Del Negro: Gordon will start
Bulls guard Ben Gordon, who said earlier today he was “looking for a miracle” in regard to his strained right hamstring, looks like he might have gotten one.
Coach Vinny Del Negro confirmed shortly after 6 p.m. that Gordon will start in Game 5 against the Celtics tonight despite a strained right hamstring he suffered during the second quarter of Game 4 Sunday.
“He wants to give it a try,” said Del Negro. “It loosened up a little bit, but it’s still real tight. It hasn’t gotten worse, which is good, but it hasn’t gotten better. I don’t think it’s going to get better until he gets some rest. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed, get him out there. Hopefully it will loosen up a little bit for him and he won’t injure it worse. Whatever he can give us he can give us. It’s the playoffs, and he definitely wants to play. We need him to play well.”
Around 5:45 p.m., Gordon went through what appeared to be a standard pregame shooting routine. He did not appear limited in any way.
However, after completing the routine, the sharpshooting guard didn’t sound entirely convinced he was ready despite being listed as a starter on the whiteboard in the Bulls’ locker room. In fact, a few moments before Del Negro’s announcement, Gordon put his chances of playing at 50-50.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “Still a little sore. Feels a little better than this morning.”
Gordon, who has a Grade 2 strain, said during this morning’s shootaround at Emerson College that he would test his leg during pregame, but that “it’s still pretty bad. I don’t know. I’m looking for a miracle.”
Despite Gordon’s injury, Del Negro said he plans to use Gordon for heavy minutes if he can, but he said the Bulls’ medical staff will monitor the guard. Gordon also will ride a stationary bike when he is not in the game.
“We’ll talk and we’ll monitor it as the game goes on and see how loose he can get, how comfortable he is,” said Del Negro. “Just see where it goes from there.”
Celtics coach Doc Rivers was asked what impact Gordon’s presence would have on his team’s game plan.
“None at all,” said Rivers. “We’re going to play our game. If he’s on the floor he’s 100 percent as far as we’re concerned. No one cares about the injuries when the guy gets on the floor. I’ve seen some pretty good games from injured players in my time. We expect his best.”
Gordon is the leading scorer in the series, averaging 24.8 points per game, including 42 in Chicago’s 118-115 loss in Game 2.
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