The Honorable Lindsey Hunter now presiding. Next up: Vinny Del Negro v. Tyrus Thomas.

Now as more details come out about Thomas’ outburst, it appears he went off on Vinny Del Negro (the head coach, not an assistant like two years ago) and used language that would make even Joakim blush.

Time will only tell if the Right Honorable Lindsey Hunter convenes the Bulls’ Senior Panel on Player Discipline and extends Ty’s sentence to Tuesday’s game against the Pacers. One would think that this staff wouldn’t allow such a spectacle, since the rookies, Taj Gibson and James Johnson, seem to be pretty damn mature and won’t be swayed by Thomas’ immaturity.  Although, you can’t blame VDN for taking action since James Johnson just had to sit the entire game while NBDL call-up Chris Richard earned 20 minutes of playing time in Friday night’s win.

More of that and less of the 20-foot jump shots, ok?

Is the lack of consistency his own fault or the fault of a Bulls organization that has tried to screw Tyrus at every turn?  On fanatical sites like Blog-a-Bull, you will get roasted for even implying that Tyrus is not the future of the Bulls.  Others like my father feel like he is an unmotivated, unfocused head case that can never make the jump.  Now that Taj Gibson is around, the issue gets complicated even further.  Gibson has been steady and reliable, though lacking the explosiveness that Tyrus can bring.

That brings me to something I read this morning from Hardwood Paroxysm, analyzing the Taj-Tyrus situation:

I wish nothing but the best for Thomas and hope he becomes a productive player. But I do have some questions which Bulls fans are a little too close to home to answer.

Why is it that two different coaching staffs over four years have elected to keep Thomas’ ass chained to the bench? Okay, Scott Skiles is a wackaloon that’s too much of a hardass and hates puppies. I get that. I watch Luke Ridnour play tons of minutes. I understand. But then for VDN’s crew to do the exact same thing? Oh, VDN sucks. Well, that’s fine, but you’re telling me with Del Harris on the bench last year, with all those assistants, and in such desperate times, that there’s no reason that Thomas hasn’t escaped the bench’s gravitational pull? There’s got to be a reason. Misunderstood by two different coaching staffs?

The component with Taj Gibson is frightening to me, in that I can see why they’re opting for him. He plays hard, he does what they want, he efforts towards doing what they’re looking to do. Thomas is the superior talent, but he doesn’t play well with the others. They’re role players, and Gibson knows his role. I can understand Bulls fans dismissing this, because the team’s not winning. It just seems to me that there’s got to be a point where you let him go and pray it doesn’t come back to haunt you. Because Thomas could turn into an explosive Josh Smith Jr. clone. Or he could go elsewhere and be stuck on the bench all the same.

We’re so far into Thomas’ pro career, and we still know almost nothing about him other than “he can jump really high.”

I agree with him completely.  I’m not saying Tyrus won’t turn into Josh Smith Jr., I just feel like it isn’t going to happen in Chicago.  It just isn’t.  A great comparison for this in my mind is the Cedric Benson situation.  We all hated him and wanted to get rid of him, and now he is successful in Cincy.  While it’s annoying, does anyone truly feel like if we had given him just one more chance he would have become a star in Chicago? No.  I feel the same about Tyrus.  He may have the upside and even eventually pan out, but I am very skeptical that it could happen here.  Get something now for Tyrus while you still can.

Try this on for size, as something that is percolating. And as of now, this is all I can tell you. I’m not going to tell you this is a done deal, or that it’s even close, but as far as something that is out there as a possibility. Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and at least one pick to the Toronto Raptors for Chris Bosh.

Now it totally depends on how they value Tyrus, but it seems unlikely that the Raptors would take a bad contract like Hinrich’s.  The likelihood is that they will want an expiring contract and some young talent and/or draft picks.  The rumor isn’t exactly substantiated by any real evidence either, but we can always dream…

The Bulls won last night and Tyrus was spectacular on the glass with 15 rebounds, basically holding down the rebounding for the Bulls with Noah on the bench in foul trouble. Unfortunately he had a patented Ty-Thom 2-10 from the field. The jury in my head is still out on Tyrus, but I’m glad to be back on the roller coaster.

For starters, multiple league executives believe the Chicago Bulls’ shopping of forward Tyrus Thomas(notes) could result with him moving sooner than later. As Thomas has rehabbed a broken forearm, the Bulls have had discussions with several teams, but perhaps none as serious as the ongoing dialogue general manager Gar Forman has had with New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh.

