<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">[IMGR]http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/0515/nba_sheed_195.jpg[/IMGR]"My inspiration?" Kirk Hinrich was saying in the locker room afterward. "I don't know. Pride. Wanting to win. Wanting to play better." That was the quote Hinrich gave me before he caught himself, contradicted himself and reverted to his usual dullsville form, denying anything special had inspired him to produce his best game of the series, a 17-point, 13-assist testament to virtuosity that sent this suddenly suspenseful series back to Chicago for a Game 6. "Pride" was the key word Hinrich blurted out, and we now know that he has plenty. Because after four games in which Chauncey Billups was the dictator of the pace of play, the person through whom the character of the entire series was being manifested, Hinrich took over that role Tuesday night and emptied the building by the midpoint of the fourth quarter. Whether it was his defense on Billups (after guarding Richard Hamilton for the first four games) or his penetration on offense, repeatedly splitting the seams in the defense to create open shots for both himself and his teammates, it was Hinrich who put his stamp on this game and took the next big step in the post-Baby Bulls maturation process.</div> Read More...
