MySports Today

The Boston Celtics showed why they are the defending NBA Champions – crushing the Chicago Bulls 107-86 at the United Center on Thursday night.  The Celtics now have a 2-1 lead in the series.

The 2 teams next face off at 12 noon on Sunday at the United Center.

Meanwhile, the Jazz chipped into the Lakers 2-0 lead with a dramatic 88-86 win over the Lakers on Thursday night.  Derron Williams hit a fadeaway jumper with 2.2 seconds left to give the Jazz the win.

The 2 teams next face off at 9 pm on Saturday night in Utah.

Derrick Rose was voted the NBA Rookie of the Year.  Rose received 111 first-place votes and 574 total votes from a panel composed of national sports writers and broadcasters.  O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies was the runner-up for the award – he received only 5 first-place votes and 127 total votes.

Rose hails from the Chicago area and led his hometown Bulls to the playoffs with a 41-win season.  Rose became the 3rd Bulls player to win the Rookie of the Year Award – Michael Jordan and Elton Brand also won the top rookie honors.  Rose was the #1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and he led all rookies with 6.3 assists per game and was 2nd in rookie scoring with a 16.8 points per game average.  Rose was named the rookie of the month in November, December and March this season.

Rose did not disappoint come crunch time in the playoffs.  In Round 1, Game 1 against the defending champion Boston Celtics in Boston, Rose scored 36 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds to lead the Bulls to the 105-103 upset overtime win over the Celtics.  Rose’s 36 points matched the playoff record for a rookie in his first NBA playoff game.  And in his 2nd playoff game – a 118-115 loss to the Celtics in Boston – Rose turned in another solid all-around performance – 10 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Rose has received excellent commendations from players and coaches around the league.

Former Bulls coach Phil Jackson said:  “He can finish around the basket, and that’s not easy for – he’s not small, but he’s not a big guard.  He’s good at that, and that’s impressive for a guy that size.  His quickness to the basket is impressive.”

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant had this to say:  “He plays both ends of the court, which is refreshing to see.  A lot of young players don’t play both ends.  He works hard at it, defense as well.”

Rose is a superstar in the making and will be the face of the Bulls franchise for years to come.

Despite finishing the NBA Season with the 2nd best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, the defending champion Boston Celtics were concerned about their chances in the playoffs.  Right before the playoffs started, they got word that Kevin Garnett – their leader and defensive stopper in the middle – would miss at least the 1st round of the NBA playoffs and maybe more.  In the 1st game of the playoffs against the #7 seed Chicago Bulls, rookie guard Derrick Rose burst out onto the NBA playoff scene with an incredible 1st ever playoff game – 36 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal.  The Bulls upset the Celtics in overtime 105-103 behind Rose and a solid team effort that saw 5 Bulls players score in double-digits.

The Celtics struggled to pull out a 118-115 over the Bulls in Game 2 of the series on Monday night.  Ray Allen hit a game-winning 3-point shot with 2 seconds left in the game to prevent the Bulls from taking a 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series .  But the win did not come without a cost.  Rajon Rondo had the game of the night – 19 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds and 5 steals – but he did injure his left ankle.  Rondo will not practice on Tuesday or Wednesday to rest the sore ankle, but he will play on Thursday night in Chicago.  Leonard Powe, however, is not so fortunate.  Powe injured his knee on a spin move and could only play 3 more minutes on the bum leg.  Tests on Tuesday revealed a torn ACL and Powe will miss the rest of the 2009 playoffs.

All in all, the Celtics are counting their blessings.  Ray Allen came to life in Game 2, scoring 28 of his 30 points in the 2nd half to help the Celtics pull off the win.  Paul Pierce has yet to bust out in the series -23 points and 7 rebounds on Saturday and 18 points and 8 rebounds on Monday.  Eventually a huge night will come for the Celtics, and when that happens, it could mean the end for this spirited Bulls run.