Several sources believe the Bulls are agreeable to a package of Thomas and Jerome James(notes) for Knicks forward Al Harrington(notes).

This is one of those odd deals where pretty much any reaction you had to the news was probably an overreaction.  If you are one of the people that won’t shut up about this being Thomas’s “breakout season”, then you are disappointed in this deal.  You also have a pretty short memory, since we have lived through a few of his “breakout” seasons.  Do you see my point?  He is not going to break out.  Not as a Bull at least.  So don’t worry about whether we are losing someone who could “end up being pretty good”.  I’m not really in the mood to wait around on another one of those guys any longer (Tyson Chandler, anyone?).

The other side of this whole thing is the thinking that Tyrus was garbage and the Bulls weren’t going to give him the qualifying offer at the end of the season anyways.  If you think this way you might be excited that at least we are getting some talent in exchange for him.  Well don’t go buying your Al Harrington jerseys yet, people.  Harrington’s $10 million dollar contract expires at the end of the season, and the cap room from that will probably not be used to resign him (we are using it for Wade, Bosh, James, etc…I hope).

So the point is, don’t get too excited about this trade.  It will be nice to have the frontcourt help for the remainder of the season, but Harrington is basically a rental in a year where our main goal is to sneak into the playoffs as an 8th or maybe a 7th seed.  On the bright side, at least I won’t have to read any more sentences with the words “Tyrus Thomas” and “upside” in them.  Those were getting pretty annoying.

As Bulls practice ended Monday, veteran Lindsey Hunter stepped up and directed some pointed advice toward Tyrus Thomas in front of all his teammates and coaches.

But what could possibly have been said?  The Tribune does not say exactly how Tyrus was dressed down, but if I were Hunter and had the opportunity to give him some pointed advice, I would probably tell him this (we all know I would shit my pants and not say any of this, but bear with me):

Stop shooting f#$%ing jumpers!  Okay? I see you making about 1/3 of them in practice every goddamn day, what makes you think you’ll do better than that in the game?  You are possibly the most athletic player on the team, pay attention to the game and you could be a star!  You’re in a contract year.  Do you know what that means, you f#$%ing idiot?  You are literally hurting your value every time you step on the court.  And don’t even get me started on getting out in transition.  Do you forget, or just not feel like it?  Because the few times you do it, you get easy buckets.  Any f#$%ing intelligent human being would think “wow this is working well, I should do it more” even if the coaches weren’t telling you to do it every goddamn night (which they do, by the way).  And where is the defense?  You get worked on the block, you get worked on the wing, you don’t rotate, what the f#$% are you thinking out there on the defensive end? Sure you have an exciting block or two per game, but you should be getting 4 or 5 with your vertical.  Stay in position and rotate on the weak side every time you’re supposed to and you’ll get yours!  God you are such a f#$%ing moron.

Whew.  That was perhaps a little over the top and harsh, since he hasn’t been all negative and I do like him sometimes, but its been a few years building up inside me and it was good to get it out.  In fact, everyone should have the therapeutic experience I just had.  This is officially the “Bash Tyrus Thomas” thread, so have at it.

***UPDATE: Tyrus missed today’s practice with “flu-like” symptoms.  With his extension deadline passed and the recent trouble, I’m assuming “flu-like” either means “injured pride” or “sent home by coach”.  More on this story as it develops.

A source close to the Chicago Bulls organization told us yesterday it looks like the Bulls will not extend Tyrus Thomas before the Oct. 31 deadline and I assume he also meant they will let him walk next off season when he becomes a restricted free agent.

I’m not sure how reliable that source is, but The Hoop Doctors usually are pretty good about reporting on NBA-related topics.  If Tyrus truly does walk, it will be the end of a sad saga for Paxson in which he essentially passed on taking Aldridge OR Roy in the 2006 draft.  On the other hand, Tyrus might break out in his contract year and earn a huge deal making the Bulls regret not extending him when his value was still somewhat low.  We’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out.

