Celtics/Bulls: An Instant Classic

The Celtics/Bulls first round series went from being an interesting at most first round matchup (in my mind), to must see- TV in the matter of a game. After the incredible game one battle between Rose and Rondo, I was hooked. See, since I enjoy watching almost all games, I break them down into two categories:

Category 1: Games that I fit things around. For instance, I would postpone going out or other activities until after the game has completed. (“Hey guys, I’ll be out, I’m just gunna wait ‘til this Sixers game is over.”) Also under this category is games that I turn into events to ensure my ability to watch them. (“Hey guys, let’s have some beers and watch the game.”) Games in this category simply mean that I want to watch them from start to finish and plan for this ahead of time.

Category 2: Games that are on, but can be missed or blended into the background. Such games are the ones that I sorta watch at a bar or party, but do not pay full attention to, or ones that I begin to watch that I do not mind leaving in the middle of to pursue another activity.

Before the start, I thought that the Celtics/Bulls series was going to fall into the second category, and boy was I wrong. Not only did it become my favorite series of the first round, but it developed into one of my favorite series of all time. It developed into a category one series. Such transformations do not happen often, and that’s what made this series so special. Sure, the sheer amount of extra periods was an indicator of the intensity of the series, and helped it to draw more attention, but I enjoyed the series for the pride and passion that the players showed, and the full range of emotion the series captured. The electricity that Joakim Noah showed after making a big play or the seemingly endless amount of big shots that Ray Allen was able to produce. Everything we, the fan, love about the game was captured in this series. It showed the highs and lows of the game. It illustrated how one game you could be booed out of the stadium, and the next be redeemed as your team’s hero (see Brad Miller), or struggle mightily one game to find your stroke and the next light the opponent up for a record high 9 three pointers (Ray-Ray). Not much more could be said about a series that has had everyone talking, as it has already been so well-documented across the sports world. This series, to me, represented all the reasons why I love basketball, and I can only hope that the next round of series can be equally as entertaining, and take that step from a category 2, to a first category series.