April 30, 2009

EPIC

The Bulls have won! The Bulls have won! Oh my God! The most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending... exciting, thrilling playoff series in the history of professional basketball! Chicago has won Game 6 over the Celtics! Oh, excuse me for my use of exclamation points, but I have never, ever seen anything like it in history! I have never seen any series like this in my life! The Bulls have won 128-127 in 3 OTs to force a Game 7 in Boston!*

* If that paragraph sounds vaguely familiar, it's because it's cribbed (with a few substitutions, when necessary) from Cal radio announcer Joe Starkey's call of "The Play," the five-lateral end-of-game miracle that lifted Cal over Stanford in the 1982 Big Game. It's the only thing I could think of that can even begin to express how exhilarating this series has been.

Also, can we all just agree right now that any time someone is talking about this series -- and this should apply in perpetuity -- when he/she says "every game" that "except Game 3" is understood? Trust me, it'll be much easier that way.


What else is there to say? How many more superlatives can you come up with for a series that basically defies description? Every game is completely insane. Just when you think it can't get any better, it does. After Game 4, I was positive that there was no way the remaining games could be anywhere near as compelling as what had preceded them. At that point, it had been three instant classics out of four, and that in itself simply does not happen. What's occurred since is just totally unbelievable. And I don't use unbelievable to convey remarkable, which it certainly has been; I mean that I really cannot believe it. It's totally unprecedented. Two single-overtime games. A double OT. A triple OT. Titanic struggles decided by 2, 3, 3, 2, and 1 point. Every game has been exceptionally well-played, with virtually every player on both teams is playing his best basketball. Sure, there have been turnovers and mistakes, but I have never seen better, more consistent play, with different guys stepping at every turn. I know there's no title at stake, but taking that out of the equation, this is truly the best series I have ever seen, in any sport. It's utterly mind-blowing, and I am loving every single second of it.

I love that John Salmons came out chute for Game 6 completely on fire, and then carried the Bulls for the first two overtimes. I love that Kirk Hinrich took Rajon Rondo's cheap-shot scorer's-table fling, and actually looked like he was going to kick the crap out of him, charging at him like a fucking bad ass with murder in his eyes while Rondo retreated like the face-slapping sissy that he is. I love that Tyrus Thomas finally got some minutes in the fourth quarter, had a huge dunk that got waved off and immediately followed it with a second one that didn't. I love that after blowing a 10-point lead by going scoreless for 6:02 in the fourth, the Bulls rallied from an 8-point deficit with under three minutes to play. I love that Brad Miller made some huge shots -- 3-pointers, jumpers, and layups -- to both shut me up and keep the Bulls alive, and that he redeemed himself at the line by going 4-for-4 in the final 30 seconds of the 2nd and 3rd OTs. I love that Ben Gordon fouled out in the 1st overtime and the Bulls proved they could close out a game without having to run countless mind-numbing isolation plays for him. I love that despite getting burned numerous times in this series, Vinny Del Negro steadfastly refuses to foul in the closing seconds with a three-point lead, because it has consistently led to more overtimes. I love that Joakim Noah came up with a gigantic steal, coast-to-coast dunk, and go-ahead three-point play in the 3rd OT , had another huge game, and proved once and for all that he is an NBA player. And I love that after looking tentative and scared from the end of the fourth quarter through the first two extra sessions, Derrick Rose was huge at the end, scoring the Bulls' first four points of the 3rd overtime and digging deep for the game-clinching block.

But most of all, I love that there will be another game in this series.

1 comment:

  1. I don't understand why everyone was down on Noah after his senior year and even during his rookie season. The guy's never going to be Hakeem, but the guy has freakish speed, good foot work, and long arms. Looking back on that at draft though, there are probably only two guys I'd rather have--Durant and Stuckey. Notice I didn't mention Oden or Horford. With Noah, you know exactly what you're going get. A big guy who's going to get up and down the floor quickly and will defend pretty much and position on the floor and make energy plays.

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