Gordon will give it a shot in Game 5

BOSTON -- Bulls guard Ben Gordon told coach Vinny Del Negro about an hour before tip-off of Game 5 that he'll try to play despite a painful let hamstring strain. Gordon, who is averaging 24.8 points in the series, suffered the injury early in Sunday's double-overtime win at the United Center.

“He's going to try to play,” Del Negro told a media crowd. “It loosened up a little bit, but it's still real tight and he wants to give it a try. We'll talk and monitor it as the game goes on and just see where it goes from there.”

A few minutes earlier, Gordon was non-committal after spending about 30 minutes shooting around on the court.

“I felt all right,” he said. “It's painful, but we've just got to deal with it. (I feel it when) changing direction or pushing off.”

Del Negro is concerned, because he said this is not one of those situations where the injury is as bad as it will get.

“It can get worse," he said. "I know he's in pain and hopefully he can fight through it. If he can't, he'll let me know and we'll try to be smart about it.

“I'm not planning on taking him out too much. Obviously, I'm going to give him a rest, but we've got a bike on the side. We can try to keep it loose that way, heating pads. We're just going to monitor it was we go on."

Asked if he considered keeping Gordon out tonight and giving him two more days of rest before Thursday's Game 6, Del Negro didn't think that made sense.

“I thought about it and talked about it, but I don't think this is something that all of the sudden in 48 hours is going to feel that much better," he said. "It's going to take some time. Let's get him out there and see if he can go. If he can go, see how effective it is. I think it will be a little time before it heals up."

If Gordon can't play, there is no secret to the Bulls' backup plan. They'll use Kirk Hinrich next to Derrick Rose in the backcourt. Hinrich scored 18 points and played 43 minutes in Game 4 as the Bulls used a three-guard lineup for much of the contest.

“I don't think our game plan changes," Del Negro said. "I have a lot of confidence in Kirk. Obviously, Ben gives us another dimension with his scoring. I have a lot of faith in Lindsey (Hunter). He's been in a lot of playoff situations. Tim Thomas, he's been in a lot of playoff games, I think Linton (Johnson) can guard a little bit.”

RIVERS GETS FINED
The other news prior to Game 5 was Celtics coach Doc Rivers claiming he was fined for comments he made about the officiating on Monday.

The illegal screen fouls called on Boston center Kendrick Perkins was the theme and Rivers agreed that Perkins commits some fouls in those situations, but claimed Bulls center Brad Miller does the same thing and does not get called for it.

Here is Rivers quoted in Tuesday's Boston Herald:

“I’ve gotta say this about Perk -- clearly every game he’s been targeted for these moving screens. He gets them every game; he gets the call every game. Watching the tape last night, he did move but there was very little contact. Brad Miller, on the other hand, he’s laying guys out on screens and didn’t get one of those calls. That bothers me.”

Perkins took it a step further on Monday.

"I don’t think the refs like the Boston Celtics," Perkins said. Why? "I don’t know. We’ve got a lot of talkers on this team, if you know what I mean."

What's funny about this topic is anyone watching the series would know that Celtics forward Glen Davis gets away with more moving screens than Perkins and Miller combined.

Here's Rivers before the game on Ben Gordon playing with a hamstring injury:
"Once he's on the floor, he's 100 prcent as far as I'm concerned. I've seen some pretty good games by injured players in my time."

PREGAME CHATTER
--The playing area at TD Banknorth Garden is cold as ever, but it felt great today because it's about 85 degrees in Boston.

--One-time Bulls guard Randy Livingston was hanging around before the game and spoke with several players. Fellow LSU product Tyrus Thomas greeted him with a flurry of shadow-box punches.

MORNING UPDATE: GORDON 50-50
At Bulls shootaround this morning in downtown Boston, Ben Gordon wasn't sure if he'd be able to play.

“It doesn't feel good,” Gordon said. “I don't know what's going to happen. I've just got to go try tonight.”

Asked if his participation was 50-50, Gordon shrugged in response.

“I guess you could say that. I really don't know,” he said. “As long as I warm it up and do everything possible, when I get over there, I'm probably going to know right away whether I can go or not.

“I've been doing a lot of treatment on it, it feels about the same as it did when I hurt it. Right now, there's a lot more swelling.”

After suffering the injury, Gordon went on to play 49 ½ minutes in Game 4 and scored 23 points. But he took an anti-inflammatory injection at halftime, which he said helped keep the swelling down.

“There definitely wasn't as much swelling right away as there is now,” Gordon added.

HUNTER STAYS READY
As players cleared out of the Emerson College gym on Tuesday morning, veteran guard Lindsey Hunter took some extra shots. The 38-year-old hasn't played 10 minutes in any game since March 11 at Orlando and hasn't played 15 minutes since Jan. 2 in Cleveland.

But Hunter could be pressed into duty if Gordon doesn't play tonight. He went through something similar in last year's playoffs, though, when he played for the Pistons and Chauncey Billups went down with a hamstring injury in the second round against Orlando.

Hunter stepped in and played 41 minutes in the next two games and Detroit won the series.
Hunter is an entertaining interview because he's usually got a supreme confidence schtick going. Actually, he might be serious.

Q: I was surprised the Pistons won that series so easily without Billups.
Hunter: “That's because you were on the outside looking in.”

When the Bulls practiced in Boston last week, Hunter and strength coach Erik Helland joked about jumping into the Boston Marathon the next day.

Q: Who would win a 26-mile race between you and Erik?
Hunter: “I can't believe you asked me that. I'm going to pretend that never happened.”

Well, you know, they say some people have more slow-twitch muscles and are better suited for distance running.
“I've got slow-twitch, fast-twitch, everything.”