| 04 May 2009
Here at AaronTorres-Sports.com, I like to proudly say, “If It Happens In Sports, It Happens At AaronTorres-Sports.com.” But even I, Aaron Torres, the (I like to think) all-knowing sports fan, can’t be everywhere.
Which is why when I found out one of my old friend Tim Ehrens- who knows as much about the Boston sports scene as anyone- was going to Game 7 of the epic Celtics-Bulls showdown, I knew I’d have to track him down for an interview.
On Sunday we exchanged e-mails, with Tim still coming down from the proverbial high from attending another incredible game, in what may have been the greatest 1st round playoff series in the history of the NBA.
We discussed the atmosphere before and after the game, how and why the Celtics pulled out the victory and what’s next for Boston.
So while you and I might not have been there Saturday night, it’s time to welcome Tim, who was nice enough to take some time and give us his unfettered insight into Game 7 experience.
Enjoy!
Aaron: What was the atmosphere like in Boston Saturday night? Game 7 of one of the closely contested, exciting series we have seen in years. Describe being in the arena Saturday night. What was it like when the Celtics did finally wrap up the victory?
Tim: The atmosphere was electric, both on and off the court.
I hung around and had dinner on Canal St. (right across the street from the Garden) hours before the game and the street was full of people wearing Celtics jerseys and talking about the game. Once I stepped foot in the arena, everyone was walking through the concourses cheering, clapping and getting amped up and upon getting in my section, I could feel the importance of the game.
When the game started everyone was hanging on to every play, dissecting every foul, and of course making the Bulls players feel it - especially Joakim Noah.
And once the Bulls started fouling at the end of the game, there was an immense sense of relief and jubilation. Everyone was glad it was over but knew there was a long road ahead, accepting victory, while also remembering the Orlando series was to start just two days away.
Aaron: Look the Celtics won by 10 points, but anyone who watched knows that it was much closer than the final score would indicate. Being at the game, when did you actually breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Ok, we've got this one?"
Tim: Sighs of relief came from the most unlikely of places in this game: the bench.
Everyone has been knocking the Celtics' bench in this series after Leon Powe went down. Our frontcourt had been decimated and our confidence hurt with KG being down, but the bench has done nothing but step up.
That's why I wasn't surprised when the moment I anticipated victory came from Eddie House, who was coming up with big shots all night off the bench. His 3-pointer with 2:29 left to put the Celtics up by eight.
From that point on, we went 9-for-9 on our free throws and the game was over. Three times during the game the crowd erupted into "Eddie! Eddie!!" chants, my throat still hurts. It was only fitting that he would get a big shot down the stretch to all but seal it up for the Celtics.
Aaron: Did the Celtics do anything differently down the stretch in this one that they didn’t do at the end of other games? Was it as simple as just making defensive stops?
Tim: You'd be hard-pressed to find any team giving up an easy layup in this game.
Every team had to work for their points and the Celtics especially pressured Ben Gordon a lot more in the fourth quarter. Gordon was lighting up the C's in the first half, so you could tell they were making it a point to put bodies on him.
I was also impressed with the Celtics' frontcourt- especially Kendrick Perkins- down the stretch. He was fighting to get inside, drawing fouls and establishing to the Bulls that just because Garnett and Powe were out, didn't mean that they should expect the big guys to lay down.
Aaron: I was so impressed by the way that Chicago always kept their composure throughout this series, especially for such a young team. But they still were extremely young. Down the stretch do you think their lack of experience caught up with them?
Tim: Not in the slightest. I have immense respect for the Bulls and the way they've played throughout this series.
NBA teams are getting younger and younger and are having great success. The Bulls and TrailBlazers are great examples of this.
This game was just a matter of the Celtics having home-court advantage. They were pumped up for this game and were unwilling to go out as the defending champions on their home court. They had the most to lose and they played just a little bit better.
Yes, the Celtics are a more proven, veteran team who are tough at home. But if Game 7 were in Chicago, I think you would've seen a much different game.
Aaron: Watching them for seven games, what were your thoughts on Chicago? Listen we knew Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and Co. were good coming in, but no one excepted them to play the way they did. I know I didn’t expect the game to go seven games when the series started, did anyone in Boston?
Tim: I could tell you that I thought this series would, at most, go to five games when it started with the Celtics winning it. I can tell you that most Celtics fans thought the same or were predicting a sweep, even without KG.
Boy, were we wrong.
