Game 7 is here, so let’s break it on down!
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on May 2, 2009
A postseason series for the ages will finally come to an end on Saturday evening, as the Chicago Bulls & Boston Celtics will battle one more time for the right to play Orlando in the 2nd round. Let’s see which players could become huge X-factors during this prime-time showdown!
Chicago will try to become the first road team to win a Game 7 during the playoffs since San Antonio did it over New Orleans during the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals. (Spurs won 91-82)
Key players to watch in Game 7:
Celtics’ forward Glen Davis.
Davis is the one player that has really benefitted from Kevin Garnett’s absence. In his last 2 games alone, Glen is averaging 22 points per game on 59% shooting, which will be key if Boston wants to win tonight & advance to the 2nd round.
Celtics’ forward Paul Pierce.
If it wasn’t for Pierce’s late Game 5 heroics, this series would already be over. You know Boston’s best player will be looking for a monster performance on his homecourt in Game 7. After all, Paul did drop a playoff-high 41 points on Cleveland during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
Bulls’ guard Ben Gordon.
Ever since Gordon exploded for 42 points in Game 2, he has averaged just 18.8 points per game on 36% shooting.
It has also affected his three-point shooting as he is just 6-for-18 (33%) in his last 4 games after nailing 7 of 16 attempts (43%) from downtown during the first two games.
Bulls’ guard Kirk Hinrich.
After scoring a combined 10 points in the first 2 games, Hinrich has stepped it up with 4 straight double-figure performances off the bench.
Kirk will also be assigned to defend Paul Pierce during the 4th quarter, as Pierce is shooting just 38% during 3 losses & 50% during 3 wins.
Celtics’ guard Rajon Rondo.
Boston’s triple-double machine (21.5 points, 11.7 assists & 10 rebounds per game in series) will need to rebound from his worst performance of the series in order for the Champs to advance.
Rondo did record a series-high 19 assists in Game 6, but also scored a series-low 8 points on just 24% shooting.
Bulls’ guard Derrick Rose.
Rose’s play tonight will determine Chicago’s fate, as he is averaging 29 points per game on 55.7% shooting & 27 assists/17 turnovers in the 3 wins, and just 11 points per game on 39.0% shooting & 15 assists/15 turnovers in the 3 losses.
The Prediction:
No matter what happens during Game 7, this will definitely go down as the greatest playoff series ever with 5 of the 6 games played being decided by 3 points or less in addition to 4 overtimes.
During Boston’s pair of Game 7 wins during last season’s playoff run, they got a pair of double-figure scoring performances from two key bench players who won’t be available on Saturday.
Injured forward Leon Powe gave the Celtics’ bench a spark with 12 points during the team’s 99-65 win over Atlanta, while retired P.J. Brown scored 10 points on 4-4 shooting & grabbed 6 rebounds during the team’s 97-92 win over Cleveland.
You know who else will be missed? Kevin Garnett, who totaled two double-doubles during each of Boston’s Game 7 wins last season.
The Celtics’ bench has been nearly useless in this series, unless you count Stephon Marbury’s 13 points & 5 assists during Boston’s game 3 blowout win.
But take away Marbury’s 13 point performance, and he has just 7 points in the 5 other games played during this series…which is not exactly what Boston was looking for when they signed him.
The Celtics had a GRAND chance to close this series out, but were unable to protect a 8 point lead with 3:30 left in Game 6. This has given the Bulls a newfound sense of confidence, as they sealed their ticket back to Boston with a pair of tremendous defensive plays from youngsters Derrick Rose & Joakim Noah.
Look for another epic game that could possibly go into overtime, but i believe that the Chicago Bulls can & will win this game. Boston has had another great season, but they’re just not the same without Kevin Garnett in there plus a non-reliable bench.
Final Score: Bulls 108, Celtics 105.
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