How can you not love this kid?

From the Chicago Tribune this morning:

Derrick Rose: No need to worry about the Rookie of the Year resting on his laurels. He planned a Sunday night solo workout at the Berto Center. "My shot isn't going to get better without me working on it," Rose said. He remains the franchise's centerpiece.

That's exactly what I want to hear out of Rose. He is our best player and needs to become a team leader. No better way than to lead by example after a tough playoff series and get back to work to fix one of the few holes in his game: perimeter shooting. Point guards around the league should be terrified of a Derrick Rose with a jump shot.

Noah seems to have the same idea:

Joakim Noah: He's debating a short stint with the French national team, said he'd practice but not play with the Bulls' summer league team and will train at the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida. "If I can take one thing from this series, I was on the floor on my [butt] a lot," Noah said. "And I feel beat up. So I have to get stronger. I added weight between my first and second years, but it wasn't good weight. I wasn't in good shape. I kind of went on a little world tour last year and it slowed me down." That won't happen again.

Predictions Review

[A look back at my Playoff Predictions. I’ve listed the actual outcomes in bold and [brackets] after each matchup.]

WEST - ROUND 1:

LAKERS v JAZZ
Lakers in 5. [Actual: Lakers in 5. Perfect thru 1]

NUGGETS v HORNETS
Nuggets in 6. [Actual: Nuggets in 5. Gave the Hornets too much credit, they quit on Byron Scott and looked terrible in that 58-point loss ... on their HOME FLOOR!]

SPURS v MAVS
Mavs in 6. [Actual Mavs in 5. End of an era? That’s OK I’ve always hated the Spurs because of my extreme hatred for Bruce Bowen – why? I have all kinds of reasons.]





BLAZERS v ROCKETS
Rockets in 5. [Actual: Rockets in 6. Not sure why everyone thought this was a good matchup for the Blazers?!]





EAST - ROUND 1:

CAVS v PISTONS
LeBrons in 4. [Actual: LeBrons in 4. Did we really have to play this series? It was unwatchable at best.]


CELTICS v BULLS
Bulls in 6!! Bulls in 6!! (This is actually a legitimate choice now that KG is out for the playoffs!). BULLS IN 6!!! [Actual: Whiny bithes in 7. Classic series, unfortunate final result. At least the Bulls are a bunch of young, likable players that can grow together instead of 1 purchased title, nothing to build on, and a bunch of whiny bitches.

HATE. THE. CELTICS.]

MAGIC v SIXERS
Magic in 4. [Actual: Magic in 6. Whoops! Thought this would be easier for the Magic.]

HAWKS v HEAT
Hawks in 6. [Actual: Hawkss in 7. D-Wade was good for 1 more win than I thought.]





[Not bad, only forst round series I got wrong was an instant classic that the whining, bitching bunch of whiny bitches from Boston and the refs stole from our beloved Bulls.]

Game 7

Game 7 can be summed up in the words of my mom after opening a Christmas present from my little sister: "That's not the one I wanted!"

It was a rough loss, but I am happy to have not only watched that series, but be emotionally invested in it as a Bulls fan. It was a great joy to watch, and great experience for our young players. (With a real coach, I think we close it out in 5).

My (quick and not very-well-thought-out) takeaways from the series:
- HATE. THE. CELTICS. I don't understand how anyone actually likes that unlikeable, whining, bitching bunch of whiny bitches. I have not disliked a team this much since the late-90s Knicks (Oakley, Starks, Mason, etc.)
- Good riddance BG. I've supported and cheered, but the selfish play is too much. I've had enough, and seen him shoot the Bulls out of too many games. There are scorers that have much less baggage and who are much less streaky (read: John Salmons).
- VdN is a terrible coach, and is stunting the growth of our young players. Every time he does something right (playing Salmons at the 4 to create a mismatch was clever for a minute), he does 10 things wrong (not playing TT in the second half, every inbounds play we ran, every play we ran out of a timeout, etc.) He might be liekable, but he clearly doesn't get the Xs and Os, or the flow of the game (hence no timeout at the end of games). He doesn't coach/teach players, he jsut subs people in and out, that's it.
- LOVE. THE. BULLS. (YOUNG. CORE.) Rose, Salmons, Luol, TT and Noah will be a great team to watch next year and for years to come. TT needs to continue working his J, and look out for that pick-and-roll. Same with Rose, can you imagine if defenders have to step out on both of them?!? Noah will bulk up and maybe get a post move or 2 (read: baby hook ... Get it JoaNoah!) It's going to be fun for a while, and I'm excited with where we are headed!




