GIVE ME THE GREEN LIGHT: About two weeks ago, Adam asked whether there was any reason to watch this year's NBA Playoffs before the finals. I think we have our answer.
What is widely regarded as the best NBA first-round playoff series of all time concluded last night when the Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 109-99 to win the series four games to three. Four of those seven games went into overtime, including the particularly memorable Game 6, which went into triple overtime on Thursday. Five of the games were decided by a margin of three points or fewer.
This was 371 minutes of some of the most intense and exciting basketball you will ever see. ESPN put together video clips documenting the top ten moments of the series.
As Bill Simmons observes, the Bulls-Celtics series reminded us why we love sports (note that Simmons wrote his piece after Game 6, not Game 7). Like Simmons, I am a Boston fan, but I ended up loving the Bulls nearly as much as I love the Celtics. They played one hell of a series. The Bulls are going to be a very impressive team next year.
Looking ahead, the Celtics are unlikely to beat the Cavaliers and there is certainly room for doubt about their chances against Orlando. All that being said, I will treasure this series for many years to come. I will remember Eddie House shooting 5-5 with four threes last night. I will remember Rajon Rondo averaging nearly a triple double during the series. I will remember Ray Allen making one million clutch shots. I will remember Paul Pierce's step-back jumper that won Game 5 with 3 seconds left, the pivotal play of the series' pivotal game. I will remember this team overcoming injuries to two key players and prevailing, just barely.
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