• Derrick Rose is hurt.  It’s unclear how hurt, but the team and Derrick assure the media that it is not a big deal.  Its something wrong with his ankle or heel that just needs rest apparently.  As a result, he hasn’t played much at all so far.
• Tyrus Thomas is also banged up.  He has yet to play any meaningful minutes.  Fortunately for some, this has given a lot of minutes to some other guys who are showing up big time.  Most people feel that this year is a put up or shut up year for Thomas and will probably dictate any kind of future contract he can get from the Bulls or elsewhere.  The Bulls say he is going to practice today and maybe be back on the court soon.
• Joakim Noah looks like a man possessed.  He is in significantly better shape than at this time last year.  His defense looks good and most importantly he is becoming the rebounding machine we had all hoped he could be.  Oh and that offense thing that we weren’t expecting much of, well he made 3 hook shots the other night.  I’m not saying he looks like an offensive beast out there, but if his offense was a 2 on a scale of 1-10 last season and he can get that up to a 3 or even a 4, that would be huge for a Bulls team desperate for easy baskets inside.
• Kirk Hinrich has looked very consistent across the board.  He will be a nice insurance policy on the Rose-Salmons starting backcourt.  Even coming off the bench he will be looking to get 20-25 minutes a game.
• Apparently the locker room chemistry is there too, as many players are saying this is the most fun they’ve had as a team in a while.
• Salmons is Salmons.  I love that guy, he is continuing to do what he did last year, hit 3s, drive the ball, and play great one-on-one defense.  His ballhandling is still somewhat suspect, but when Rose gets back that should be a non-issue since Rose will have the ball in his hands most of the time.
• Luol Deng is still extremely inconsistent.  His shooting touch clearly has not returned, plays that look like dunks end up as soft layups, and he just doesn’t look comfortable out there.  He has had a few flashes, but nothing spectacular.  Hopefully he’s not still hurt and he is just getting used to playing
• The rookies have looked spectacular.  I know it is the preseason, but Taj Gibson looks like the kind of guy that could develop into a solid role player in this league.  He has nice touch from about 12-18 feet but he never forces shots and plays smart like a veteran.  He could do to bulk up a bit, but so far I’m not complaining.  James Johnson is a little tougher to peg.  He’s clearly athletic and talented, but he is still very raw.  He seems to be a decent rebounder but as a 3-4 tweener, he will have to develop some sort of outside game to be effective.
• Others: Byars and Richard are both guys that are unlikely to make the squad, but they are making a case nonetheless.  Byars has looked great in the backcourt and Richard actually put up some nice numbers last night in the paint.  Pargo has been Pargo (just like you remember, jacking up shots and not playing defense).  Not much to say about Lindsey Hunter that you don’t already know.

Overall the Bulls have looked pretty good with the exception of Deng.  We really won’t know what we have until Rose and Thomas come back, but the rookies are showing something and Noah seems poised to take the next step.

Oh and even though Rose’s offcourt demeanor seems vanilla, apparently his on-court abilities are making him very marketable.  On that note, here’s a pair of his newest Adidas commercials.  I like the first one much better, but the second one is cool too.  Enjoy!

h/t: Docksquad

How much should we read into Chicago’s classic seven-game series against Boston? Was the Bulls’ gutsy performance a harbinger of things to come, or was it lightning in a bottle? Did they graduate into a team that knows how to scramble defenses with a legitimate pick-and-roll game, or were they just lucky to encounter a crippled Celtics team ill-suited to deal with their quickness and athleticism?

Those aren’t the only imperative questions for Chicago. Even if we conclude that they came of age in April, is it fair to expect them to continue their progress without their top scorer, Ben Gordon, whom they lost to Detroit?

Short answer: Yes.

The story then goes on to discuss how and why they will progress, however while they claim the Bulls will move forward, the story does not explain what to expect.  Another 1st round exit? 2nd round? Eastern Conference Finals?  It’s hard to tell.  Theoretically, the departure of Ben Gordon will allow Derrick Rose, John Salmons, and Luol Deng to replace his scoring and develop even farther (at least in the case of Rose).  With Noah emerging as a legitimate 10 and 10 threat on the block (and a surprising ability to get up and down the court in transition), the only real question mark on this team is TT.  With Brad Miller coming off the bench, the Bulls should be able to account for any inconsistencies on the part of Thomas.

So?  So what do I think the Bulls are capable of?  They should be able to put themselves in a 4th-6th seed in the East and be in a better position to advance to the 2nd round than they were this past season.  A number of things could happen to change this, like the Hinrich-Salmons-Rose backcourt not gelling, or the Bulls making some kind of gigantic deadline deal (perhaps for Boozer, Amare, or even Bosh).  Either way, expect to be blown away by Rose’s athleticism.  Oh, and the Vinny Del Negro discussion is for another day.

