SB Nation Chicago - Bulls 88, Atlanta 100: Rose, Bulls Get Beat At Their Own Game As Hawks Own 4th Quarterhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48877/chicago-fave.png2011-05-08T23:38:38-05:00http://chicago.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19242222011-05-08T23:38:38-05:002011-05-08T23:38:38-05:00Bulls 88, Atlanta 100: Rose, Bulls Get Beat At Their Own Game As Hawks Own 4th Quarter
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> and Hawks were tied at 84 with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter and as a season-long observer, I must say I was less concerned than I should have been. Having watched this team close game after game with combination of lockdown defense and MVP <span>Derrick Rose</span> scoring every crucial bucket, it was bizarre to watch the Bulls breakdown on defense as <span>Josh Smith</span> and <span>Jeff Teague</span> of all people sparked the Hawks to a runaway Game 4 win.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> are a hard team to figure out. They are either the most beatable team in the playoffs or an offensive juggernaut that the Bulls struggle to match up with. There doesn't really seem to be a whole lot of in between, and tonight it was the latter. They threw their absolute best punch, and while the Bulls hung in for three and a half quarters, ultimately it was too much to overcome when the offense turned into the Rose show.</p>
<p>Rose finished with 34 points and ten assists, but it took 32 shots to get there. There's no questioning his greatness, and if you've forgotten please review the tape from Game 3, but when the shots stop falling, it points out the glaring truth of the Bulls offense: no one else can create their own offense.</p>
<p>As Mike Wilbon tweeted after the game, this is the reason the Bulls looked to upgrade the shooting guard position at the trade deadline and what may ultimately end up being their undoing. The Bulls first points from their 2-guards came midway through the third quarter when <span>Keith Bogans</span> hit a three-pointer, his only points of the game. <span>Kyle Korver</span> couldn't get a shot to fall today, going 1-8 for two points, and <span>Ronnie Brewer</span> barely saw the floor and finished without a point after blowing a dunk attempt late in the first half.</p>
<p><span>Luol Deng</span> and <span>Joakim Noah</span> also failed to fill the scoring void, finishing with 13 and 7 points, respectively. Deng had a particularly tough shooting game, going 5-14 from the floor. <span>Carlos Boozer</span> had by far his best game this postseason with 18 points on 7-10 shooting and actually had a few grown man wow plays. Even if it is somewhat from minimized expectations, there's no arguing Boozer's impact in this game before the team-wide meltdown in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>If anyone has been an x-factor at anything ever, they still don't hold a candle to x-factoredness of Josh Smith. Yes, I made the word up, but who cares, it works. Smith was nearly a member of the Bulls in the first three games of this series, taking deep two-point jumpshots he seldom makes instead of attacking the rim which he does extremely well. If you're looking for the bottom line of the Bulls' loss, take a gander at Smith's box score: 23 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists. He was still inefficient, going 8-22 from the floor, but his activity and play-making gave the Bulls fits, especially in the transition where the Hawks had 16 easy points.</p>
<p>Jeff Teague continued to show how much his own team misjudged his talent for the last three years, scoring 12 points, four points and four assists including several big plays down the stretch. <span>Al Horford</span> finally showed up for the Hawks, scoring 20 points that the Bulls hadn't had to watch out for to this point in the series. And after being minimized for the last two games, <span>Joe Johnson</span> scored 23 points including 3 of 5 from downtown. No doubt about it, the Hawks put together one of their best games in a long while and the Bulls simply got beat.</p>
<p>It isn't panic time for these Bulls. To channel <span>Tom Thibodeau</span>, they will watch the film, make corrections, and get ready for the next game. As much as the Bulls know the formula for beating these Hawks, when they aren't able to get a lead and clamp down defensively there are no assurances. Let's hope a return to the friendly confines of the United Center is enough to return sanity to an increasingly schizophrenic series.</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2011/5/8/2161283/bulls-88-atlanta-100-rose-bulls-get-beat-at-their-own-game-as-hawksZachary Lee2011-05-08T07:12:28-05:002011-05-08T07:12:28-05:002011 NBA Playoffs: Chicago Bulls Vs. Atlanta Hawks, Semifinals Game 4
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<p>It is strange how quickly fortunes and projections can change in these NBA playoffs, much like one of those snow-sleet-sun-wind-rain Spring days in Chicago. Predict at your own peril.</p>
<p>It seems only a few days ago that this 62-win No. 1-seed had looked anything but most of the second season, and to boot the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a>' had their top two scoring limited by injury. Not only was the Atlanta series plausibly in doubt for the first time, but the prospect of Miami hung like a cloud over the arena even as the Bulls uglied their way to another win to even the series at 1-1.</p>
