Bulls show they belong but what's with all the offensive boards?

You wouldn't think the Celtics' frontcourt advantage over the Bulls would be that great without Kevin Garnett, but the reason the Bulls lost yesterday was because Tyrus and Noah got owned on the boards. The Celtics grabbed 21 offensive rebounds - 13 more than the Bulls. It was the defining theme of the night, and the reason the Bulls lost (but not blew) a great opportunity to head home 2-0. It came back to bite them at the end, too, of course: Ray Allen's game-winner would have never happened if that little bastard Rondo hadn't grabbed an offensive board to keep the previous possession alive (which resulted in another Allen trey).

While I'm generally elated with the way the Bulls played last night - and this entire series -, it sucks to see them lose such a tough one because of something like offensive rebounding.

It mostly falls on Tyrus and Noah (though the guards are to blame a bit as well for letting Rondo grab seven).

Tyrus is my dog, but he picked up so many blocks early that he kept on going for them throughout the game. When went for it he often gave up position for a rebound. He was pretty bad tonight.

Noah wasn't nearly as awesome as he was in Game 1, either. Big Baby - who's silky smooth J has been the most reliable thing in the Celtics' offense (what?) - and Perkins rolled down below. The Bulls' frontcourt has the advantage in quickness, Boston has it in strength. Strength has won out so far.

But I don't want this to sound too depressing: the Bulls proved this is not even close to the same team we saw the last season and a half. They're a legitimately potent offensive squad - probably the best they've had since MJ left. Sure, Garnett is the defensive leader of the Celtics, but it's still pretty crazy the Bulls can hang 105 on them one game and 115 the next. The Celtics are still a damn good defensive team (No. 8 in the league in Hollinger's Defensive Efficiency), and the Bulls are just blowin' right past them.

Of course the Bulls don't a play a lick of defense themselves, so Boston is staying right with 'em, even if it often seems like the C's are holding on for dear life. The fact that the Bulls have dictated the pace in the two games of the series - both away from their beloved United Center - is as impressive as anything they've shown so far.

If someone would have told us Saturday morning that this series would be headed back to Chicago 1-1, we'd all be beside ourselves, right? I think the Bulls proved their worth the last two games in Boston, and I wouldn't be remotely surprised if they end up winning this series.

I can't end this without mentioning Gordon either, who was every bit as impressive as Rose was in Game 1. Think of him as the guard version of Amare Stoudemire: sub-par defender but one of the best scorers at his position in the league. When BG gets goin' like he did last night, he's fun to watch.

Finally, Del Negro may not be great, but I can say that he's for sure a huge upgrade over Boylan. Matt's chief criticism is that he doesn't play Tyrus in crunch time, but that is far more forgivable than Boylan not playing him at all when they were all but mathematically eliminated the entire second half last year. Somehow, VDN has sort of endeared himself to me recently. Maybe it's because he's so overmatched it's funny, I don't know. But count me as one of the few Bulls fans who pulls hard for him. I really like his hands off approach with the offense. I don't think he is nearly as terrible as BaB and others have made him out to be. The coaching could be so much better, but I think it could be worse, too. Maybe my standards have just lowered exponentially the last few years.

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After the Bulls lost, I could really care less about the Hawks (sorry.), and it didn't help either that they were down the whole game. I figured it'd be hard in Calgary - I mean, it's not like those first two wins were blowouts - and I expect Game 4 to be another battle, as well. Hopefully they can take it, but I doubt it'll be easy.

Also: is it just me, or was about 93 percent of that stadium dressed in jerseys last night? I get that people dig hockey in Canada, but jeez, you never see even half that many jerseys in the stands at a Bears or Chicago baseball game. I find the way Canadians dress kind of hilarious.

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'Palooza 2009 lineup here.

Pluses for Arctic Monkeys, Deerhunter, Silversun Pickups, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Heartless Bastards, The Killers, and of Montreal. Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, and Animal Collective are three of the biggest names in the game too, and fall into the category of bands I'm not in love with like everyone else, but maybe seeing them live could change my mind. Beastie Boys could be cool too, assuming they can still bring it (which I think is questionable).

Would have loved to have seen The Strokes, Pixies, Arcade Fire, Death Cab, Interpol, or even reunions from Pavement or Blur in there, though.

It's a good, not great lineup, but one that definitely lacks some big guns at the top. It's impossible to beat Radiohead, but I feel like Lolla wasted Wilco and NIN last year. Having both this time around would have been perfect.