James Johnson’s game can be disjointed at times. It’s not that he looks lost. It’s just the opposite — he’s a small forward with too many choices. Johnson couldn’t buy a shot Friday (2-for-11 from the field), but he made four or five beautiful plays for teammates — including a pinpoint interior bounce pass in traffic between two defenders to find James Augustine for a layup. Johnson finished with seven assists.

I was able to watch parts of a few games online, and I must say he looked very good.  His ballhandling skills are superb and he is long and athletic.  His jump shot is obviously a little shaky, and not just that 2-11 line from Friday.  If anything he is like a poor man’s Tyrus when it comes to freakish athleticism, yet possesses a much keener basketball IQ.  He makes good decisions with the ball and will be able to handle it in a lineup that could be lacking in good ballhandlers (Kirk may or may not be here and no one really expects Pargo to be a big factor).  He also went to the line 35 times in 5 games, which is an average of 7 free throws a game.  While a low post game would be nice, it will also be good to have another player that can attack the basket to complement Rose.  Obviously doing all these things in the Summer League does not magically translate into a great pro career, but its exciting to see that he has the tools to be an effective player.

Oh and a side note: yeah that is James Augustine’s name you saw in Arnovitz’s analysis.  He has actually looked decent so far this summer, though it seems unlikely that he will earn a spot with the Bulls.  Either way, anything to remind me of the Illini’s glory days is always a good thing.

Sources stressed to ESPN.com that no deal was imminent Thursday and that both Portland and Utah are still evaluating multiple trade scenarios. But two sources with knowledge of the three-team proposal confirmed that there have been substantive talks regarding a trade that would land Boozer in Chicago, Hinrich in Portland and Tyrus Thomas in Utah.

I’m still a bit skeptical about Boozer fitting next to Rose in the upbeat offense the Bulls are trying to run, but if Hinrich’s contract can be moved this would be amazing.  The Bulls would then have around $40 million in cap space next summer, since Boozer’s contract expires then and Hinrich’s wouldn’t have expired until 2011.  2009 would then basically be a test year for Boozer, and if he works out they can try to re-sign him (for more than he could get anywhere else under the current collective bargaining agreement).  They would also then have more than enough leftover for another one of the big free agents from the 2010 class, which includes Bosh, Wade, James, and Stoudemire.  Or if Boozer doesn’t work out, the Bulls can say bye-bye and use all that money to pursue not just one, but possibly two of the big-name free agents.  Although seeing Tyrus leave would be regrettable, since I am one of the believers that he could still mature into a great player, it would be well worth it to replace him with Boozer and then have the flexibility this move would allow.  Hopefully Gar Paxdorf can pull it off.

The draft! I keep getting the question “what’s up with the two forwards?” Let me say this, I’m the starting power forward and I don’t plan on playing anywhere but Chicago. Some may say I’m arrogant, or full of myself, some may even say I’m crazy! I’m just giving yall the truth.

So there you have it.  A guy like Tyrus clearly has the upside to be a great or at least very good player in this league.  He has shown some flashes, but his on court IQ and heart for the game are glaring holes in any aspirations the Bulls and even Tyrus may have for himself.  We all want Tyrus to be the starter, I think we would just rather have him actually work for it and try to improve the weaknesses in his game, instead of declaring himself the starter on his blog and continuing to shoot 18 foot jumpers and not get back in transition.

This deal wasn’t anything major, which is probably why nobody either noticed or cared that it took place on the day of Game Three of the Magic-Lakers Championship series. But the domino effect that might happen could be something everyone notices.

Let me state again, for emphasis, what the Raptors did yesterday: They traded for a power forward.

This comes within a handful of days of the Raptors’ franchise player, Chris Bosh, saying he would join Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter on the list of Toronto’s former franchise players after the 2009-10 season.

There have been rumors since before the trade deadline this spring that there are nearly a dozen teams interested in the young superstar, but this specific trade brings one rumored exchange into focus.

The Chicago Bulls are looking at losing guard Ben Gordon either in free agency or, more likely, in a sign-and-trade deal this summer.

Gordon’s name was linked to rumors about Bosh before last season, and his playoff performances against the Boston Celtics certainly raised his profile as an elite scorer in the league.

