2 Out Of 3 Ain't So Bad

What a weekend in Boston. The Bruins face-off with the Canadiens, the Celtics begin the defense of their championship against the Bulls, the Red Sox host the Orioles, and 15,000 maniacs are ready to subject themselves to the torture of a 24-mile race on Monday. Yesterday was a busy day in the Bean. The C's tipped off at noon and the B's and Sox both had night games. It wasn't a perfect day for the hometown teams but all things considered, yesterday was a success for Boston. The Celtics did lose but it was an entertaining game for those of us who enjoy basketball. Bulls rookie guard Derrick Rose's performance brought back bad memories of Michael Jordan's explosive series against the Celtics in 1986. Rose scored 36 points (on 12-for-19 shooting) and dished out 11 assists in the Bulls surprising 105-103 overtime victory. Now, it's not the time to hit the panic button yet. The Bulls needed Rose to play like a young MJ and they got huge nights out of Tyrus Thomas (16 points, including three important jumpers in the fourth quarter) and Joakim Noah (11 points and 17 rebounds) and they only beat the C's by 2 points in OT. Ray Allen also had his worst game of the season (4 points on 1-for-12 shooting). I don't expect Allen to be that bad or Thomas and Noah to be that good again in this series. As for Rose, watch out. This kid is amazing. However, Rajon Rondo also played a fantastic game (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists), so the C's know they can attack Rose on the defensive end. Yesterday's loss aside, the Celtics will take this series. Over at Fenway Park, the Red Sox used six quality innings from Josh Beckett and big nights at the plate from Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz to knock off the Orioles. The Sox lineup still is waiting for Ortiz to morph back into Big Papi but Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Jason Bay are hitting and Ortiz, Lowell, and J.D. Drew are showing signs that they are ready to heat up. Finally, back at the Garden, the Bruins hammered the Canadiens 5-1, taking a 2-0 lead in their first round series. The Bruins received points from 11 players, including goalie Tim Thomas (who also registered 30 saves on 31 Montreal shots), and netted three power play goals. Watching Patrice Bergeron beat down Josh Gorges with a barrage of left hands was another highlight. On the flip side of that, the B's could possibly lose Milan Lucic for Game 3 after he was tossed in the third period for high sticking Maxim Lapierre. Overall, it was a great day to be a sports fan in Boston.