Crunch time was Miller time

With a stitched upper lip and some hard feelings left over from Game 5, Bulls center Brad Miller clearly wanted the ball in crunchtime on Thursday.

The Bulls trailed 99-91 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against Boston at the United Center and were staring at the end of their season. Miller sparked a last-gasp rally by drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:06 remaining, then tied the score with 29.7 seconds on the clock by finishing a lumbering lane drive without getting fouled.

"Tonight's an elimination game," he said. "This is where you leave it all out. You're going fishing on TNT if we lose this game."

For the previous 48 hours, no one with cable television could avoid reliving what happened at the end of Game 5. With the Bulls trailing by 2, Miller got loose in the lane and was smacked in the face by Boston guard Rajon Rondo, opening the gash in his lip. Still smarting and spitting blood, the veteran center missed both free throws with two seconds on the clock.

"I don't know if it was a reaction (to what happened in Game 5), but I think I was just determined," Miller said. "I showed a lot of emotion in this game tonight, trying to will it through. I definitely wanted to get another crack at them in Game 7."

In the three overtimes, Miller added a lay in and knocked down all 4 free throws while the Bulls tried to hold leads. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and hit 8 of 9 shots from the field.

"He's a warrior," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We just keep stitching him up and throwing him out there."

His effort created a chance to go back to work in Boston for Saturday's Game 7 - if either side has any energy left.

"Probably about 7 overtimes in Game 7, I would say. That's just a prediction. About a 5-hour game," Miller joked. "We've got a lot of young guys, more than they've got. So they're obviously going to step up and bring their 'A' game. We are, too."