Bulls steal Game 4 in 2OT

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Sorry for the long delay here -- and, hopefully, I won't be repeating that line ad nauseum -- but I'm in the middle of my own 48-hour marathon. When I finally get some Z's Monday night, I'm house.

Anyways, the Bulls stole another one from the Celtics in what some are deeming "an instant classic" (at least, that's what the folks on WEEI were waxing about). Once again, Ben Gordon and Ray Allen seemed to go shot for shot in the waning minutes, and John Salmons provided some late explosiveness.

Is this an instant classic? I'm not sure if I'm so eager to rush to judgment. After all, this is a first-round game. I'll say this, though: other than the Houston-Portland series, which is at least remotely watchable, this is the most exciting series of the first round. How often have we had a first-round series where three of the first four games have been decided by two points or less?

Call it arrogance if you will, or just hopeless optimism, but I'm not pushing the panic button. I feel like this was Chicago's best shot this afternoon. And if this is what their haymaker looks like, yet it still takes two overtimes to come away with the victory, I'm content. Not exactly in "we got 'em where we want 'em" mode, but this was a solid effort today, unlike Game 1 and 2.

A few more thoughts:

-- Give Boston this: they're one of the best when it comes to damage control. Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and John Salmons were on fire through most of the second half, yet the Celtics (RE: Rondo) never let them take the game out of hand.

-- I'm still steaming about the sixth foul on Kendrick Perkins. In a tie ballgame with a minute left in regulation, you're gonna take a guy out of the game because somebody inadvertently tripped over his shoe? Seriously?

The missed five-second call on Kirk Hinrich stung, too. But it's going to take me a while to get over that horrendous call on Perk.

This "crackdown" on perimeter fouls is making it impossible to defend finishers; and while the slow-down pace of the game was overdue for a cleanup, this new era of hand-check violations has made MVPs out of defensive liabilities (Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki) and all but same-day air-mailed the title to teams that were Maradona'ing it (Spurs, Heat). Michael Jordan had to deal with physical lineups like the Bird/McHale/Parish Celtics, Bad Boy Pistons and pre-Jail Blazers Portland. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have had to "fight" through hand checks.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm in the school of thought that believes basketball is a contact sport. If you got a problem with that, go play Magic the Gathering. Or horseshoe.

David Stern needs to take a long, hard look at the guys officiating playoff games this offseason. I appreciate the fact that he keeps loose reigns on the refs, wanting them to establish an artistry, but this is getting ridiculous.

-- Paul Pierce's health might be the new "Will KG come back?". We saw him limping up court a few times toward the end of the game, and while Garnett out has the C's scrambling for lineup adjustments, no Pierce means no wins. Period.

Pierce is eclipsing his peak years, and he's not as athletic as he used to be. Like KG, he's not one to let on how hurt he is, but let's hope he gets a good night sleep. He's showing signs of drainage.

-- Those who watched the national broadcast may have heard the announcers talk a few times about Vinny Del Negro being extra hard on Tyrus Thomas, and about how Thomas was equally in Scott Skiles' doghouse, if not more. This shouldn't come as a shock to those who follow the league closely. I have it on good authority from guys who cover the NBA that Thomas is one of the biggest jerks in the league.

-- Point guard stat lines:

Rondo 9-18 fg, 7-9 ft, 11 reb, 11 ast, 1 TO, 2 stl, 5 fouls, 25 pts
Rose 10-17 fg, 3-4 ft, 11 reb, 9 ast, 7 TO, 4 fouls, 23 pts

Giving Rondo the edge here, obviously, because of the seven turnovers and no steals for Rose. Granted, Rose has a bright future in this league, but he threw the ball away too many times. Rondo-Rose will be fun to watch the next few years.

-- Again, why is Scalabrine playing?

Patriots Day Two Draft Review - Total Draft Grade

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Day two of the draft was much of the same as day one for the New England Patriots.  Trades, trades and even more trades. The Pats began the day with four 3rd round draft picks.  They ended up taking only two, but swinging deals to bring them two additional 2nd-round picks in the 2010 draft.  They even traded a player, cornerback Ellis Hobbs, to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 5th-round drafts picks.  Those draft picked were later used to move up in the 4th round for offensive lineman, Rich Ohrnberger.

Third Round:

83rd overall - Brandon Tate (WR, North Carolina) Tate, who has very good talent, fell to the 3rd round due to off field troubles and a positive test for marijuana at the NFL combine.  This was good value for the Pats.  The leadership of this team should help him mature and become a contributor as the 4th or 5th wideout this season.

97th overall - Tyrone McKenzie (OLB, South Florida) During the post draft press conference, Bill Belichick spoke about this man's intelligence and maturity and how impressed he was with him during interviews.  Sounds like a perfect Patriot to me.  Regardless of his potential on the field, you have to take notice when BB gushes about someone.  My guess is this is a very good pick, and someone who will get time rushing the passer this season.

