Completely Outclassed: Bulls 97 Celtics 81

Posted by Ryan DeGama on Apr 7, 2011 1903176 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F04%2F07%2Fcompletely-outclassed-bulls-97-celtics-81%2FCompletely+Outclassed%3A+Bulls+97+Celtics+81+2011-04-08+02%3A52%3A16Ryan+DeGamahttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D19031

ESPN Box Score • By The Horns • Blog-A-Bull

No way around it: the Bulls annihilated the Celtics tonight.

The Celtics generated a lot of good looks on the offensive end through 2.5 quarters, but missed an enormous number of shots in the paint (9 in the first half alone). After a brief offensive spurt in the second half where the C’s closed the gap by pushing the ball in transition, the Bulls clamped down on the Boston offense, which was more than willing to go gentle into that good night.

There’s little in the way of obvious silver linings here. Boston’s big four (a collective -34) were taken completely out of their games by Chicago’s defensive schemes, energy and size. Here are the grisly final numbers:

Paul Pierce: 6-13 for 15 points. Also 4 turnovers.

Rajon Rondo: 3-10 for 7 points.

Kevin Garnett: 3-9 for 10 points.

Ray Allen: 3-11 for 7 points.

And, of course, there was the wunderkind Derrick Rose (30 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), who came as advertised, tearing apart Boston’s defense, setting up his teammates for open shots, and generally just controlling the game on offense. We’ll get into his work in the longer recap, but he murdered Rondo tonight.

So, that’s it for now.

For those of you who missed the game, you can find a dramatic reenactment below. The part of the Chicago Bulls will be played by Charlie Day and Kaitlin Olson will portray the Boston Celtics.