Chicago Bulls shoot down the Atlanta Hawks; Advance to the conference finals with a 93-73 win – Part 2
The Chicago Bulls came out in a menacing mood after the interval. They had a 7 – 2 run right at the start that set the tone for the second half. They continued to score in little spurts as the Atlanta Hawks failed to cope with
both the offense, and the defence of an on song Chicago side.
The Bulls teamwork was exemplary in the third, with 8 of their 10 field goals coming off assists. The only plus point for the Hawks was that Joe Johnson finally managed to hit Atlanta’s first from beyond the arc. The quarter ended
at 70 – 53; Atlanta staring at a defeat and elimination from the playoffs.
Chicago strolled through the last quarter. They rested some starters, Carlos Boozer played only around 4 minutes. Derrick Rose directed traffic for a while, but headed to the bench as well once it became obvious that the game has
been won.
Chicago kept on breaking down Atlanta’s defence at will, leading by game high 26 points, with 5:49 left to play in the game and the series. The teams just traded shots after that, and the clock finally ran out at 93 – 73, bringing
the game, and the Hawks’ post season to an end.
Chicago’s ability to play and defend as a team stood out in the game. Their bench also displayed great strength, as no matter who was on the court, there was never any let up in the defensive intensity of the Bulls. Hawks centre-forward
Al Horford, who was named in the All NBA third Team, touched on the subject after the game.
"What goes underrated about them is the depth of their team," Horford said, after another tough night. "They just wear on you. They just kept coming, kept coming every game. It seemed like their starters were fresh."
The teams matched each other on the boards, going 35-35; however Chicago’s defensive tenacity caused Atlanta to struggle from the field. Chicago always rushed the Hawks shooters and forced them into taking tough shots. As a result,
Atlanta shot a poor 36.5 percent compared to 53.2 by the Bulls. They were also dreadful from beyond the arc, making just 1-of-11 at 9.1 percent.
Derrick Rose was spot on when he said after the game, "If anything, our defense won this game"
Chicago’s teamwork on the offensive end was also remarkable. They shared the ball and waited for open looks on almost every possession. An amazing stat to this effect is that out of Chicago’s 41 field goals, 34 came off assists.
Carlos Boozer was a huge beneficiary of the Bulls’ play as he constantly found space and knocked down his shots. Joe Johnson said that with so much attention paid to Derrick Rose, his teammates are bound to take advantage,
"Boozer had probably his best game of the series. We [made adjustments on Boozer] but it's tough because Rose puts so much pressure on the defense you almost have to stop him and let everyone else have the ball. Boozer made a lot
of jump shots tonight."
Chicago will now face the star studded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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