ONE FOR THE AGES

being older than dirt, i've watched a lot of basketball games both in person and on the tube and to be perfectly honest, most of them have little or no suspense when you reach the final minutes of the game. but thursday night, the CHICAGO BULLS and BOSTON CELTICS played a game for the ages, an 'instant classic' that will be replayed on espn for decades to come.

as previously posted, the bulls appeared to be headed down heartbreak road once again as they let not one, but two double digit leads disappear and when the world champs caught them with an incredible 17-0 run late in the 4th quarter, i could hear taps playing in the background as the celtics led by 8 with three and a half to play. i headed to the kitchen so i could take out my frustrations by crunching a crisp apple and ride the exercise bike at the same time. very healthy and good for my heart. watching the bulls is not.

the bulls finally woke from their stupor and drew to within 3 before the incredible ray allen stretched it to a five point lead with 90 seconds left. and then it was time for the brad miller show, he of the re-arranged teeth from game five.

miller cans a three and hits a driving layup while tony allen (not ray) misses two layups to allow the bulls a chance to win it. after a full timeout, i was sure the bulls would drive the middle to draw a foul or score the layup. but jerkwad ben "hooray for me" gordon dribbles the ball to the far side of the court and forces up a twenty-five footer....overtime. i then calmly hit a six footer with my apple core directly into the garbage can and wondered what gordon's problem was. i'm up to 2 miles and feeling good.

as we head to overtime, i quickly head to the kitchen and grab a second apple as the celtics take an early lead but the bulls quickly go up 4 despite derrick rose turning the ball over twice. i pedal harder to encourage the toros but paul pierce is automatic from the free throw line to regain the lead for the bad guys but john salmons cans a leaning jumper to tie it. the bonus is that jerkwad ben gordon has fouled out and pierce actually misses a shot. i bank the second core off the fridge for another score as we head to double overtime and my miles are at 4. i'm cookin'.

down to a couple of bananas, i bring both to the bike and john salmons gets me happy as he scores 7 points in two minutes and we lead by three when ray allen, who scored like a hundred points in the game, finally made a mistake. oh, he still made the shot from the corner but his toe was on the line so we still led by one and when MY MAN BRAD made two free throws to give us a 3 point lead with just 17 seconds left, i was lance armstrong in his prime as i passed 5 miles, sweating like an oinker but loving the bulls. silly me. allen makes up for the boo-boo with a coffin corner trey and the bulls play soccer during the last 8 seconds and we go to o.t. number three. i'm down to my last piece of fruit, a nasty looking banana but i need nourishment as i pass 7 miles.

fatigue is now a factor for everyone and even i struggle as my pedaling slows to a crawl while watching the extended version of 'the agony and the ecstasy,' also known as triple overtime. each side scores five points before bad shooting bogs down both teams which gives joakim noah, of all people, a chance to be a hero and i nearly fall off the exercise bike when he picks off a pass and throws down the sledge hammer while fouling out paul pierce. yowsa!!!!!!!!!!! victory is ours, right? right?
oh, please.........not again.

heinrich misses a crucial free throw and the brown banana flies out of the peel when i squeeze kirk's neck but i pedal 25 mph when rondo rebounds his own miss to cut it to one. burning calories is a good thing. one point leads aren't.

captain kirk makes me dial 9-1-1 as he misses a layup and gives the celtics yet another chance but rookie of the year derrick rose makes a block and is awarded 2 free throws when he is assaulted with just 4 seconds left. but it is very difficult to shoot free throws with one hand on your throat and he tanks both to give the celtics one more chance. finally it ends when rondo's fifty footer falls harmlessly and the bulls and i are exhausted and we all head to the showers. a total time of 45 minutes brought me 8 miles
closer to nowhere but maybe the bulls grew up. maybe. i will go out on a limb and predict the bulls win game 7 in boston because fatigue will be a huge factor with the older celtics. bulls 98-94 saturday night.

WHAT TEAM IS THIS?

and now they come out in the third quarter and play just like the first. now they're up by 7 with 12 minutes to go. i still don't believe. which team shows up for the final stanza?

WHAT ARE THE BULLS THINKING??

the bulls run the celtics out of the gym in the first quarter and lead by 13. the bulls pass, drive and kick out for open shots and then, for some unknown reason, they resort to jump shots and when they go cold.....the celtics say 'ok, thanks' and tie the game with 3 minutes left in the second
quarter. incredible. you live and die with the jump shot.

they shut out rondo but let ray allen get 29 FIRST HALF POINTS. pierce is rested but the celtics have foul trouble with their big men so unless the bulls start driving the paint, this one is over. 109-102 celtics.

PROBLEM AT WRIGLEY?

something is amiss on the north side. all of the bravado displayed by the turtleneck-wearing fandom over the winter has quietly and quickly disappeared and i think i know the reason...........injuries. that's right, boo-boos. dings. owees. but isn't it a little early for players to be banged up?

i submit to you........geovany soto and his sore shoulder. cubs say it's fine but his .119 average and a swing that looks like my sisters belies that statement.

how about derek lee, the only first baseman in baseball with no home run power? never been the same since the broken wrist and now we hear about a disc problem in his neck. hmmmmmmmmmm.....a neck problem and a .209 average. coincidence?

let's head to the mound and carlos marmol, who a year ago was 'lights out' 95% of the time. but this knee thing is not good and the cubs once again are hiding something because this guy looks like garbage.

milton bradley? a psychopath who will be in prison shortly after retiring from the game has a sore groin. or is it a shoulder? maybe a knee? a .109 average says maybe all three!

mix these in with a few other averages like .125, .238 and .184 from the bench and you're starting to mix a recipe for a 2009 disaster. a 10-10 start is hardly what the cubs expected and losing soto and marmol for an extended period could be a huge problem. they should thank the good lord they play in a crappy division where 85 wins takes the title.

THE BULLS GAG IT UP

the true heart of the baby bulls was never more exposed than it was tuesday night as they puked away an 11 point lead in the 4th quarter, made every imaginable mistake, lost their composure and for all practical purposes, gave this series to the celtics. when a series is tied 2-2, the winner of game 5 wins the deries about 85% of the time so the bulls are backed against the proverbial wall as they need to win two in a row against the defending world champs.

ben gordon proved once again that he has ZERO basketball acumen as he shoots the ball with 16 seconds remaining when the bulls were playing for the last shot and the fact that he made that ridiculous shot is immaterial because they could have held for all but ONE SECOND and shot for the win. but gordon has no clue other than shooting the rock.

as much as the young blackhawks (14 players under 25) showed poise against calgary and drove in the dagger on the road, the bulls proved once again that they don't belong. they're a nice team with two missing pieces.

celtics too old or bulls too young?

this series has been mind bending no matter what side you're rooting for as all but one game has gone down to the wire and sunday's game was an instant classic with rajon rondo, ray allen, derrick rose and ben gordon performing at a level that was mesmerizing from the 4th quarter on.

allen once again proved he is the true 'ice man' as he buried a trey in the closing seconds for the second time in three games, lifting the celtics into the first overtime. then it was time for ben gordon as he hit an impossible trey to force a second o.t.

and those two weren't even the best players for their respective teams today! rose & rondo put on a show for the ages with scintillating moves and never ending acrobatic drives to the hoop. what can they do for an encore? well, the sequel is coming soon to the boston garden where the bulls have played very well and came close to sweeping the opening two games.

was last week's celtic spanking an indication the defending champs can turn it on whenever they want? or was it a case of the young bulls being too nervous to handle the driver's seat the first time they sat in it? stay tuned because the winner of game 5 should advance to the second round.