Celtics Destroy Bulls 105-83, Overcome 2-0 Deficit to Win Series
The Boston Celtics completed their first-round playoff comeback against the Chicago Bulls on Friday with a commanding 105-83 victory in Game 6 at the United Center to win the series, 4-2.
Boston dropped the first two games of the series but won four straight after Rajon Rondo suffered a fractured right thumb. All five Celtics starters scored in double figures, and Avery Bradley led the balanced effort with 23 points.
| Avery Bradley | 23 | 5 | 3 | 9-of-12 | 3-of-4 |
| Gerald Green | 16 | 2 | 3 | 6-of-13 | 3-of-8 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 12 | 5 | 6 | 4-of-11 | 1-of-7 |
| Al Horford | 12 | 6 | 7 | 5-of-5 | 1-of-1 |
| Jae Crowder | 12 | 5 | 1 | 4-of-8 | 3-of-6 |
Jimmy Butler posted 23 points, seven rebounds and three steals on the other side, but it wasn't enough for the Bulls to stave off elimination.
Celtics Run Circles Around Bulls Defense
Boston could do little wrong on the offensive side and turned Friday's contest into a blowout with its onslaught from the outside.
The Celtics drilled 16 three-pointers and shot 48.8 percent from the field, torching Chicago's defense throughout. Isaiah Thomas couldn't find the touch from deep (1-of-7), but he sliced through Bulls defenders at will, which created many of the open triples for his teammates.
Ryan Baker of CBS 2 Chicago responded to Thomas' penetration:
Chicago didn't exactly counter from long range on the other side at 4-of-19 (21.1 percent).
In a similar pattern to other wins, the Celtics wasted little time seizing control of the game with 30 points in the first quarter. Bulls radio producer Jeff Mangurten pointed to the fast starts:
The Celtics never looked back and sapped Chicago's will with a 34-18 third quarter, causing Jay King of MassLive.com and Matt Moore of CBS Sports to question the effort level:
"Celtics fans, I will make whatever concessions on how good your team is that you desire, but I can’t watch this game. Bulls a bummer
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 29, 2017"
Nick Friedell of ESPN.com noted Bulls fans were chanting for the firing of head coach Fred Hoiberg by the end of the game.
Boston literally laughed the Bulls off the floor:
The Celtics are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and have larger aspirations than just a first-round win against an overmatched opponent, and they showed flashes of dominance Friday. If they can replicate that in the second round and beyond, they may be a serious threat to the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jimmy Butler Battles Largely Alone for Chicago
Butler went scoreless in the fourth quarter of an 11-point Game 5 loss that was anyone's contest until the closing stretch but bounced back Friday despite reports from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times he had a "sore foot, sore knee and possibly torn ligaments in his left hand."
The trainers worked on him on the sideline at times, but he was seemingly the only Bull engaged for much of the game. Robin Lopez (10 points) was the only other double-digit scorer for Chicago, and Butler did what he could to overcome Dwyane Wade's disappearing act.
The 35-year-old Wade finished with two points on 1-of-10 shooting and couldn't keep up with the pace, as Laurence Holmes of CBSChicago.com suggested:
Boston will face the Washington Wizards in the second round, and Bradley Beal will look to be more of a supporting act for John Wall than Wade was for Butler on Friday.
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