The Celtics' Big Three were reduced to one last night. But it was the Bulls who ended up staggering at the end of the game, the finishing blows a result of finesse shooting from Paul Pierce and a hard foul from the most fragile-looking Celtic, Rajon Rondo.
Pierce connected on three jumpers in the final 77 seconds, the clinching score with 3.4 seconds remaining, in a 106-104 overtime win as the Celtics took a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series going into Chicago tomorrow.
"It got real physical out there, as you could see," said Pierce, who displayed a slight limp after taking a kick in the leg. "But this team has a never-die attitude. I mean, we've been down in a lot of games where we've shown we can come back. And that's just one of the characteristics of this team. We never look up and say, 'This game is over,' regardless of the time, the score."
With Ray Allen (fouled out) and Kevin Garnett (right knee injury) on the bench, the Celtics rallied in the third game decided after regulation in this series - the first time in NBA history a playoff series has included three overtime contests.
This one was not decided until Chicago center Brad Miller missed a free throw with 2.0 seconds to go.
As in Games 1 (a 105-103 Bulls overtime win) and 4 (a 121-118 Bulls double-overtime triumph), the Celtics seemed poised to clinch in the final seconds, then nearly let things slip away.
Pierce stretched the lead to 104-101 with 36.5 seconds remaining. But Ben Gordon then drew a three-shot foul from Tony Allen, tying the score with 27.3 second to go. Pierce broke the tie with :01 on the shot clock, firing over John Salmons off the dribble out of a timeout.
That set up the final sequence after Chicago called its last timeout.
Miller was left alone at the foul line on the inbounds pass; he took a dribble to the basket and appeared to be hit in the face by Rondo with 2.0 seconds to go, his shot blocked by Kendrick Perkins. After an officials' review of the play, Miller missed the first free throw, then launched the second shot off the backboard in an attempt to regain possession, the ball automatically going to the Celtics. Pierce missed the first free throw, then intentionally sent the second off the back iron, allowing the clock to run out.
Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro believed the Rondo foul was flagrant, which would have allowed the Bulls a final possession. Celtics coach Doc Rivers called it "a playoff foul," and Rondo said it was "a hard foul, nothing flagrant."
It has been a difficult series, filled with hard contact and high-scoring games. The Celtics won a 107-86 blowout in Game 3, but the other four contests have been decided in the final seconds.
