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Celtics finish off Bulls without overtime
Source: Agencies |
May 3, 2009, Sunday
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AFTER a record-setting seven overtimes in the first six games, the Boston Celtics pulled away from the visiting Chicago Bulls just before the half to win 109-99 yesterday in what might have been the best first-round playoff series in NBA history.
Ray Allen followed his 51-point Game 6 performance with 23, and Paul Pierce added 20 as Boston won the last game of the series in regulation time.
The Celtics will play the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting tomorrow.
The seventh-seeded Bulls return to Chicago knowing they took the defending NBA champions to the limit - and quite often beyond.
Ben Gordon scored 33 for Chicago and Kirk Hinrich scored 14 of his 16 in the fourth quarter to help Chicago cut it to three points - thanks in part to a bizarre scoring change that added a point to the Bulls' score two quarters after a first-half 3-pointer was mistakenly ruled a 2.
With 5:44 left in regulation, the public address announcer said that a "technical error" in the first half had credited Gordon with a 2-pointer instead of a 3-pointer. Officials can use video replay to check whether a shot is from beyond the arc or not, but it is supposed to come at the first break after the basket - not two quarters later.
The change made the Celtics' lead 89-84, then Gordon hit a pair of free throws. Boston's Kendrick Perkins followed with a layup and then traded free throws with Gordon before Eddie House hit a 3-pointer to make it 96-88 with 2:30 left.
Then Boston made all 11 of its free throws in the last two minutes to hold on and keep alive its drive for an 18th NBA title alive.
Four of the games in the riveting series went to overtime, including the previous three.
Ray Allen followed his 51-point Game 6 performance with 23, and Paul Pierce added 20 as Boston won the last game of the series in regulation time.
The Celtics will play the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting tomorrow.
The seventh-seeded Bulls return to Chicago knowing they took the defending NBA champions to the limit - and quite often beyond.
Ben Gordon scored 33 for Chicago and Kirk Hinrich scored 14 of his 16 in the fourth quarter to help Chicago cut it to three points - thanks in part to a bizarre scoring change that added a point to the Bulls' score two quarters after a first-half 3-pointer was mistakenly ruled a 2.
With 5:44 left in regulation, the public address announcer said that a "technical error" in the first half had credited Gordon with a 2-pointer instead of a 3-pointer. Officials can use video replay to check whether a shot is from beyond the arc or not, but it is supposed to come at the first break after the basket - not two quarters later.
The change made the Celtics' lead 89-84, then Gordon hit a pair of free throws. Boston's Kendrick Perkins followed with a layup and then traded free throws with Gordon before Eddie House hit a 3-pointer to make it 96-88 with 2:30 left.
Then Boston made all 11 of its free throws in the last two minutes to hold on and keep alive its drive for an 18th NBA title alive.
Four of the games in the riveting series went to overtime, including the previous three.
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