WATERCOOLER CHAT: SIXERS TAKE OVER, LAKERS HOT, CELTICS TIE UP SERIES
BASKETBALL
In the NBA, the Chicago Bulls entered Game 2 of their series against Philadelphia without their best player: Former MVP Derrick Rose. Rose went down with just under 2 minutes in Game 1 with a torn ACL, and was rendered out for the rest of the season. Could the Bulls survive without him? They put up a serious fight in the first half, but come the second half, the Sixers simply TOOK OVER! Jrue Holiday had 26 points and 6 assists for the Sixers in a game where the Sixers looked like the solid team they were at the very beginning of the season. With the series headed back to Philadelphia, the Bulls may be in serious trouble. Philadelphia 109, Chicago 92.
Elsewhere in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers know how to get hot at exactly the right time: the post-season. That’s pretty much been Kobe Bryant’s strategy — play hard (but not too hard) during the regular season, and then turn it on in the post-season. The Lakers demolished the Nuggets in Game 1. In Game 2, the Nuggets came to play. They got a nice 25 point night from point-guard Ty Lawson, but the evening belonged to Kobe and the Lakers. Kobe went off with 38 points, and the Lakers look like a team to be reckoned with right now. Now the series heads back to Denver for Game 3. Denver better figure things out, and quick. LA Lakers 104, Denver 100.
Finally, it was Game 2 between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta has always felt that they are never taken seriously. Everyone always talks about the Bulls, Heat, and Magic in the Eastern Conference, but the Hawks have a team loaded with talent, and believe they are just as good. Plus, in Game 2, they had the advantage of taking on the Celtics WITHOUT Rajon Rondo. However, the Hawks didn’t expect Paul Pierce to have a monster game. Pierce finished with 36 points and 14 rebounds, as the Celtics tied up the series at a game a piece. For the Hawks, some bad news, as their star Josh Smith banged his knee in the first half and didn’t return. Will he be available for Game 3? Boston 87, Atlanta 80.