Fourth Round:

123rd overall - Rich Ohrenberger (OG, Penn State) He's not the biggest lineman, but has been known to have a nasty streak.  Hard worker who plays until the whistles blown.  Could be a stretch in the 4th.

Fifth Round: 

170th overall - George Bussey (OT, Louisville) Bussey is another lineman that is on the smaller side.  He's a former walk-on who's had to earn every second of playing time during his college career.  

Sixth Round:

198th overall - Jacob Ingram (LS, Hawaii) With the departure of Lonnie Paxton to the Denver Broncos, the Pats are in need of a new longsnapper.  Scouts Inc. has refereed to Ingram as the best long snapper to enter the draft in the past three years.  Paxton has done everything perfectly in his time in New England, so Ingram has big shoes to fill in a pressure packed position.  I may just have to buy an Ingram Patriots jersey because we have the same last name. I will certainly be rooting for him.

207th overall - Myron Pryor (DT, Kentucky) Short, but stout defensive tackle who may be headed to the practice squad due to the great depth of the defensive line. Scouts agree that he has a quick first step, and should be better suited as a pass rusher than attacking the run.

Seventh Round:

232nd overall - Julian Edelman (WR, Kent State) Edelman is the former quarterback for the Golden Flashes.  He has excellent speed and athleticism.  My guess is he has a chance to make the team being used in some type of Wildcat formation.  If not, then he's only a 7th round choice. Belichick loves versatile players, and this is a potential new threat. 

234th overall - Darryl Richard (DT, Georgia Tech) I don't have much info on Richard, but it seems like the Pats are stockpiling defensive tackles.  Wilfork and Seymour are both free agents after this season.

Overall Grade: B+

The Patriots picked up 3 players in the 2nd round who will see significant time during their rookie seasons, and a potential replacement for Lonnie Paxton at longsnapper.  Patrick Chung is a safety that can play deep, along with Brandon Merriweather, and allow James Sanders to concentrate on stopping the run.  Ron Brace should be slotted into the defensive line rotation ahead of Mike Wright.  Brace will have a very good pro career and is good insurance in case Wilfork leave through free agency.  Many experts had Darrius Butler going to the Patriots in the 1st round, so it's safe to say they made a fantastic value pick with him in the 2nd.  The addition of Butler, Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs and the returns of Terrence Wheatley and Jonathon Wilhite made the Ellis Hobbs trade possible.  I am fine with the trade, but am not sure if the deal was to free cap space.  

Keep checking the site over the next few days for additional draft recaps and draft grades for all 32 teams. 

C's, 46-45 (half)

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Once again, the Celtics are locked in a tight one with the Bulls today. Nice response by Paul Pierce, after Chicago went on a 16-2 run at the start of the second quarter, to re-taked a one-point lead headed into the break. A few quick observations:

-- Brad Miller has come alive these past two games. While he's no longer an elite All-Star center in this league, he still can provide plenty of quality minutes off the bench. What he's lost in quicks he's made up with defense. And, lest we've forgotten, the guy can still drain the three.

-- And on that note, the jury's still out on Vinny Del Negro's coaching ability, but I like his idea of going big with Miller at the five and Tyrus Thomas at the four. Without Garnett and Leon Powe, the Celtics' frontcourt still has some length but is going to get caught overpursuing and failing at help defense (see: Rose's backdoor slam). A Thomas-Miller combination can help take advantage of this.

-- Paul Pierce needs to take control of this half. Yeah, he had a good second quarter, but he needs to start creating open looks for himself going to the hole and ceaset the bad defensive rotations (and there were a few).

-- Point guard tale of the tape:

Rondo 3-8 fg, 4-5 ft, 6 reb, 1 stl, 6 ast, 0 TO, 1 fl, 10 pts
Rose 5-6 fg, 0-0 ft, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 TO, 2 fls, 10 pts

Rose has yet to go to the line. I'll take that.

-- I know depth is thin right now, but just what is Brian Scalabrine doing on the court?

FFS Mock Draft Review: Beat the Experts Results

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

From an FFS standpoint, the first day of the 2009 NFL Draft couldn't go any better.  The homegrown talent of Ron Brace is now a New England Patriot, and Bill Belichick had a fantastic 2nd round helping to rebuild a defense that needed to get younger.  It's amazing that they also have four 3rd-round draft picks today, and there are still very good players left in the draft. Now, I'll get the to the review of the three FFS Mock Drafts, and highlight the best and worst picks for each person.  Whether a pick is considered correct or not has to do with the number draft pick they were selected, not the team that picked them.

Chad Garner: 8 of 32 picks (25%)

Best Pick - Robert Ayers. 18th overall pick to Denver. Some experts had him going to Denver, but at the #12 pick.  Good read of the draft by Chad in Denver selecting him with their second 1st round pick.

Worst Pick - Knowshon Moreno. Chad had Moreno going to the Arizona Cardinals at the #31 slot. Denver picked the former Georgia running back at #12 overall.  

Overall, Chad did a very good job. Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr only picked 8 correct in the first round and they're getting paid the big bucks.  

