After a review of the Rajon Rondo-Kirk Hinrich incident from Game 6 of the Bulls-Celtics series, the NBA will not suspend Rondo for Game 7. The called flagrant on Rondo will stand, and no further action will be taken by the league.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank confirmed today that the league reviews every flagrant foul. The additional review by league vice president Stu Jackson, who's responsible for doling out punishment, ended with no further action deemed necessary.
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
That was some Game 6 between the Celtics and Bulls, wasn't it? Kirk Hinrich and Rajon Rondo mixing it up early, Ray Allen scoring 51 points, and the two teams taking three overtimes to decide that they're going to need a Game 7 on Saturday to ultimately sort things out. An absolutely epic NBA playoff game.
Unless, of course, you're a fan of either the Houston Rockets or the Portland Trail Blazers.
There's a fine line between hard-nosed playoff basketball fouls and downright dirty play, and Rajon Rondo seems to enjoy testing the boundaries. Striking Brad Miller across the face near the end of Game 5? Whether you think Rondo meant to hurt Miller or not likely depends on whether you prefer to wear red or green. But slinging Kirk Hinrich into the scorer's table in a play away from the ball? I've watched the replay a dozen times and I still can't figure out a way to justify it.
Calling Game 6 of Bulls-Celtics epic is a vast understatement. The game was completely unbelievable. As in, if you didn't see it, you wouldn't believe everything that happened actually happened. I don't doubt trying to dissemble the game into mere memories will drive some fans mad with anxiety and frustration.
The Bulls ended up victorious after four hours of battle with the defending champs. This series had already tied the NBA record for most overtime periods in a series ... before tonight's triptych of extra frames. And for each overtime, there was a mess of incredible and unforgettable plays.
Bulls 128, Celtics 127: Recap | Box Score | Scoreboard Series Tied 3-3 | Next Game: Saturday, 8 PM @ Boston
Weekends are a fun time in the spring. So much to do. Especially this weekend. But for those that selected Game 4 of Bulls-Celtics, you were treated to an absolute classic.
This game had everything. Huge performances from superstars, huge shots from two of the best pure shooters in the game, drama, technical fouls, flawless execution at some points and desperation shots at others. But when the dust cleared, the defending champion Celtics found themselves heading back to Boston in a tied series with the seventh seed after a double overtime loss.
And how we got there is quite a story.
Bulls 121, Celtics 118: Recap | Box Score | Scoreboard Series Tied at 2-2 | Next Game: Tuesday, 7 PM ET @ Boston
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
Everyone's eyes were on Bulls rookie Derrick Rose heading into Monday's Game 2, and in hindsight that worked out perfectly for the Celtics. On the heels of his 36-point, 11-assist explosion in Game 1, expectations and accolades had skyrocketed out of control.
How did Rose handle the pressure? On the surface, not very well: he finished with just 10 points and seven assists.
That whole exceeding expectations bit was fun while it lasted, Bulls.
Chicago, needing a victory for the No. 6 seed (which may or may not be more valuable than the No. 7 seed), blew it against Toronto. (To that point) 32-win Toronto. John Salmons shot 1-7, Kirk Hinrich went 0-6 and the Bulls front line gave up 16 offensive rebounds in 45 opportunities. Bad stuff all around.
But! Chicago could hold on to the No. 6 with a Philadelphia loss to ... Cleveland, a team which sat four starters (including LeBron) and had only a share of the all-time home win record at stake. Cleveland's remaining crew actually led much of the game, and Daniel Gibson sent the game to overtime with a deep deep three. Philly took a lead in overtime, though, and despite Andre Miller missing two free throws in the final seconds pulled out a one-point victory for the 76ers.
As such, Philadelphia gets Orlando instead of Boston, and the Bulls find themselves facing the defending champs. Awesome work, Bulls. It's almost as if they worked hard so that they could control their own destiny ... so they could blow it.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Vinny Del Negro needs to stop watching X-Files before games. How little does the Notorious V.D.N. trust his bench? He basically played a six-man rotation Tuesday against the Pistons, with seventh man Lindsey Hunter and burning man Tim Thomas each getting four minutes off the bench beyond Brad Miller's 23.
Derrick Rose missed his first game of the season with a bruised wrist. Kirk Hinrich filled in well, scoring 24 points (on 23 FGAs) and totaling eight assists. Tyrus Thomas was a beast for Chicago, with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal.
Bulls fans are in love with Derrick Rose. They want to marry him and move to a cottage and make little babies that grow up to be an army of combo guards that lead them to infinite championships. It's hard to argue with them; the top pick has been simply brilliant thus far, and the future looks blindingly bright.
Conversely, they are skeptical about their remaining backcourt options. Ben Gordon is the divider, with half the fans thinking he is a top-tier small guard and that the front office has made a grave mistake with his contract. His 29 points last night certainly support that line of thought. The other side of fans don't want the organization to make a high-money, long-term offer to a guy who's never really showed he can consistently be the go-to guy,often coming off the bench.
Most fans do agree that Larry Hughes and Kirk Hinrich are no longer worthy assets, though, with the Rose there to bloom. There have been outcries of minutes being given to Hughes and Hinrich that should be given to Rose. Well, in addition to Hughes' previous injury that he's coming back from soon, the backcourt picture should be simplified somewhat. The Bulls announced over the weekend that Hinrich will be out up to three months after tearing a ligament in his thumb. The injury will require surgery, which Hinrich is expected to have early this week.
So now comes a golden opportunity for the Bulls to give Rose the reins completely, and discover whether Gordon can be an anchor for this team. It's unfortunate for Hinrich, who has suffered a tremendous drop over the last year, but it may be a Bulls fan's dream.
Guessing NBA starting line-ups on a night-to-night basis is a fool's game, and today is no exception. At least two coaches have made surprise changes of heart heading into the season opening slate.
In Chicago, Kirk Hinrich has been slated as the backcourt mate for rookie PG Derrick Rose. Instead, Vinny Del Negro has named Thabo Sefolosha the starting two-guard. To be honest, I didn't expect Thabo to be among the top four guards in the Bulls' rotation this fall, with Rose, Hinrich, Larry Hughes and ... um ... err ... (oh yeah) Ben Gordon (!) filling the spots. Hughes is broken (surprise), Gordon is still persona non grata (bummer), and here comes the Swiss Mister.
After a review of the Rajon Rondo-Kirk Hinrich incident from Game 6 of the Bulls-Celtics series, the NBA will not suspend Rondo for Game 7. The called flagrant on Rondo will stand, and no further action will be taken by the league.
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
Calling Game 6 of Bulls-Celtics epic is a vast understatement. The game was completely unbelievable. As in, if you didn't see it, you wouldn't believe everything that happened actually happened. I don't doubt trying to dissemble the game into mere memories will drive some fans mad with anxiety and frustration.
Weekends are a fun time in the spring. So much to do. Especially this weekend. But for those that selected Game 4 of Bulls-Celtics, you were treated to an absolute classic. 
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
That whole exceeding expectations bit was fun while it lasted, Bulls.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Bulls fans are in love with Derrick Rose. They want to marry him and move to a cottage and make little babies that grow up to be an army of combo guards that lead them to infinite championships. It's hard to argue with them; the top pick has been simply brilliant thus far, and the future looks blindingly bright. 
Guessing NBA starting line-ups on a night-to-night basis is a fool's game, and today is no exception. At least two coaches have made surprise changes of heart heading into the season opening slate.
