Bulls force game 7 with triple over
Celtics 127 at Bulls 128
One more overtime thriller has the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics headed for a Game 7 (Saturday 8pm on TNT). Derrick Rose scored 28 points and blocked Rajon Rondo’s potential game-winner, John Salmons scored 35, and the Bulls beat the defending champions 128-127 in triple overtime Thursday night to even the first-round series. Ray Allen scored a career playoff-high 51 points for the Celtics, but it’s back to Boston for Game 7 on Saturday night after another instant classic in a series that had already seen its share of drama.
“I don’t know if this is the greatest NBA series of all time, but it’s the greatest something. At what point do you bronze these games and put them on eBay? Thursday night it was a 128-127 Bulls win in triple overtime at the United Center. Game 6 was so intense, so compelling and so exhausting that the crowd of 23,430 needed a post-victory IV transfusion — and they only watched.” Gene Wojciechowski said on ESPN Daily Dime
Rockets finish off Blazers, reach second round
Trail Blazers 76 at Rockets 92
The Houston Rockets finally advanced in the NBA playoffs. Ron Artest scored 27 points, Yao Ming had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Houston reached the second round for the first time since 1997, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 92-76 in Game 6 on Thursday night. The Rockets drafted Yao with the top overall pick in 2002, and he’s played on three of the teams that lost in the opening round. He broke his foot late last season and watched from the bench as the Rockets lost again.
Magic didn’t need Superman to finish off Sixers in Game 6
Magic 114 at 76ers 89
On a night the suspended Howard recorded a double-double in blog and Twitter posts from his hotel room, the Magic advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 114-89 in Game 6 on Thursday. He wrote on a postgame blog, “im soo proud man. yall have no clue.