I start finals tomorrow, so I'm too busy for links. But BlogaBull had a nice summary -

When I made the pact to just forget about the Bulls and enjoy this series, it's not fair to then dump on the same things that made the series exciting in the first place.

Playing 4 guards for most of the second half? Lindsey Hunter over Tyrus Thomas? Thomas getting 17 minutes overall? It's not a shock that the Bulls couldn't defend or get a rebound to get within arm's length of the Celtics all 2nd half. But that sort of play is partly what made this series so fun to watch, I guess.

What was uncharacteristic (except in game 3) was the Bulls 2nd quarter. Just an abysmal performance: 11 points, on 21% shooting and 8 turnovers, taking an early lead on the back of Rose and Gordon to a deficit they never recovered from.

And they couldn't recover because they don't run a real offense, and have a bad defense. Playing 4 guards and Brad Miller helps excacerbate that disadvantage. Sometimes it leads to great individual performances and thrilling comebacks. Other times it'll lead to losses. With no clear talent advantage on either side, the Bulls didn't lose this game due to lack of experience or savvy, but because they're an unpredictable poorly-coached team, and sometimes the usual tricks don't work. Even if it made for a fun couple of weeks.

And it was that. This series deserves a day or so to stand on its own. The Bulls and the Celtics put in a classic, and gave us a ton of memories.

Then this coming week we can move on to the challenge of figuring out and enhancing an entirely mediocre team on the brink of the luxury tax.

Game 7 Preview

Well what can you say about this series?! Should we expect another OT thriller? Why not, right?!

Should we expect repercussions against Rondo for his (a) trip of Kirk in Game 5, (b) punch of Brad Miller in Game 5, (c) throw of Kirk into the scorer's table, (d) throw of an elbow at Kirk?

Answer: (e) None of the above! Congrats Boston fans, you've cheated your way into a Game 7.

Oh, one of your players is hurt?! I hadn't heard about that. Good thing the Bulls are completely healthy instead of missing a starter (Deng), having 2 starters playing hurt (BG and Salmons) and our best 2 bench players dealing with stitches because of your dirty, scumbag little PG.





In actuality, it's tough to complain about this series. It's been an absolute pleasure to watch as a basketball fan, and an epic-thrilling-each-game-could-give-me-9-heart-attacks-roller-coaster-ride to watch as a Bulls fan.

My feelings for tonight's game (expressed by Bill Simmons) -

So yeah, that's why Celtics-Bulls meant something to me -- just like Warriors-Mavs meant something two years ago. My team won the title last year. I'm only one year into a five-year grace period. I thought I was playing with house money. I never imagined a Celtics series in 2009 would matter this much to me. I never imagined being that crestfallen after a Round 1 defeat. When Noah stole the ball from Pierce and dunked on him, I threw a tantrum like a little kid. I screamed out a slew of F-bombs. I ran outside my house and screamed some more. How could the 2008 Finals MVP commit such a dumb foul? He had five! Didn't he know he had five???? And what's worse than a Jo-No celebration at the expense of your own team? I screamed and screamed and screamed. That play ripped my heart out.

At the same time, I'm glad I still care. I'm glad it still matters. I will always appreciate this Bulls team because they did the impossible: They made a fan base that just won a title care even MORE about their own team. Last season barely matters right now. All that matters is winning the most incredible playoff series ever played. I don't even care what happens after Game 7; we can't beat the LeBrons anyway. This is our NBA Finals. Right here. The Celtics fans feel that way, and so do the Bulls fans. I can promise you.

He's right, winning tonight is like winning the NBA title. I know the players ultimate goal is to win the real title, but what happens tonight will determine how we remember the series. And after the joy it's brought me as a fan, I want to remember it as an upset win, against a team that was supposed to beat us, on their home floor, in a crazy thrilling game 7. So obviously, I'm taking Bulls in a thriller 103-101.