So is this move a precursor to a bigger deal with Toronto?  Logically it makes sense for both teams, working under the assumption that Bosh will be fleeing Toronto the second the 2010 summer hits.  The report further speculates on who the Bulls might send in a package for Bosh:

The Bulls have a lot of options that might look good to Toronto. They have two first round draft picks in this summer’s NBA draft and have a couple of young bigs in Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas that might be part of a package with a signed-and-traded Gordon.

The trade that would make the most sense in my mind would be Tyrus, Gordon and the #16 pick for Bosh.  That would leave us with a starting lineup of Rose, Salmons/Kirk, Deng, Bosh and Noah with Miller and Salmons/Kirk coming off the bench.  I know some of you would rather see Noah go and keep Tyrus, but I think it would be important to keep Bosh at his natural position of PF.  If Noah were gone, he would have to start at the 5 with TT at the 4.

Wait wait wait!  Don’t pinch me yet…..okay now I’m ready to wake up.  It was a nice dream though, wasn’t it?

Awe: One fact has become increasingly clear during this series–Derrick Rose is not the only future superstar point guard playing.  Rajon Rondo is absolutely amazing.  Although he is far different than Rose, he brings some of the same greatness to the game that Rose does.  He can get anywhere on the court at will.  The difference is where Rose has strength and speed, Rondo relies almost exclusively on speed.  His ability to rebound is also amazing.  He has averaged about 11 rebounds a game this series and Sunday was no different.  He has two triple-doubles in this series.  I felt most of the game that even with guys like Pierce and Allen on the court, the game would hinge on the Bulls ability to stop or at least contain Rondo.

Anger: This may seem insignificant, but at the time it was possibly a game-changing play.  With 16 seconds left in regulation and the Bulls up by 2, Tyrus Thomas corralled the rebound.  He looked left and right and saw Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon.  Unfortunately, in true Tyrus Thomas form, he started dribbling around knowing that Boston was looking to foul.  Not to say that Tyrus isn’t a decent free throw shooter, but when you have Rose shooting well over 80% from the line and Gordon being the best free throw shooter on the team, why would Tyrus think that he should be shooting the big free throws?  Sure enough he only made 1 of 2 which set up Allen for the game-tying 3.  I posed this question to my dad at the game, and I think it summarizes the issue with Tyrus: “Is the problem that Tyrus doesn’t think enough, or that he tries to think too much?”  The answer remains a mystery.

Respect: Going into this game, the one thing that seemed to be hurting the Bulls the most was defense.  Brad Miller was the main suspect for this problem.  His inability to move faster than a snail was killing the Bulls on the defensive AND offensive end.  Like the true veteran he is, he came up huge when it counted.  He had a very big game on both ends, and most significantly he showed some spine when he stood up to Big Baby Davis.  He showed that the Bulls will not be pushed around by what had been a Jordan-Rules-esque defensive scheme by the Celtics so far in this series.  Come on Davis, why are you flopping on this little scuffle anyways?  Grow up.

Frustration: It seemed like every single time there was a big free throw to be made, I heard a loud clank come from the basket.  Although overall the Bulls shot a mediocre 26-35 from the line, it seemed like every player got to take part in the brickfest.  What really started it was Hinrich missing 2 of 3 on a 3-point foul.  He had a great game overall, but he went 2-5 from the line in the 4th and overtime.  He wasn’t the only one though.  Rose, Noah, Tyrus and even BG missed big free throws down the stretch.  Ahhh!!  Missed free throws during crunch time are one of the most frustrating things to watch in an NBA game.

Joy: Gordon was playing a decent game going into the 4th quarter, but in general Allen was keeping the ball out of his hands.  Then he started to make some shots at the end of the 4th and into overtime.  When the end of the first overtime was closing in, the Bulls were down 3 with 9 seconds left and things were not looking good.  The crowd was basically silent, counting down the seconds until what seemed like the inevitable loss.  Without KG Boston struggles to defend the paint, but overall they are still very good on the perimeter.  Ben Gordon didn’t give a shit about all that.  He took a crazy looking off-balance 3 and everyone held their collective breath…and it went in!  The stadium erupted and the Bulls survived for another overtime.  I wish we could afford to keep that kid next season, he can take a team on his back and literally shoot them to a win.  And anyone that thinks he’s soft or doesn’t care, take a look at this explaining how he had a shot at halftime to play through pain during his great 4th quarter and overtime.  Oh and if you missed it, after he made that shot, he did a little crotch-grab for everyone’s enjoyment:

Disgust: I hate Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  It’s not that he is a terrible player, but he’s not as good as he’s played this series.  A double-double yesterday?  The guy is undersized, has no offensive skills and is pretty slow.  When he raised his hands to Miller I wanted to strangle him.  The less I have to see of that moron the better.

