Pierce The Hero As Celtics Win Another OT Thriller Against Bulls In Game 5

The younger Boston Celtics stars are stepping up in the absence of Kevin Garnett- and the Chicago Bulls are simply stepping up. The dueling teams delivered another tight, back-and-forth overtime game that came down to the final precious seconds. This time, the Celtics prevailed on the late-game heroics of their captain.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics in minutes with 51 and scored the final six points, including a 20-foot jumper with 3.4 seconds remaining in OT, to finish with 26 as the Celtics defeated the Bulls 106-104 in the third overtime game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, which the Celtics now lead 3-2. Kendrick Perkins pulled down 19 rebounds, his postseason career-high, and Rajon Rondo nearly reached another triple double, finishing with 28 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds in 49 minutes. Glen “Big Baby” Davis also had a big night for the Celtics, scoring 21 on 7-for-11 shooting.

Ben Gordon led the Bulls in scoring after an MRI revealed a strained hamstring and left him day-to-day. Although Gordon only shot 6-for-21 field goals, he was 11-for-12 from the free throw line and ended up with 26 points. The Bulls kept themselves in the game with far superior bench play. Kirk Hinrich played 31 minutes off the bench and scored 19 points, while the entire Celtics bench was only 2-for-10 shooting all night. With two seconds remaining in OT, Brad Miller had a chance to make two free throws to tie the game and likely send it to double overtime, but missed his first shot.

Game 6 will be at Chicago Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. EST. The Bulls would like to see more of the same out of Joakim Noah– who nearly matched Perkins with 11 points and 17 rebounds- and more out of Derrick Rose, who scored only 14 and had no free throw attempts. The Celtics are certainly not going to want to be forced to rely as much on their starters as they did Tuesday night.

The way this series is going, it’s almost safe to predict another OT game in No.6. I say why not? This series has just about already reached classic status.

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Capitals-Rangers Series Enters Game 7 With High Emotions, Stiff Punishments

Emotions have undoubtedly run high in the opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series between the No.2-seeded Washington Capitals and No.7-seeded New York Rangers, as it usually does at this time of year. Players and coaches alike have had tendencies to let their emotions get the best of them and use poor judgment in their actions. That is precisely the case with Rangers head coach John Tortorella, who sat out the game 6 Capitals victory after an incident with a fan in game 5, and Capitals winger Donald Brashear, who learned today he will be suspended six games for two separate incidents in game 6 at Madison Square Garden.

TO be more specific, the suspensions are one game for Brashear’s shove of the Rangers’ Colton Orr during pre-game warmups, and five games for this vicious hit he delivers to Betts (replay at about 0:53):

This hit is a bona fide cheapshot by one of the more goon-ish forwards in the NHL. Brashear is known for an extremely physical style of play that makes up for his lack of skill, which has kept him getting jobs at the NHL level for several years. But his reputation earned him the stiff suspension, and it is justified considering his actions.

The hit is very, very late and apparently includes a big portion of Brashear’s elbow. The hit broke an orbital bone in Betts’ face. Since normal hits are supposed to come immediately after a player gets rid of the puck, the solid second that comes in between Betts’ release and Brashear’s hit feels like an eternity. Brashear also seems to veer out of his way to deliver the hit, as you can see in the second replay.

The NHL has made it totally clear that they will not tolerate juvenile behavior from coaches or players during such important series. The Capitals lose an important physical presence for six games, and would lose Brashear for the first five regular season games should the Rangers pull the upset in tonight’s decisive seventh game.

Tortorella has probably also learned his lesson after this incident with a Capitals fan in game 5 earned him his one-game suspension:

Tortorella is known for his fiery personality, which can motivate his players to do well for him, but at times can also make him his own worst enemy. He came under fire in 2006 as Tampa Bay Lightning coach when he threw goalie John Grahame under the bus during the 2006 playoffs, so at least to me it comes as no surprise that Tortorella again lost control of his emotions in the postseason.

The (probably) drunken fan that provoked Tortorella obviously had no business remaining in the arena, but it was Tortorella’s job to ignore the guy and not stoop to the same level. But he did, and by doing so could have cost his team the series.

This series, through all its trials and tribulations, back-and-forth action and sensation-stirring headlines, comes down to one single game. Brashear will not be present, but Tortorella will. And he will need to pull his entire team together in order to defeat the obviously much deeper and more talented Capitals. And he will need to keep his emotions under control in the process.

Julio Lugo The Everyday Shortstop for Boston Red Sox For the Foreseeable Future

Julio Lugo has been anything but consistent since arriving in Boston with a four-year, $36 million contract in 2007. He has shown flashes of being the speedy, solid-hitting top-of-the-order hitter the Red Sox signed him to be, but his .247 batting average in 229 games in Boston has left a sour taste in fans’ mouths.

However, the 33-year-old shortstop has never been short of confidence, and now that Boston has activated from the disabled list after a spring training knee injury- and that Jed Lowrie will miss six-to-eight weeks following wrist surgery- he has never felt more confident in his ability to deliver full-time production for the Red Sox.

“I think he feels pretty good about himself,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona told RedSox.com’s Justice Hill of Lugo. “I think he’s trying to still work on some strength.”

The plan is to ease Lugo back into playing and eventually make him the full-time starter. Fortunately, Nick Green has played well in his and Lowrie’s absences.

Green has contributed admirably offensively, hitting .298/.365/.468 with six extra-base hits in 47 at-bats. He has played somewhat inconsistently defensively, committing five errors, but has been fine using his powerful throwing arm- his biggest asset- to gun down runners.

Lugo still has plenty to prove to Red Sox Nation. If he put his tools together for an entire season, he could be a strong presence for the Red Sox at the bottom of the order. Putting his speed in the ninth spot in the order could potentially be very valuable…If he gets on base often enough.

The Red Sox are playing outstanding baseball right now, riding an 11-game winning streak after a rocky 2-6 start. They swept a nine-game homestand against Baltimore, Minnesota and the Yankees, and carried that into Cleveland Monday night for the 3-1 victory. They have gotten great starting pitching, dominant relief work and timely hitting, especially from Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis, who combined have hit three home runs in the ninth inning or later in the last four games.

For those reasons, there is no need to rush Lugo back into the lineup. But once he is back into everyday mode, he needs to show the Red Sox why they awarded him his contract in the first place. His inconsistency at the plate and in the field has frustrated fans and the organization, and his bloated contract makes him nearly impossible to trade. So if he doesn’t start producing on a consistent basis, the Red Sox are stuck with an albatross at shortstop. But make no mistake, Lugo is itching to get back into the lineup and stay there.

“My body’s going to tell me what I’m capable of doing,” Lugo told Hill. “But yeah, you want to play every day. I want to get my feet wet again with the guys — with the team.”

By “you,” Lugo certainly means himself. He is definitely up for the challenge. But the question is whether or not he can fulfill it.