Bulls Shock Celtics, Win Game 1

By KC Downey in Celtics, Featured, Top Story ⋅ April 19, 2009 at 1:32am ⋅ Post a comment

Some players make a name for themselves in the playoffs after a strong regular season. Last year, Paul Pierce earned national recognition for his incredible playoff run. Years ago, Vince Carter did the same for the Raptors. This year, the player that takes his game to the next level more than anyone may be Bulls rookie point guard Derrick Rose.

Rose scored a career-high 36 points with 11 assists and finished a perfect 11-11 from the FT line in a shocking 105-103 win in overtime against the Celtics.

Ray Allen, meanwhile, was ice cold and missed his shot attempt at the end of the first overtime that would’ve won the game. He finished an awful 1-12 from the field and 0-6 from beyond the arc and was really the reason the Celtics lost the game.

Paul Pierce didn’t fare much better, finishing 8-21 from the field with 23 points and seven rebounds. Pierce had a chance to win the game with less than three seconds left, but missed the second of two free throws to force overtime.

The Celts clearly missed Kevin Garnett in the middle, as Joakim Noah and Brad Miller gave the Celtics a lot of trouble on the boards. Noah finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds with three block shots, while Miller pulled down 12 rebounds from the bench.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 29 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but it was just not enough. The Celtics shot just 39.4% from the field and need Pierce and Allen to step up without KG.

Even though the C’s nearly stole a win, they should be easily beating the Bulls at home. If the Celtics lose in Game 2, they wont win this series. Down 2-0 and heading on the road would be too large of a hole to dig out of.

Game 2 is Monday at 7 p.m.

About KC Downey

KC is the "head coach" of the Sports of Boston, LLC blog network. Follow him on Twitter: @kc_downey

Tags: Brad Miller, Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, NBA Playoffs, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen

Discussion

2 comments for “Bulls Shock Celtics, Win Game 1”

There’s only one word to describe this game from the Celtics’ point of view – CHOKE. Ray Allen misses 11 of 12 shots, including a slam dunk attempt, and dribbles the ball off his foot on a fast break. CHOKE. Paul Pierce misses a free throw to win the game. CHOKE. The entire team looks like idiots chasing around a rookie point guard. CHOKE. The bench disappears at crunch time with woeful efforts from Marbury, House and Moore. CHOKE. What a sad display this was.

The only bright spots were Rondo – who played his heart out – and Baby, who kept up his recent performance level. This could be a very quick exit for the Celts if they don’t get their act together right away.

Posted by Ken | April 19, 2009, 8:37 am
Ken, you’re completely right.

Think of it this way…the Rose, Noah, Thomas, and the Bulls absolutely played out of their mind, and Chicago won by two points in overtime.

The Celtics should be fine as long as they don’t choke…

Posted by KC | April 20, 2009, 6:03 am