<p>Then <span>Derrick Rose</span> reminded everyone how good he can be, putting up 44 points at the Highlight Factory in Atlanta in one of the NBA's best playoff performances this season. He attacked the basket. He nailed the three. His ankle seemed fine, or at least a hell of a lot better than it was in Game 2. The Bulls cruised to a win like we used to remember.</p>
<p>And just like that, the basketball weather changed in Chicago.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, Atlanta seems less like an opponent and more like a foregone conclusion on the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, it would be silly to count out a team that can be really dangerous in those rare moments when they get out of their own way. And while Rose's ankle seems to be on the mend and <span>Carlos Boozer</span> absence minimized by <span>Taj Gibson</span>'s performance, the Bulls remain a mere misstep from calamity. Winning Game 4 would put a boot on the neck of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Hawks</a> and give Chicago a chance to close out at home and get some rest while Boston and Miami beat each other up for a few more days.</p>
<p>The question now becomes: Was the Bulls' runaway win in Game 4 merely the result of Rose's jaw-dropping performance, or has Chicago figured Atlanta out? I'd argue the latter, while pausing first to gush about the league's MVP. Seriously, if Rose ever begins consistently hitting the three-pointer, he's going to be unstoppable.</p>
<p>Amazing as Rose was Friday night, a number of other signs showed that the scales are starting to tip precipitously in the Bulls direction.</p>
<p><b><i>1. The Bulls sped up the pace and finally found their offensive groove.</i></b></p>
<p>Had the Bulls not missed a number of easy lay-ins in transition, Game 3 would have been even more lopsided. The score wasn't nearly as close as the 99-82 score suggested. After grinding out a win in Game 2, Thibodeau promised to push the ball more and the returns have been spectacular so far. Chicago's offensive efficiency went up to 120 after hovering around 100 for the series' first two games, and it could easily have been much higher. The Hawks are prone to the long jumpshot and Thibodeau's decision to look for easy transition buckets off of those misses has given the Bulls the easy offense they were lacking. Again, Rose's success means so much to all of this, but 5-10 points in easy baskets is enough to push the Bulls over the top with their defense playing the way it is.</p>
<p><b><i>2. Thibodeau's defensive scheme had the Hawks reeling in Games 2 and 3.</i></b></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://nbaplaybook.com/2011/05/06/the-hawks-failed-to-recognize-attack-doubles-correctly/">Thibodeau decided to double the Hawks' two best isolation scorers late in the game</a>. As you can see from the link, <span>Josh Smith</span> is who the Bulls have decided to leave on the perimeter, and he hasn't yet made them pay. Add that wrinkle to the Bulls two defensive anchors, <span>Luol Deng</span> and <span>Joakim Noah</span>, who are at the top of their games right now and you can see why Atlanta is averaging 77 points over their last two games.</p>
<p><b><i>3. The Bulls' elite skill has shown up when it was needed most.</i></b></p>
<p>More than anything else, the Bulls can rebound the ball with the best of them. And after ranking second in the NBA this season with 44.4 RPG, Chicago has actually outperformed it these last two games with 47.5 RPG. Besides <span>Al Horford</span>, the Hawks don't have a consistent rebounding presence. Horford is a talented player, an All-Star who is only going to improve. But putting him up against a rebounding rotation of Noah, Boozer, Gibson and <span>Omer Asik</span>/<span>Kurt Thomas</span> isn't really fair. The Hawks' next biggest threat on the boards is the aforementioned Josh Smith, who has a habit to float on the perimeter much to the Bulls' assistance. Thus it's no surprise that Chicago is killing Atlanta on both ends, even eviscerating them for 18 offensive rebounds in Game 3. It is what this team does best, and those extra possessions mean all the difference to a team with limited scoring options.</p>
<p><b><i>4. The bench mob is back... maybe.</i></b></p>
<p>Thibodeau has been reluctant to go with his second unit in the playoffs because other teams' shortened rotation pose a much more serious threat to that squad's lack of scoring punch. But against the Hawks, their defense has done enough to earn extended minutes. The bench mob extended a lead for the first time in these playoffs in Game 3, something that happened all the time during the regular season. As Thibodeau has tried to push the pace, an extended rotation plays into it and credit the entire bench for rewarding their coach's faith.</p>
<p>The Bulls don't have to win Game 4. Having reclaimed home court advantage with their Game 3 win, a mere split would be more than enough to take back to the United Center. This is where the "next game is the most important game" mantra has an opportunity to pay off for this young team. Instead of considering the stakes, as the Hawks clearly did in their Game 2 loss, expect these Bulls to come out ready to push Atlanta to the brink of elimination.</p>
<p>Game 4 at Philips Arena tips off at 7:00 CDT on TNT.</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2011/5/8/2334847/2011-nba-playoffs-chicago-bulls-vs-atlanta-hawks-semifinals-game-4Zachary Lee