the C's overcame a late double-digit deficit to force OT. The OT featured Gordon getting fouled on a game tying three-point attempt, even though he stepped out of bounds before he shot. You had Rondo smacking Brad Miller upside the head on a wide-open, game-tying, dunk attempt and the 80% + plus free-throw shooter Miller missing both FTs to seal the Bulls fate.

Game Six? There aren't enough words. As a fan of great basketball, it was an amazing game. As a C's fan, it was excruciating. The Celtics overcame a double-digit deficit to take an 8 point lead with 3 minutes left in the game only to give it up due to stupid shot selection by the guys in green and clutch shooting by the Bulls. It went 3 OTs. You had guys like Pierce and Allen missing FTs that would have more-than-likely clinched the game and series and John Salmons and Ben Gordon making huge shots. Joakim Noah stealing the ball from Pierce to put Da' Bulls ahead for good in the 3rd OT. So, in spite of Jesus Shuttlesworth's (Allen) 51 points, Chicago won 128-127 to force game 7.

Game Seven was kind of anti-climatic. The Bulls jumped out to an early lead but the Celtics took control in the 2nd quarter and never trailed again. The Bulls got in close a few times but could never get ovet the hump. The C's bench finally showed up this game with Eddie House scoring 16 points, including 4-4 from beyond the arc. Da' Bulls go home and the C's move on to face D$'s Orlando Magic for the right to get crushed by the Cavaliers.

To sum the series up. Derrick Rose is the real deal. Rajon Rondo has to be considered one of the top point guards in the League. The Bulls had better pay Ben Gordon if they want to keep him. It is probably not a good idea to leave Ray Allen wide open. Paul Pierce tries to do a little too much late in the game. The series would not have been this close if KG was available. Finally, Joakim Noah is extremely irritating but could be turning into a Dennis Rodman type player. The Bulls need a big man who can get easy hoops so they don't have to rely on jump shooting so much.

Great series. Great players making great plays. One for the ages. Go Celtics! Beat the Magic!