This just shows you the value of KG. The man is the heart and soul of this team as well as being one of its statistical leaders. Then again, even with the man the Hawks pushed us to seven games last year as an 8 seed. It just goes to show you that heart and fearlessness can be powerful factors, even against a veteran team.
Aaron: Ray Allen once played a character named Jesus in the movie “He Got Game, and throughout the series he seemed to basically do everything short of turning water into wine.
Can you quantify in words Ray Allen's role in this series? What was it like in the arena when he made the driving lay-up with 36 seconds left?
Tim: That layup kind of put the cherry on top of a great series for Ray Ray.
The man is one of the greatest shooters of the last 25 years and he showed it in this series. To score 51 points in a losing effort in Game 6 shows you what kind of heart and skill this guy has even when some people label him as "over the hill."
That layup just typified his contributions in the series and it was only fitting that he was the Celtics' leading scorer with 23.
Aaron: And Rajon Rondo. He had five games in the series with double-digit scoring nights, while getting double-digit assists in five games as well.
For someone who watches this team on a nightly basis, did it take a series like this for everyone to realize how good this guy is?
Tim: While Rondo did have a great series, I thought he was less and less aggressive on offense in Games 6 and 7.
Although he did have a lot of assists in both games, his scoring was way down. He didn't attack the basket at all and should've driven the paint a lot more. I could count at least three people around me during Game 7 that were screaming that exact sentiment throughout the game.
He played great in the early games of the series, but for people to really sit and up and take notice I think he needs to be a much more prolific scorer on a consistent basis in future series to truly be seen as an elite point guard in this league. He is right on the cusp of making that leap from pretty good to great.
Aaron: Back to the guys on the bench. It takes a truly great team for guys like Glen Davis and Eddie House when they hadn’t been called on much during the regular season. Away from Allen, Rondo and Paul Pierce, talk about the impact of guys that hadn't played big roles all year helping win this series.
Tim: As I mentioned before, that's something that really stood out to me in this series, especially in the game I witnessed.
I thought Davis did a great job starting in place of KG. He was aggressive in the post and while he didn't score a ton of points, his presence and effort was great to see by a second-year player starting in place of a player like KG.
I've already talked about House's contributions and the guy was the key player in Game 7 for me. He came up with big shots at big times and really stepped up off the bench.
Even a player who isn't asked to do much of anything, Brian Scalabrine, stepped up and gave the Celtics eight big points, including going 2-for-3 from 3-point range, that really surprised the crowd.
The bench averaged about 12 points all series long, but they got 30 in Game 7. To me, they were one of the main reasons we survived this series.
Aaron: Now the Celtics move on to play Orlando. How do they handle Dwight Howard and his teammates? Should the Celtics be favored against a team that struggled itself in Round 1?
Tim: I fully expect the Celtics to advance past the Magic in Round 2 and I'll tell you why: the Magic's bench in extremely weak. They have one of the thinnest, most inexperienced benches in recent memory.
This is the main reason why they struggled against the 76ers. All of the scoring pressure lied with the starting lineup. They did get a big double-double performance from Marcin Gortat for the suspended Dwight Howard in Game 6, but it remains to be seen whether a Magic bench player can put up that kind of consistent effort night in, night out.
Their shooting touch can be quite good, with Turkoglu, Lewis and Alston lighting it up from outside and of course, the man-child Howard will be immensely tough to contain.
But those starters can't play all 48+ minutes, and it is when the Magic go to their bench that the Celtics will have an immense advantage.
Aaron: Finally, what are your thoughts on the series? Do you have a favorite memory? Are there too many to narrow it down to just a few? Reflecting back on this series, six months, a year, 10 years from now, what will you remember?
Tim: I'll take from this series the notion that anything can happen in the playoffs, no matter the seeding. The Hawks gave the Celtics everything they could handle last year and that series was a wake up call to the C's on their way to their 17th championship. This series was just a reminder that you can't underestimate the heart and will of any playoff team.
The memories are numerous - the overtimes, the game-tying or go-ahead shots, Allen's 51 points and Noah's athletic dunk-and-1 against Pierce.
I think my favorite singular moment will have to be Rondo's foul on Miller in Game 5 and the subsequent flagrant or hard foul controversy it spawned. It just exemplified what a hard-fought and physical series that this one was. It was truly one for the ages.
Aaron: Timmy, thanks man, I really appreciate it.
Tim: No problem, any time.
Photo Credit: http://sosylvie.typepad.com/so_sylvie/images/2008/06/17/celtic.jpg
