Pistons-Bulls; Jazz-Warriors

I didn't catch all of either playoff game last night but the parts of the Pistons-Bulls game and Jazz-Warriors game that I did see were very entertaining. I watched the majority of the fourth quarter of the Pistons 108-87 win over the Bulls. Heading into the fourth, Detroit led 83-62 and were in total control of the still evolving Bulls. An early push in the quarter by Chicago -- led by Tyrus Thomas' energy -- cut the lead to 93-80. Enter Rasheed Wallace. Wallace entered the game with Thomas on the free throw line. (For those of you in the dark on Ty Thomas, he was the best player on LSU's 2006 run to the Final Four and was the No. 4 pick in the Draft by the Bulls. He is an energy player and a tremendous athlete.) The Pistons brought the ball down court, poured it into Wallace with Thomas on his back and Wallace released a powerful dunk on top of Thomas. Wallace let out a fury of screams as he ran downcourt. A Chicago turnover seconds later led to a Chauncey Billups three-pointer and a 98-80 advantage. Timeout Bulls. Game over. As for the late game, I wish I was able to stay awake long enough to see its' end. The Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors played vintage '80s basketball, pushing the ball up the floor at every opportunity, scoring easy baskets in the process. The Jazz held on, winning 116-112 in an instant playoff classic that not many people witnessed. Carlos Boozer (17 points, 20 rebounds) gave Utah the lead for good on a put back off of an offensive rebound. Starting with the first quarter, which ended with the Jazz up 37-35 (how many Celtics games have a similar score at halftime?), both teams pushed all night long. Utah's point guard -- and one of the breakout stars of the playoffs -- Deron Williams played flawlessly. Running the show in a manner that can be described as "John Stockton with an attitude," Williams scored 31 points and dished out eight assists while only committing 6 turnovers, a relatively small number considering the uptempo pace of the game. Andrei Kirilenko, the multidimensional third star on the Jazz, filled the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 blocks and 4 assists. The Warriors had five players reach double digits with Baron Davis (24), Al Harrington (21), Jason Richardson (21) and Matt Barnes (20) all dropping in at least 20. Game One was just a preview of what is to come. Golden State needs to push the ball to be successful and Utah is more than capable of playing that style and they also can slow it down and play a halfcourt game -- giving them the advantage in reaching the Western Finals. On tap for tonight are the New Jersey Nets in Cleveland, trying to even the series with LeBron and the Cavs at 1-1. The late game has Phoenix hosting San Antonio, trying to get the series to 1-1. This is a must win for the Suns; if they lose the first two at home they are finished.