Jim Ingram: 8 of 32 picks (25%)

Best Pick - Andre Smith. 6th overall pick to the Bengals. This pick made too much sense for the Bengals.  They love thugs, underachievers and busts, and they just added another.

Worst Pick - Vontae Davis.  I had him going to the Saints 14th overall.  Boy was I wrong.  I was right about them taking a cornerback, but never thought Malcom Jenkins would've lasted until #14.

I am happy with my mock draft.  I'd like to have done better, but can't complain as I tied Chad, Mel & Todd McShay

Matt Ingram: 4 0f 32 picks (12.5%)

Best Pick - Darrius Heyward-Bey. Virtually no one had DHB going this high to the Raiders. Matt obviously knew Al Davis loves speed and took the fastest wide out in the draft.  Great pick.

Worst Pick - Michael Crabtree.  Matt had Crabtree going 4th overall to the Seahawks.  Seattle had much greater needs on defense with the departure of Julian Peterson.  Crabtree ended up going 10th to the 49ers.

Matt had a few solid picks, but struggled a bit in the 2nd half of the first round.  

Beat the Experts Winner:

Eric Feeney - 6 of 32 picks (18.75 %)

Congrats Eric.  You have won the contest and will be the first winner of a Fan Fanatic Sports Prize Pack.  

Best Pick - BJ Raji.  Many people didn't think Raji would fall to even the 9th pick. 

Worst Pick - Malcom Jenkins.  Eric had him dropping to #23 for the Patriots.  If he fell that far, I am sure the Pats would have taken him, but the Saints were desperate for the best corner in the draft. 

Great Job Eric.  I will follow up with you and let you know the timeline for delivery.

Thank you very much to all of our readers who participated in the contest. 

Celtics-Bulls preview

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Today is a monumental day in sports.

No, not the NFL Draft, or some NASCAR race. Who'd want to watch that?

I'm talking about Game 4 of the Bulls-Celtics series. I've been waiting for this game since the third one ended. Or something.

But on a more serious note, the Celtics have a great opportunity to seize control of the series. Another blowout like Thursday could all but spell Chicago's demise. Here's a few thoughts on today's game:

-- This has been a good coming-out party for Stephon Marbury, and Thursday might have been a turning point. He had a season-high 13 points, and an encouraging five assists to no turnovers, to lead in the rout. Granted, these didn't come in the most crucial minutes, but Rondo's going to need a backup with more all-around game than Eddie House as the playoffs wear on.

-- I'm sick of all these Rajon Rondo/Mo Williams comparisons (and you know it's going to be coming). Rondo's doubters need to just chill. I don't doubt his leadership skills after this series, where he's led the team in scoring (22.7), rebounding (10.7), assists (9.7) and steals (4.0).

If you want to crown Mo because he has a nice shooting stroke, then crown him. But I know who I want in the waning minutes.

-- Nice to see Paul Pierce light up the scoresheet in Game 3 after what I thought were dull closing minutes in Game 2. Yes, Ray Allen's shot was a thing of beauty, but let's look between the lines here. Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas combined for four blocks over the last five minutes, all on mid-range shots from a bad angle that needed to be taken to avoid traveling.

For Oakmont grads who were there for coach Ron Therrien's twilight years, I like to call this the "Pat Shea shot": dribble a bit, stop, pivot, get trapped by defender, flail elbows around like they were on fire, then take an ugly off-balance shot that airballs.

Oh, back to my point...Paul Pierce is a captain. The last two things I want to see a captain doing with a tie score at the end of a game is A) stand around watching from the perimeter, and B) set picks. He should be calling for the ball, or at least creating space, in pressure situations. Period. Even if Allen's on the floor.

-- I know he's only 19, and a rookie, but Derrick Rose has the potential to be the best Bull since Michael Jordan. And you know he's going to stick around for years to come.

Yes, better than Ron Artest, Tyson Chandler, Brad Miller, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and even Jason Caffey.

Chad gave me similar flak for singing similar praise about David Price after he clown-suited the Sox in Game 7. I'll explain my argument once this series is over.

-- Hold your breath while I quickly address the Tony Allen situation, please...

Look, the easy disposition is to ask, "Vice Lords or Gangster Disciples?" It's way too easy to label this guy a knucklehead, given his history and oft-foolishness. This story has the potential to get out of control, and that's a shame.

Truth is, we don't know the real Tony Allen, other than his upbringing as a south side Chicagoan. We don't know his friends, nor his enemies. Is it chilling that this allegedly has nothing to do with the 2005 fight that landed him in court? Perhaps. Is it chilling that an unnamed source told Adrian Wojnarowski in Yahoo! Sports, "I would not want to mess with this guy"? Perhaps.

Tony's going to play, and he should, because the C's need all the defensive stoppers they can get without Garnett. But until all the facts are confirmed, I'm not going to judge.

And you shouldn't, either.

My friend George is over to watch the game. And like a more famous George (Thorogood), he's got a few friends named Bud Weiser.

Mahalo.