Frontcourt Finally Comes To Play As Bulls Eliminate Hawks In Blowout

You knew it was just a matter of time before the Bulls’ entire team actually showed up for a post season game, and they finally did it in Chicago’s 93-73 win over the Hawks on Thursday, expelling Atlanta from any hopes of postseason glory.

The Bulls got going in this one and never really stopped, leaving little chance for an Atlanta squad that was enduring one of its worst shooting nights of the postseason.

Surprisingly, the biggest source of offense for the Bulls on Thursday came from Carlos Boozer, who dropped 23 on the Hawks in the win. Boozer has struggled throughout this postseason, both with his scoring touch and his turnovers, so Thursday was a big step in the right direction for him.

Chicago’s big free agent catch of last summer found his rhythm in this one, scoring on 10 of his 16 shots from the field, with 10 boards to add to his double-double. Seemingly every jumper that Boozer launched fell for him, and he played with more confidence than we had seen to this point in the postseason.

His scoring frenzy took some of the pressure off of Derrick Rose, who only had to play 38 minutes in the win. The MVP did make an impact though, with 19 points and 12 dimes, as well as the fact that the team was a game-high plus-24 with Rose on the court.

The Bulls’ bench also saw plenty of time again in this one, and did manage to make another impact, just as they’ve done all season. Omer Asik played the most minutes off the bench, scoring five points and grabbing five boards. Taj Gibson also had another hot shooting night, getting five of his seven shots to drop, which were good for 10 on the night.

The Hawks didn’t have such luck shooting on Thursday night. They shot just a touch over 36 percent for the game, with Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford combining to go 9-28 from the field. The fact that their two biggest scoring options, once again, let their team down due to poor shooting and a stout Chicago defense, ultimately doomed the Hawks.

The one Hawk that did have a strong game was Josh Smith, who was second on the team with 18 points. But he had an all-around solid game for Atlanta, with five rebounds, a couple of blocks, and three steals of the night.

With the win, the Bulls will now move on to face the powerhouse Miami Heat, who cruised by an old and hobbled Boston Celtics squad earlier this week. While the Heat were nearly unanimously handed the NBA title after Wednesday’s Game 5 win, there is certainly more to this series that meets the eye.

Big Fourth Quarter Propels Bulls To 3-2 Series Lead Over Hawks

The early stages of Chicago’s Game 5 on Tuesday night had all the makings of what Game 3 was for the Bulls. They jumped out to an early lead and looked to be running away with it, but the persistent Hawks would stay in it until the late-going in this one, with the Bulls eventually grabbing the 95-83 win.

The Bulls started off hot, leading by 11 points after the first quarter. Rather than Derrick Rose taking the early shots, which he did, it was Luol Deng who had the hot hand, scoring the first seven points for the Bulls in this one. As the Bulls pulled away early, Keith Bogans scored eight consecutive points to help the Bulls jump out to their early lead.

But the Hawks would not be denied. Aided by another sound performance from the youngster Jeff Teague, as well as some solid play early from Josh Smith, the Hawks crept back into this one in the second and early third quarters. Towards the end of the third, they would eventually hold their first lead over the Bulls.

It wasn’t as if the Bulls were playing poorly, either. The Bulls shot almost 49 percent from the field and were sound defensively, but the Hawks were also solid in their shooting, finishing with about a 48 percent. Even with the Atlanta rally, though, the Bulls held a one-point lead after three.

After blowing a double digit lead that they held early, many were certainly weary of the Bulls heading into the game’s final frame. Searching for energy, the Bulls got it from the usual source, as well as one that was a bit more unexpected for some.

The Bulls outscored the Hawks 26-15 for the quarter, with Rose accounting for 11 of those points. Coming up with another 11 of them was Taj Gibson, who did  not score in the previous three quarters. He provided a nice spark off the bench, which was absolutely necessary on a night in which Joakim Noah and Kyle Korver combined for zero points.

Atlanta didn’t do themselves any favors on Tuesday either. Despite a solid night from Josh Smith, and another sound performance from Teague, the  Hawks’ major scoring threats, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, fell silent once again. The two combined for 17 points, and 15 of those came courtesy of Johnson.

Even though it wasn’t the prettiest win for the Bulls, this shouldn’t come as anything new to fans. This isn’t a team that’s going to blow many teams out, even if they were able to decimate Atlanta in the regular season. Expect another gritty performance when the Bulls try and close out the series in Atlanta on Thursday night.

Bulls’ Strategy For Game 2 Against Hawks? Get The Ball To Luol Deng.

The Chicago Bulls were flat out awful on Monday night. They were sluggish and couldn’t hit the shots they needed as they fell 103-95 to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1.

Derrick Rose struggled early, but did play better later on. However, he sprained his ankle and his status for Game 2 isn’t completely certain. Carlos Boozer continued his audition for the next film version of The Invisible Man. And Joakim Noah went back to his early postseason form after a few great games against the Indiana Pacers.

But there was actually one Bull who did impress on Monday, despite the disappointment the Bulls carried with them after the loss: Luol Deng.

