Bulls-Celtics Game Seven: First Quarter

What, I'm not going to micro-blog the last game of the best series ever? Hell and no. Tuesday night, I missed the start of the games due to my kid's orchestra performance. Thursday was the talent show disaster. Tonight? Put yourselves to bed, kids. It's Game 7. Or 8, depending on how you view the 35 minutes of overtime.

No Kevin Garnett! Guess he didn't want it very much. I keed, Celtics Fan, I keed. Enjoy his contract against your cap. It makes me sleep easier on the whole Elton Brand thing.

Celtics Fan is in it early, and gets nothing but silence by Ben Gordon from distance, and Derrick Rose sinks a floater. So much for the road team just curling up and dying. Rose rises beautifully over Rajon Rondo, and it's 7-2 -- Celtics Fan Is Worried, and given how this game has started, I can't blame him. After a pair of Rose makes, it's 9-2 in the first 2:02, and that's a fine start for the visitors.

The Celtics are getting extra shots from offensive rebounding, and Kendrick Perkins finally converts one, but misses the free throw. Sideshow Bob Noah whiffs on a dunk, then has a wardrobe malfunction with the shorts; Celtics Fan really, really hates him. The Bulls wind up scoring on another Rose short one, and he's owning this game so far. A Gordon touch foul is followed by Perkins with another O-board; Noah is not getting much help back there. A sloppy Bulls possession ends with a long Gordon three, answered by a longer Ray Allen three. It's 13-9 and Celtics Fan is in full throat. Ty Thomas stops an Allen drive with a swat, but the John Salmons foul puts him on the line. Doug Collins is having Andrew Toney flashbacks, which can't make Celtics Fan happy. Allen hits both, and it's 13-11 for the visitors.

Brad Miller in for the Bulls. Defensive three-second violation, and I didn't catch the first, gives the Bulls a cheap point at the line. Gordon gets to the rim and picks up Big Baby Davis' first foul. Doc Rivers is in croaky plead voice now, and after both Gordon makes, that's a three-point the slow way. 16-11 with 7:28 left, and Gordon has 10 already. An Allen miss from distance leads to a cheap second foul on Davis, and that helps the visitors an awful lot. Rivers goes to Brian Scalabrine, who commits an immediate foul on Miller. Bulls have already shot 7 free throws in 5 minutes, and they've made them all; they are just really playing very well right now. 18-11 Bulls.

Rondo misses from the Pierce place. JoNo picks up a three second foul, but the Bulls are passing internally with abandon. Pierce misses at the cup in traffic. Miller can 't get the roll. Perkins drives like a train and misses. Gordon misses on good defense from Allen, and both teams are looking ragged. Pierce converts on a broken play from 3, and that's big. 18-14. Rose misses from three and the offense is going too much through Miller right now. Scalabrine misses an open three, a big miss. Salmons misses, and Scalabrine is blocked by Rose on a play that just defines why it's nice to have athletes. Wow. A Miller miss from three, and an Allen make, and this one is tight again (hah!). 18-16 Bulls, and TNT shows the Rose block again; wow, wow, wow. I'm not sure I've ever seen a point who can do that.

Gordon and Rose have 16 of the Bulls' 18 points as TNT details Gordon's hamstring woes. The Bulls have missed their last six shots, as the ball movement has slowed. Miller misses as Perkins closes well, then sets a monster screen on Salmons; Piece ties it. Gordon in rhythm gets the lead back over Scalabrine; boy, is he not an NBA player. Rondo misses his second. Pierce misses consecutive wide open threes, the second after a great o-board by Rondo. Salmons makes from three, and it's answered by Scalabrine telling me to go screw; Rose replies that I'm still right, rising over the whiteness for another two. Bulls leave Rondo uncovered from distance and he misses again; if the New Evil Isiah wants to earn that rep, he's going to have to start driving already, rather than settling for jumpers that aren't his game.

A Scalabrine 3. Really, he's going to be clutch tonight? Stab me in the eye. A Bulls turnover and we've got Starchild in for a small lineup at the end of the quarter. Thomas spikes a Rondo drive, and the quarter ends with wackiness that ends with a Hinrich miss; that would have been a huge end to the quarter. The Bulls end with a lead, 27-23.