NBA Playoff Snapshot: Lone gunman almost drops Boston
42 points, 1 rebound, 0 assist, 1 steal, 6/11 from the three-point line.
That was Ben Gordon's line from Chicago's 115-118 Game 2 loss to the Boston Celtics in their opening series in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. If not for fellow UConn alum Ray Allen channeling Jesus Shuttlesworth for the game-winning three with two seconds left, Gordon would have singlehandedly shot Chicago to a 2-0 lead in their opening round series.
Gordon quite literally took on the C's alone, as Bulls rookie sensation Derrick Rose came crashing back down to earth after an unconscious game 1. The defending champs' starting lineup played out of their minds: Rajon Rondo put up sick numbers (19 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds and 5 steals) en route to a triple-double, Allen scored 30, Glen "Big Baby" Davis had the game of his life with 26 points and 9 rebounds, Kendrick Perkins bullied his way to 16 points and 12 boards, and Paul Pierce had a steady 18 points with 8 rebounds.
The performance from Gordon (and the Boston win) was reminiscent of Michael Jordan's virtuoso performance in the Boston Garden where he set an NBA Playoff record 63 points in a loss to Larry Bird's Celtics. That night happened 23 years ago.
But Gordon, with his lightning-quick first step and his gorgeous rainbow jumper, is of the same make as another acclaimed guard from NBA years past: former Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Andrew Toney. He played on the same legendary Sixers team that included Julius Erving and Moses Malone, but it was Toney who was the biggest thorn on their rival Celtics' side. Boston fans were so in awe of Toney's performance that when the Sixers wrapped up the deciding game in their Eastern Conference Finals series against Boston in 1982, the Garden crowd decided to honor the winning team by starting "Beat LA" chants, to wish them luck against their impending series versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
Toney was so dominant against Boston that the Celtics had a special nickname for him: The Boston Strangler.
Ben Gordon hasn't quite achieved the same status, but with the Celtics still reeling from Kevin Garnett's injury, he just might be able to get there before the series is over. The Bulls have some experience in knocking off ex-champs: In 2007, the Bulls led by Gordon and Kirk Hinrich swept the defending champion Miami Heat, 4-0, in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
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Comments
Now that you mention that sensational '82 series between the Celtics and the Sixers, i remember it mostly for what Darryl Dawkins (now who could forget him?) said after he was asked how he felt walking off the court while the Garden crowd chanted Beat LA! - "My dick got hard."
hahahaha. chocolate thunder is the best. he was a frequent manila visitor a few years back, when he was coaching a minor league team in the US.
were you in boston during that period?
were you in boston during that period?
Yes I was, a junior in college. I saw Bird play at the Garden. He and Magic were just beginning their runs. At nearby Cambridge Rindge and Latin High was a teen-age behemoth who was headed for what was then a no-name basketball school, Georgetown. Pat Ewing would put that school on the map, and John Thompson would turn it into a big-man factory: Mutombo, Mourning, etc. In addition to turning out a little guy named Iverson.
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