- The Bulls beat the Celtics in a double-overtime thriller. Chicago almost squandered the win by allowing Ray Allen to get a wide open three at the end of regulation. The Bulls were down by five with two minutes to play in the first overtime, but fought back with some good defense and some clutch jumpers by John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich. Chicago jumped out to a lead in the second OT and held on for the win.
- The Bulls spread the scoring around with seven players in double figures. Rajon Rondo had his second triple-double of the series (25 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists), while Derrick Rose was one dime short of his own triple-double. The series is proving to be a great showcase of two of the best young point guards in the league.
- Looking at the box score, something strange jumped out. It says that the Celtics were -17 in the five minutes that Stephon Marbury was on the court. That’s mind-boggling.
- In the only snoozer of the day, LeBron James had 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in the Cavs’ 21-point victory over the (hapless) Pistons. Detroit got just eight points combined from Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, and were led by the unlikely duo of Antonio McDyess (26 points) and Will Bynum (22 points). I expect this will be Wallace’s last game in a Pistons uni.
- Hedo Turkoglu hit a huge three in the waning seconds of Game 4 of the Orlando/Philly series to give the Magic the win. Orlando seizes back control of the series and now it’s a best-of-three with two games in O-Town.
- The Rockets trailed by six heading into the fourth quarter, but locked the Blazers down defensively, allowing just 18 points in the final period. Shane Battier hit back-to-back threes, and Carl Landry followed up with a 20-footer to give the Rockets a four-point lead with 2:30 to play. Houston made enough free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Rockets got a combined 38 points and 20 rebounds from Yao Ming and Luis Scola, and now have the Blazers on the ropes.
- Greg Oden continues his fouling ways. He had five fouls in 11 minutes tonight. In the series, he now has 19 fouls in 66 minutes. Wowsers.
Today the Rockets took another significant step towards realiziing their biggest dream; ending that playoffs jinx. I can truly understand just most Rockets fans might be feeling right now.
Yao was again the fundamental principle in tonights win over the Blazers. Just as when the young Blazers surround him, they left the likes Scola, Battier open to make easy jump shots.
For me Scola, has been the key to this series. He always picks up the slack when other are having a trouble nights. I’m just amazed but his athletism, hustling, and professionalism. I’m sure most Rockets will agree with me on this.
So what was your overall reaction about this game? Can expect the R
ockets to pull it off in Game 5 or do we have a Game 6?
So when T-mac sits, the Rockets, barring a major collapse, will make it out of the first round. Oh the irony.
I only saw the last quarter of the HOU/POR game, but Scola made a pretty big impact hitting open jumpers and handling the glass. He doesn’t look nearly as lost as last year defensively, which was his biggest issue in last year’s playoffs.
I’d expect the Blazers to win Game 5 in Portland, but they’re going to have a tough time getting this series to a Game 7. The Rockets are just stronger and tougher right now, and the refs are letting them play.