Appreciation: While John Salmons has had a pretty mediocre series on the offensive end, his ability to keep Pierce in front of him and contest all of his little mid-range jumpers on the defensive end has been nothing short of spectacular.  Unfortunately it has gone almost completely unnoticed by most fans and media this series.  In fact, when discussing Salmons with NQTC reader Adam, a generally knowledgeable Bulls fan, all he wanted to focus on was how Salmons has been terrible and was explaining to me how Salmons was a black hole on offense.  With Salmons draped all over Pierce the last 4 games, the Truth has shot 8-21, 8-19, 9-15, and 9-24.  Besides that Game 3 blowout, Salmons has held Pierce to about 40.5% from the field.  This is the Finals MVP who literally won the championship for the Celtics last year with his ability to score, contained by a relentless Salmons.  I love this guy.

Exasperation: Obviously once the offseason begins, I will have a lot more to say about this guy.  Suffice it to say I was keeping a close eye on Vinny after his timeout bloopers earlier in the series.  He didn’t disappoint, this time with countless questionable coaching moves.  Here’s the list that I noticed.

• You’re not going to make sure coming out of that timeout at the end of regulation that someone, anyone, keeps a hand in Allen’s face?  They need a 3 to tie and Allen is literally an assassin in those situations.  Come on.
• What was with that small lineup?  I know Tyrus is difficult at times, but come on!  We were getting killed on the glass and needed some rebounders in there to prevent Boston from getting second chance opportunities.
• Get the ball to Rose or Gordon to shoot free throws!  Did you not tell them that during the timeout?  Tyrus should never have been allowed to think he was the one who should have the ball in his hands at the end of the 4th with the game on the line.

Amusement: After the Bulls won, Noah was interviewed.  He had played a monster game again, continuing his high-energy series that is starting to make people think that he has the potential to be a legitimate double-double guy in the League.  The interviewer asked Noah something about the game, and his response was “Hi mommy!  Mommy!  Hi!  Yeah I see you up there!  Hi Mommy!!”

Irritation: I never realized this about the Celtics, but they bitch about literally every single call or non-call.  Pierce is the worst of the bunch.  Godforbid he misses a shot or makes a bad pass, he immediately looks to the ref and whines.  Seriously?  The best is when you see on the replay that there was clearly no foul.  No one is disputing that Pierce is an amazing talent, but every miss is not because of a foul big guy!  Sometimes you just miss the shot.  Stop whining and play the damn game.  Oh and one other thing.  What’s with the flopping all the time?  I thought this team was tough?  Come on.

Pride: Derrick Rose had another monster game.  When he asserts himself he is one of the best in the league.  He almost got a triple-double yesterday, with 23 points, 9 assists and 11 rebounds.  There were a lot of times where he was fouled on his way to the basket that the refs swallowed their whistles, but that’s just because he’s a rookie.  He’ll get those calls next season.  This kid is a superstar in the making and it is fun to watch.  The fact that he is from Chicago and plays the kind of tough, physical, yet skilled game makes me love him even more.  Whenever you find yourself frustrated or mad about the Bulls, just remember,Rose will be here long after Vinny is fired, Gordon leaves for free agency, and Paxson resigns as GM.

Euphoria: The Bulls were up 119-115 with just 25 seconds remaining and it looked like they would finally win.  Salmons had just hit two big free throws to make it a 2-possession game.  Ray Allen jacked up a 3 which always makes opponents nervous, but this time it clanked off the rim and it looked like the game was over.  But wait!  Glen “Big Bitch” Davis grabbed the offensive rebound somehow, and Pierce managed to nail a 3.  The Bulls were only up one.  Salmons got fouled quickly and sunk both free throws (thank god).  Then on the other end, it looked like Pierce might get a decent shot off with time expiring but no.  Salmons got a piece of it and the Bulls won.  The series is tied at 2 and the entire United Center erupted.  See you all in Boston.  Sick!