What got us to game 7?? Here's a recap:

GAME 1
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GAME 2
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GAME 3
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GAME 4
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GAME 5
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GAME 6
Halftime
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And here's some Game 7 links ...

Setting the stage -

Between the jaw-dropping individual displays, crisp team play and dramatic twists, it's only fitting that the thrilling first-round NBA series between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls comes to a seventh game.

And what a way to get there.

The Bulls prevailed 128-127 in triple overtime on Thursday to tie the series at three games and send it back to Boston for the finale tonight. The winner advances to play Orlando.

Now, the Celtics are trying to avoid elimination after watching an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter disappear and wasting a 51-point effort by Ray Allen that ranks among the greatest postseason displays in the storied franchise's history.

John Salmons scored 35 points and Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose came through with two big plays in the third OT to pace Chicago.

Plenty of drama -

The Chicago Bulls were pretty much like everybody else late Thursday night -- giddy and disbelieving, silly smiles on their faces, trying to make sense of it all.

Great things had occurred, and the demands for explanations and more drama followed -- specifically, how the heck can they defeat the Celtics at Boston in tonight's Game 7?

"I don't know," forward John Salmons said, before taking a long pause. "Get the last shot?"

Too much fun -

Sit down. Take a load off. Then think about this.

John Salmo ns is averaging 45 minutes 6 seconds of playing time through six games. Derrick Rose is at 45 minutes. Ben Gordon, sore hamstring and all, is playing 43:01.

Four Celtics, including Rajon Rondo with a series-high 46:33, are averaging more than 40 minutes per game.

And still, high-quality plays are being made late in marathon games. Think Joakim Noah's steal, near-full-court dribble and dunk while being fouled. Or Ray Allen's late three-pointers. Or Rose's stunning block on Rondo to secure the Bulls' Game 6 victory.

"It's mind-boggling some of the stuff happening out there," Gordon said. "Guys hit amazing shots, and then somebody else comes along and makes an even bigger play. It's almost surreal."

Apparently it's not exhausting, though.

"I'm having too much fun to be tired," Salmons said.

Reality of game 7 -

What if someone had told Muhammad Ali after the Thrilla in Manila that he'd have to go another 15 with Joe Frazier … in two days?

What if someone said to Rafael Nadal after last year's epic Wimbledon final that he and Roger Federer would have to go five more sets … in two days?

What if someone whispered in Kellen Winslow's ear as he was on the verge of heat exhaustion in that 1982 AFC divisional playoff game in Miami that he had to play another 15 minutes of overtime … immediately?

This is where we are. Game 7 in the Bulls-Celtics series will be more like Game 8. With the total time played in the seven overtime periods, they've almost completed an extra game. The six games have featured 106 lead changes. Take out Game 3 and you have five games decided by more than three points. All games decided in the final possession.

And that's more than likely what we'll get in Game 7 on Saturday (7 p.m. CT, ESPN Radio 1000): The team that has the ball last will be the team that advances.

If we were honest with ourselves, we'd say we've seen nothing like this before. We always talk about how great Game 7s are in sports, but there has never been a lead-up to any Game 7 quite like this. And with that said, if you're a Bulls fan, don't be sad if it ends here.

It has to end there for someone.

Where will amazing happen?

Sports Guy is worth reading (even if he is the most homer of all Boston homers) -

At this point, I honestly expected Rufus to say something. Everything was in play, even talking dogs. We are watching a first-round series in which five of the first six games have come down to the final play. Four of those games went into overtime. One went into double OT. One went into triple OT. It's the wildest first-round series ever played. Whatever happens in Game 7, we will remember it as one of the most incredible matchup in NBA playoff history.

Derrick Rose took the superstar training wheels off. Rajon Rondo turned into Isiah Thomas, The Sequel: Just as talented, just as hated, just as nasty. Ben Gordon and Kendrick Perkins turned into Andrew Toney and Robert Parish. The great Ray Allen became a minus-130 favorite in the "Reggie Miller versus Ray Allen" argument and might have to change his name to "The Great Ray Allen." Paul Pierce added to his legacy and sullied it a little at the same time. Brad Miller made the Faces Hall of Fame and the Dorkiest White Guy Celebrations Hall of Fame. John Salmons and Glen Davis put themselves on the map as bona-fide NBA players. Kirk Hinrich redeemed his career. Stephon Marbury destroyed what was left of his career. Doc Rivers and Vinny Del Negro inspired their players and undermined them at the same time.

