Projo Sports Blog

BOSTON -- The Chicago Bulls are confident that they will beat the defending world champion Boston Celtics tonight even though two of their key players will be slowed because of injuries.

"There is no pressure on us," said Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro. "The pressure is all on them. They are at home, and they're the defending champions. We've just got to go in there and play."

Del Negro told the Chicago Sun-Times that Ben Gordon (hamstring) and John Salmons (groin) will be in the starting lineup.

"I think we're ready to go," Del Negro said. "Obviously, there's John's groin and BG's hamstring, but it's Game 7 and you have to go with the guys that are healthy and get after it."

Gordon told the Sun-Times that his injury is "not getting better. I think in Game 6 my minutes were kind of staggered, so I wasn't able to work up a lather like I was able to do in the first game I played with this. I couldn't get loose, I felt like, the whole game."

When asked if he groin was feeling any better in Game 6, Salmons said: "I was just clicking that day. The injury's still there. That's not going nowhere. I was just making shots."

"Our guys will be ready to play," Del Negro said. "We just have to find a way to control, manage possessions and execute our game plan."

Del Negro said that he will give a motivational speech before tip-off, but he said that he doesn't need to.

"Game 7, you really don't need no motivation," Salmons said. "Just Game 7 alone is enough motivation. We gotta win, we have no choice but to win if you want to keep playing."

 Tags  Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls Rob Lee Robert Lee

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