Gordon Hasn't Lost 4th-Quarter Touch
Ben Gordon was in a familiar position at the start of Sunday's game against the Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.
He was the sixth man.
Last season as a rookie, Gordon started just three games. But he averaged 15.1 points, was a dangerous three-point shooter and won the NBA's Sixth Man Award as the Bulls qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
This season Gordon, the starting shooting guard on UConn's 2004 NCAA title team, moved into the starting lineup in December. And in 41 games he averaged 18.1 points and shot 43.2 percent, including 42.6 percent on threes.
But this month during a four-game losing streak, he had a similar slide in which he averaged 11 points and shot 30.8 percent. With the Bulls trying to overtake the Philadelphia 76ers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Bulls coach Scott Skiles made a lineup change Friday against New Orleans. He replaced Gordon - the team's leading scorer (16.4) - with Chris Duhon.
Skiles said he wanted "to shake up things, to create some matchups off the bench that were beneficial." Gordon responded by scoring a game-high 25 points (9-for-15, including 3-for-6 on threes) to lead the Bulls to a 96-82 victory.
The Celtics witnessed his second act.
With just over three minutes left and the Celtics leading 89-86, Gordon converted a three-point play off a drive in the lane. He scored 11 of the Bulls' final 15 points, including eight in a row.
"It was the fourth quarter with this game, a big game, on the line," he said. "I knew it was time to step up."
The Bulls won, 101-97.
Gordon ranks ninth in the NBA with a 42.6 three-point shooting percentage and made nine threes earlier in a game against Phoenix. But that's not how he beat the Celtics. He dribbled past them for two layups and was 5-for-5 from the free-throw line as Paul Pierce (twice) and Raef LaFrentz had to foul him to prevent additional layups.
Gordon finished with 17 points - 13 in the fourth quarter - in 31 minutes.
"He has proven he's very effective doing that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Sometimes players don't want to come off the bench. Others have the maturity to do it well. And it seems Gordon is one of those guys. He's a scorer, if he starts or comes off the bench. He has a great scorer's mentality. When he's on, he's on. He seems to be on in the fourth quarter."
The Celtics tried Pierce, Tony Allen and Wally Szczerbiak defending Gordon in the final quarter. None was effective as Gordon shot 4-for-7.
Two of his nicknames, "Big Ben" and "Mr. Fourth Quarter," were appropriate. The latter was founded on his exploits of last season, including scoring 22 points in the final quarter against Charlotte and hitting the winning shot with 1 second left against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Earlier this season he scored 32 points and made another winning shot - a three - at Madison Square Garden.
"I'm a Mount Vernon [N.Y.] guy, so I love playing at the Garden," he said.
Sunday, Gordon enjoyed another Garden party.
"When they changed the name back to the Garden, I knew it was going to be a good place for me to play," he said.
As for coming off the bench, Gordon noted he usually plays during crunch time. He played the entire fourth quarter against the Celtics.
"I'm still learning out here," he said. "Last year as a rookie, I didn't know a whole lot. Experience teaches you stuff. ... When I'm on the bench, I watch matchups and the offensive and defensive tendencies of the guys out there. It's game focus, even though I'm not in the game - yet."
Skiles said using Gordon off the bench isn't a permanent move.
"Ben has had a good year," Skiles said. "Not starting isn't a reflection of Ben. When considering a lineup move to get some energy out there, you have to consider how that player will respond. Ben has proven he can come off the bench, score and be very productive."
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