There were so many great plays and shots and moments that they have all blurred together. I've watched every second of this series and cannot remember how many clutch shots Ray Allen nailed over the past five games. The number might be nine. The number might be 15. The number might be 23. I couldn't tell you. They have all morphed into one super-duper clutch Ray Allen shot: The man flying off a screen, lulling his defender to sleep, then springing for his shot with perfect form. He is the greatest pure shooter I have ever seen. Ever. Not since Bird has anyone given me the feeling, "We might be down three, but we are absolutely tying this game."

I watched every moment of this series and can't remember how many times Derrick Rose wheeled into the lane, spun one way or the other and either scooped in a layup or a floating one-hander. He does it again and again and again. He does it whenever he wants. Thank God, Vinny hasn't noticed. I have never seen a better athlete play point guard. It wasn't that he blocked Rajon Rondo's game-winning shot in Game 6 as much as how beautiful the play itself was: Rose sniffing out the move, mirroring everything Rondo did, then jumping like a frog and swatting the shot as cleanly as you can swat a shot. A perfect basketball play. That's what it was.

There are many great things about sports, but here's one of the best: You never know when two teams will click. I used a boxing analogy in my column after Game 2, and it still stands. Styles make fights and styles make playoff series. Has to be a constant tug between young and old, unstoppable and stoppable, physical and finesse, experience and inexperience, fast and slow, big and small, stupid and smart. You need guys continually rising to the occasion and pushing themselves to a level they didn't know they had. You need two teams (or fighters) hugging each other afterward and thinking to themselves, "Thank you. You brought out the best of me. Thank you."

We love sports for the simple reason that we never know when this will happen. It rarely does. We watch a lot of crummy games. We watch sporting events that had potential to be great and weren't. We watch sporting events that almost made it, but one dumb thing happened to screw it up: A foul at the wrong time, a penalty, a two-base error, whatever. We keep watching. We keep hoping. And when everything clicks, it's blissful. I am hearing from people who haven't e-mailed me in years. Readers are sending me 700-word e-mails. The thing that keeps jumping out: Even fans without rooting interests have gotten swept up in this series. How can you not?

Think of all the crap we deal with as fans. "Bulls-Celtics 2009" explains why we put up with every story about Clemens and Bonds and Michael Vick and Terrell Owens and everyone else who conspires to make sports less fun. On the same day of Game 6, a story broke that Alex Rodriguez allegedly seen with human growth hormone. The story was digested and consumed in the same predictably brief cycle: Mainstream Web sites and blogs and message boards and sports radio first, then "PTI" and "Around the Horn," then "SportsCenter," then newspapers and magazines. You can either throw yourself into that cycle or look the other way. I am getting older. I just want to watch sports. I have trained myself to look the other way. This stuff clutters my brain, and not in a good way. I just want to watch sports. I just want to watch sports.

Where will amazing happen?

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Game 6 Reactions

Double-dip: Halftime (angry rant) and post-game (game recap in text message form) blog posts at BBS.

As I began this post, I receive this g-chat from Kmart: dude... love being a bulls fan
LOVE JOAKIM NOAH!!!!!!
they gave him the mic at the end of the game to which he just screamed "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"


For the record:
- Vinny sucks at inbound plays.
- The refs suck at reffing.
- Rondo should have been tossed.
- BG was more of a black hole than usual.
- Salmons and Rose played great.
- The refs suck at reffing (needs to be said twice).
- Rondo goal-tended Kirk's layup. (Prove me wrong Celtics fans)
- KG sticks his chin out like he's taking a shot in the face (you know what I'm talking about), but only when the Celtics are up. As Stacey King said: "He's a front-runner"
- JoaNoah to Paul Pierce (again quoting Stacey): "POSTER!"
- This series is epic.
- HATE. THE. CELTICS.


Now for some links ...

Net Reaction. (Click this, it's a flurry of links about the game from around the internets).


