It ain’t easy being green.
Those meaningful words were first spoken by Kermit the Frog, and the phrase gives one pause.
Monday night in the United Center, being green wasn’t easy for the Boston Celtics as the Bulls won for just the second time in 19 games, 105-100 over the playoff-bound Celts. The win moved the Bulls’ record to 18-59 and broke a nine-game losing streak.
“It was just about winning,” said Marcus Fizer, who came off the bench to lead five Bulls in double figures with 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. “My teammates were giving me the ball in good situations. Jalen [Rose] hit me for a couple of screen rolls. That’s what you have to do to win.”
And this time, after double-figure losses in four of the last five games, the Bulls stayed with the hot Celtics, who had won 14 of 20 and are chasing the East leaders.
It was a three-point-shot jamboree, as it often is when the Celtics play, and this time the Bulls hung in against Boston’s 31 three-point attempts. The Celtics hit 13, including three to open the fourth quarter and take an 83-78 lead. But the Bulls made a season-high 10-of-20 three-point attempts and shot a season-high 55.3 percent.
“We made shots,” Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said. “Thank God for that bank shot by Trenton [Hassell] from the three-point line that went down. That was huge.”
Hassell’s shot as the 24-second clock expired gave the Bulls a 103-100 lead with 47.3 seconds left, and the Celtics were unable to score again.
It appeared the Celtics would prevail, as they often have this season, behind Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce, who scored 24 points. But consecutive three-pointers from Rose and Fred Hoiberg with a little more than three minutes left gave the Bulls a five-point cushion to carry down the stretch.
Neither team led by more than nine. The Bulls led by one after three quarters. The Bulls then responded to Boston’s early fourth-quarter shooting. Fizer scored 10 of the Bulls’ next 12 points, primarily against Walker, who led Boston with 33 points.
“I study what he does,” Fizer said. “He’s probably my favorite player in the NBA. He’s a guy I can only hope to have a game somewhat similar to.”
Fizer also took the defensive assignment against Walker, who was scorching rookie Tyson Chandler, and held Walker to three points in the fourth quarter.
“I think they’re in a good position,” Walker said. “I like the high school guys. Rose is an All-Star in this league, a big-time player. And if they can keep [Travis] Best, I feel it will take one more marquee player who demands attention to loosen things up.”
Back in the lineup: Jamal Crawford got his first start of the season at point guard.
“Jamal has played well enough to get out there and start,” Cartwright said. “I thought it would be a good time. As we all know, Jamal’s toughest task is being able to defend. . . . I thought he did a good job.”
Crawford scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Been there, done that: Walker, from Mt. Carmel High School, understands better than most what the Bulls’ youthful team is going through.
He came out of Kentucky as a sophomore and walked into a former championship team in Boston, a dynasty with great tradition that was about to have a 15-67 season.
“[Boston] didn’t want to win,” Walker said. “We wanted to have the first [draft] pick. We ended up with . . . Ron [Mercer] and Chauncey [Billups]. Obviously they were planning to get Tim Duncan and it would have worked out if you see the success Tim Duncan has had.
“When [Rick] Pitino was here, the guys were on a short leash, but bringing the guys back and having a training camp we were able to get off to a good start and get us in good position.”
