Bulls vs. Celtics

Holy hell am I looking forward to this one. In the words of the immortal Jim Nantz, this one's for best in show.

In honor of the most important late-season game we’ll have this year, I’ve accomplished the rare feat of cobbling together TWO pieces of writing in THREE days. I know, you’re SHOCKED.

Tonight’s game is a crucial measuring stick for both squads. They’ve played three times this season, with the Celtics winning the first in overtime, winning the second handily, and losing the third (without Kevin Garnett) by double-digits. A Boston victory would in large part expel recent “OMG THE SKY IS FALLING” fears and cement the C’s as favorites in the East. A Chicago victory would paint them as the eastern front-runners and bolster their status as best team in the league. The Bulls would have to commit a truly legendary choke-job to lose the number one seed, so this one is mostly for status, confidence, and bragging rights. But don’t think that doesn’t matter, not in the least bit. Basketball, like sports in general, is a psychological game. When these two squads inevitably meet again in May, the winner of tonight’s game will have the mental advantage. It also means I don’t have to read crappy columns about the fall of the Celtics for the next several days…

So let’s bang this out in a gimmicky Q&A format:

Don’t you think you’re overhyping an end of season game?

Not really. A Chicago win all but guarantees them the top seed in the east. How big is the difference between the one and two seed? It’s the difference between playing the Indiana Pacers and the 76er’s/Knicks. So Chicago wants this win for reasons beyond the gratification that comes with beating your closest rival.

Boston has a tiny glimmer of hope of stealing that coveted one seed. Kevin Garnett himself professed the following concerning the importance of playoff seeding according to ESPN Boston, “It always matters. As much as people say it [doesn't], it always matters. If it didn't matter, then it wouldn't be a one, two, three four or five. It wouldn't be a sequence.” If Garnett, Boston’s own super-saiyan energy bunny and emotional leader thinks it’s important, you better believe the rest of the team does too.

Can we see that video of Rondo punching Brad Miller in the face again?

Glad you asked:

If you don’t think there’s some bad blood between these two teams, just ask Joakim Noah.

What should we take away from Boston’s most recent defeat to the Bulls, a 79-90 loss in early January?

Several things actually:

1. Take it with a grain of salt, because the Celtics were without Kevin Garnett, their defensive stalwart and leader. I’m not saying the Bulls didn’t put together an impressive performance, but in their two previous games with Garnett, Boston won by a combined seventeen points.

Of course, Chicago was without Noah, so I guess this could go both ways.

2. Derrick Rose went bananas crazy, scoring 36 points and getting to the line 19(!) times. Rondo needs to do a better job defensively. If Rose hits shots with a hand in his face there’s not much you can do. But getting to the line nearly twenty times? That can’t happen.

3. Boozer had a fantastic game, scoring 22 points and grabbing ten boards. In particular, take a gander at his shot chart. He took seven of his fifteen shots in the paint and made six. Look for Boozer to have greater difficulty scoring on Garnett than the undersized Glenn Davis.

What are the keys to victory for both teams?

For Boston:

1. An engaged Rondo, with a performance like we saw in San Antonio last week. Considering the implications here, I would expect nothing less.

2. A solid defensive performance from either Jermaine or Nenad. We know Garnett will do his part on Boozer, but can at least one of Boston’s bigs do an adequate job of holding Noah off the boards? In 2009’s epic first round series Noah averaged 13 boards a game and grabbed at least 15 four times. If they can’t contain Noah Boston doesn’t have a prayer against Bynum, Howard, or Gasol.

3. A Jeff Green sighting. Loul Deng is a fantastic defender, sure to make Pierce work on the offensive end. A solid offensive performance from Green would go a long way to ensure Pierce gets a couple long breathers.

For Chicago:

1. A monster Rose performance. If he can abuse Rondo and get to the line a million times look for Chicago to win easily.

2. A double-digit rebound game from Brian Scalabrine. JUST KIDDIN’

3. One hell of a rebounding night. Chicago has been out-rebounded in three of their last five games. It’s not much of a problem against the Suns and Pistons, but it would likely mean a loss against Boston. Considering it’s Chicago’s greatest strength against the Celtics, the stat is crucial. Keep an eye on the numbers as the game goes along…