TrueHoop reaction/tribute -

When people play like Joakim Noah -- with constant energy, but not all that much polish -- the idea is that the constant effort pays off. Boy did it ever. He works a thousand straight plays trying to create havoc however he can, and comes up with not just a huge steal, but then outraces Paul Pierce to the hoop (the Celtics need an athleticism injection) for a key basket and the ensuing foul, after fouling Paul Pierce out of the game. The free throw was no small feat, either -- that point ended up changing the whole close of the game, and Noah's sometimes a wobbly foul shooter.

Recap -

One more overtime thriller has the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics headed for a Game 7. Seems only fitting for this series.


Derrick Rose scored 28 points and blocked Rajon Rondo's potential game-winner, John Salmons scored 35, and the Bulls beat the defending champions 128-127 in triple overtime Thursday night to even the first-round series.

Ray Allen scored a career playoff-high 51 points for the Celtics, but it's back to Boston for Game 7 on Saturday night after another instant classic in a series that had already seen its share of drama.

Reaction to a classic -

I don't know how I'm supposed to go back to watching normal basketball after this.

I've been obsessing over this game for years. I've been poring over every minute of playoff action my entire life. I've made a point to keep up on everything that happened before my time. I've seen fire, and I've seen rain. I have never seen a series like this, and we still have a game to go.

Apologies for burying the lede, but the Chicago Bulls defeated the Boston Celtics in a triple overtime classic that has left me trading text messages with shaky hands, and needing to take a shower after I finish this post. I mean that. The game was all you could ask for from the very beginning, with dozens of phenomenal plays and soul-killing mistakes on either end. This was an absolute dogfight between two teams that appear to want nothing more than to line up for a jump ball to start yet another overtime.

And then another overtime, after that.

Noah Way! -

The United Center is not breathing any easier, not even after Brad Miller hits two free throws to make it 118-115 with 16.9 seconds left. And I think you know why.

Allen is unbelievable. You have no idea when he's going to release his shot. The Bulls certainly don't. His three-pointer from the left side over a switching Kirk Hinrich touches nothing but net with 7.6 seconds left, the game tied 118-118. The Bulls bungle away the last ticks of the clock.

Triple overtime -- now there's something new.

With less than two minutes left in the third extra period, Allen hits a jumper to tie it 123-123. He has 51 points. If the Bulls are going to go out like this, what else do you do other than nod and say you witnessed greatness?

But then out of nowhere comes Joakim Noah, all 6 feet 11 inches of him, stretching out a long arm and knocking the ball loose on the defensive end, taking it all the way, dunking over Pierce for a three-point play and a 126-123 lead with 35.5 seconds left. You nod and say the kid, for all his past goofiness, deserves his props.

JoaNoah deserves it! Hopefully Bulls fans will see him for what he is now, a legit NBA Center. He has his offensive problems, but do we need that from him?! He is an energy player, who should be appreciated for his hustle and rebounds and blocked shots. It will never be pretty, but he's our kind of player, and hopefully Bulls fans will appreciate his antics for the next decade!



Wow! -

This Eastern Conference quarterfinal series has changed time zones and blood pressures, featured stunning individual performances and selfless team play and traveled through six indescribable games to lead to one fitting conclusion:

Game 7.

Win or go home. Put up or shut up. Any cliché fits for a series that has been anything but.

The Bulls forced this scintillating scenario with -- and this is not a typo -- a triple-overtime thriller, a 128-127, adjective-exhausting victory over the Celtics before an eardrum-affecting crowd of 23,430 at the United Center.

Too much -

When this thing went into overtime -- again -- we passed right through the realm of entertainment into the arena of classic.

When Game 6 at the crazed United Center between the Bulls and Celtics went into double overtime, we reached the world of mental and physical exhaustion.

And I'm talking about simply watching!

Six overtimes, and counting, in six games? With overtime No. 3 on its way? Making seven total overtimes? Series tied, heading to Boston for the Saturday finale?

If the NBA could produce more drama on a wooden floor, it would have to use gasoline and gunpowder. 'Whatever overtime it was,' Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said afterward. He was trying to describe some key play, some key shot, but it was all a blur.

Recap -

Leading by eight after an 18-point run in the fourth quarter, the Boston Celtics looked like they were finally ready to move past the Chicago Bulls.

Instead, a classic first-round series took its most dramatic turn and is headed for a Game 7 that seems so fitting. The way things have been going, overtime seems almost a certainty.