Deng, for the most part, has been the Bulls’ real secondary scoring option this season behind Derrick Rose. He averaged a touch over 17 points and just under six boards per for the top-seeded Bulls.

This postseason he hasn’t been as electric, but he’s still been solid nonetheless. If anything, Monday’s game showed that he needs to play a bigger part in the offense than he has been thus far in the playoffs.

Against Atlanta in Game 1, Deng shot 8-of-12 from the field. He found the looks and had the hot hand, finishing with 21 points in the loss.

Yet, Deng didn’t get the ball nearly as much as he should have. Taking just 12 shots on the night when he’s one of the only guys actually making shots is really inexcusable, and for that the finger points at Derrick Rose.

He may be the Bulls’ best scoring option, but Rose should not be taking 27 shots, especially when he was struggling the way he did on Monday. He made just two of his 10 first half shots, which should have been an early indication that he should have been sharing the wealth in the latter parts of the game.

If Deng gets the ball more in Game 2 on Wednesday, the positives should stretch beyond just his scoring touch.

Joe Johnson killed the Bulls on Monday. He shot 12-18 and dropped 34 points on the night, including a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc. Much of that goes back to the lack of touches for Deng, who found himself in a matchup with Johnson for a good portion of the night. More offensive production from Deng means more work for Johnson which could mean less trouble for the Bulls on defense.

With Derrick Rose not likely going to be at 100-percent heading into Wednesday, it’s important for him to get Deng the ball early and often. As long as he does that, things should be much easier for a Bulls team that only lost by eight, despite how poorly they actually played.

Bulls Can’t Overcome Slow Start In Game 1 Loss to Hawks

Well, that was ugly.

The Chicago Bulls couldn’t have played much worse against the Atlanta Hawks, bookending the game with sluggish play in their 103-95 loss to Atlanta on Monday night.

It didn’t help that the MVP, Derrick Rose made just two of his 10 shots from the field in the first half, including going 0-for-7 in the opening frame. Given that he has been Chicago’s no. 1 scoring option this postseason, that’s a recipe for disaster.

It helped even less that Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah combined for just 17 rebounds, a surprise given the reemergence of Noah over the last stretch of games against Indiana.

But the real kicker on Monday night was Joe Johnson. A guy the Bulls targeted briefly last summer prior to his re-signing with Atlanta, there was no stopping Johnson, even for a defense like Chicago. He shot 12-of-18 from the field, including 5-5 from beyond the arc, torching the Bulls for 34 points on the night.

It wasn’t as if he was getting tremendous help from the rest of his mates on the offensive side. Josh Smith struggled from the field, shooting just 3-11, and only one other starter, Jeff Teague, scored in double figures.

It’s a rarity that the Bulls’ bench mob finds themselves outplayed, but that was the case on Monday. Jamal Crawford touched the Bulls for 22 off the bench, seeing 35 minutes of gametime.

On the Bulls’ side of things, C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer were a combined minus-25 off the bench for Chicago. The only real source of scoring off the bench came from Kyle Korver, who dropped nine on 3-4 shooting from long idstance.

If there is a positive to pull from this game, it’s that the Bulls probably couldn’t have played a much worse game than this, and were still in it for the majority of the game.

It’s unlikely that we’ll see Derrick Rose have another putrid shooting night, having gone just 11-27 on Monday, but he also needs to take less shots than he did in Game 1. With Luol Deng having the hot hand, going 8-12, he needs to have the ball in his hands more often against a softer defensive team like Atlanta.

With a day off on Tuesday before Wednesday’s Game 2 at the United Center, you can be sure that Tom Thibodeau will have his squad ready to roll as they attempt to even up the series.

Kirk Hinrich Doubtful For Series Against Bulls

Derrick Rose is licking his chops right about now.

News surfaced late Friday afternoon that Atlanta point guard Kirk Hinrich is doubtful after undergoing an MRI on his leg on Friday. Hinrich injured his hamstring in Atlanta’s Game 6 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Not only is Hinrich doubtful for the Hawks, but he’s doubtful for the entire series with the Bulls after landing awkwardly against the Magic. It won’t hurt them too much offensively, but Hinrich’s injury could be critical for the Hawks.

Hinrich began the season with the Washington Wizards, after being dealt by these Chicago Bulls for a draft pick to free up some salary. He was shipped to the Hawks in June.

Atlanta was heading into the series with Chicago confident, much of that due to the defensive ability of the former Bull Hinrich, who, even Rose has said, guards him tougher than most guys in the league. With Hinrich out, it begs the question as to just who will defend Derrick Rose in this series for Atlanta.

Jamal Crawford could take his place to guard Rose, as could Joe Johnson. But no matter who the Hawks are able to put on the MVP candidate, it’s clear that Hinrich would have been the best option to give Atlanta any hopes of slowing down Chicago’s star point guard.

It’s certainly an emotional letdown for the Hawks, and is going to make life very difficult as they try to stop Rose, who averaged over 27 points in the opening series against the physical Indiana Pacers.

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