Derrick Rose scored 28 points and blocked Rajon Rondo's potential game-winner, John Salmons scored 35, and the Bulls beat the defending champions 128-127 in triple overtime Thursday night to even the first-round series.

Ray Allen scored a career playoff-high 51 points for the Celtics, but it's back to Boston for Game 7 on Saturday night after another classic in a series that had already seen its share.

"We're starting to see a pattern with these two clubs and it's crazy," Boston's Paul Pierce
said. "It's good for the fans. It's good for the viewers. But we certainly don't like it."

Of course the whiny bitches from Boston don't like it, but our Bulls our LOVING it and enjoying it. Just ask JoaNoah -

''It's emotional -- at the same time, I understand we haven't accomplished anything yet,'' Noah said. ''I'm really excited we're still alive. We were really close to death today. ... It's such a roller coaster, but I'm having so much fun out there.''

INCREDI-BULL!!

A triple-overtime thriller. What a roller-coaster of emotions. I hated the refs. Hated Rondo. Loved Kirk. Hated ray Allen. Loved Salmons. Loved Rose. Hated the refs. Hated Ray Allen. Hated the refs. Hated Vinny. Hated the refs. Hated Vinny. LOVED Joa-Noah. Hated Kirk. Loved Rose.

Right now: hating the Celtics and HATING the refs, but LOVING the WIN!!!

I'm too happy/tired/headache/exhausted/excited/sweating to analyze this game, so the best way to do it is witha recap of texts (and some facebook updates) from throughout, [point in the game in brackets] ...

[Early in the game]
Coe (via facebook) - "the NBA should be ashamed of themselves. Not only did they blow the call during Game 5, they blew it upon review cause it was a game deciding play, and now they are calling anything and everything except not ejecting Rondo for a hook and slam. It's not even fun to watch pre-decided bullshit, I'd rather watch WWE."
Me (via facebook) - "the refs continue to ruin this game. all basketball fans are being cheated as we are forced to watch refs instead of basketball."

[After Rajon threw Kirk into the scorer's table and threw an elbow at him]
Me - "Eff you Rajon. Kirk owns your bitch-ass"
Goat (via facebook) - "that's why Kirk is my favorite NBA player"

HALFTIME - Summed things up here.

[End of regulation, after BG missed a shot in isoloation]
DC - "That's the last thing I wanted on that play ... This is the most nerve racking experience of my life"
Me - "And it's round 1 of D-Rose's Rookie year ... I've aged 38 years in 6 games"
Dru - "Why not give that to Rose and let him drive?"

[End of OT 1, Boston miss]
Me - "Wouldn't Vinny have a play ready? Why waste a timeout?"
DC - "I wasn't going to drink tonight and I'm 5 deep"

[Heading into OT 2]
DC - "Jesus effing Christ this series is bananas"
PMac - "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight"

[After Vinny's inbound "play" at the end of OT 2]
DC - "Worst coach on earth ... How do you not have a play for that?"
Me- "if we lose it's on Vinny"
DC - "And BG, he had the worst game I've ever seen him play"
Me - "But Vinny with his switching on every play"
Dr Bill - "Del negro should be embarrassed about that play call"
Me (via facebook) - "Vinny is the worst coach on earth, probably in the universe. My 4th grade coach could draw up an inbound play ... try the "line" or the "box" vinny you dumb stupid asshole. Vinny is to coaching what NBA refs are to reffing. THE WORST.
HATE. THE. CELTICS."

[Pierce jumped into crowd to save the ball]
Me - "I would stab Paul Pierce if he jumped into me"
DC - "PK yelled 'Stab him!'"

[JoaNoah's steal, fast-break and slam]
PMac - "I take back everything bad I ever said about Noah"
Dru - "Love Noah, absolutely unreal"
Rohde - "P-O-S-T-E-R"
Butts (via facebook) - Uploaded ...


[Kirk missed layup to seal the win]
All Bulls fans - "Are you kidding me?"
PMac - "I feel like I just got kicked in the nuts"


[Post game]
DC - "All that and we have to win another one"
Kmart - "I couldn;t be more drained, that took 10 years off my life"
Dr Bill - "One of the better games ever"
Goat (via facebook) - "words can't do that game justice.... but this is one of the greatest playoff series ever and that was one of the greatest NBA games ever played."
Poose - "You alive?"