Chicago Bulls strike back; Win the crucial game-5 against the Atlanta Hawks - Part 2
After absorbing an offensive onslaught by the Chicago Bulls in the first half, the Atlanta Hawks thundered onto the court in the third quarter and took the game to the Chicago Bulls.
The third frame proved to be a real contest. Both sides exchanged blows one after another and refused to back down. The lead changed hands 6 times during the third quarter.
Jeff Teague led Atlanta’s charge in the period with 11 points, and his finger roll brought the gap down to 4, with 7:23 remaining. Atlanta didn’t let Chicago pull away after that and a six point burst from Josh Smith finally gave
the Hawks their first lead of the game at 64-63 with just 1:45 remaining in the frame. The teams exchanged shots, and the lead, in the final two minutes as the game swung from one end to the other. Chicago however ended up on top, with the quarter closing
at 69 – 68.
Things got heated up in the third when Josh Smith cut Chicago’s lead to 1 point with a dunk. Carlos Boozer hit him in the face with a forearm, earning a shove in return and a double-technical call from the officials. After the
game Josh Smith said he would not be bullied by such antics,
"I dunked the basketball and I go to turn and he just cleared me with an elbow to the jaw," Smith said. "Nobody is going to do that to me. I don't care who you are. I'm a man first."
Jeff Teague handed Atlanta the lead again at the start of the final period with a strong drive inside. However a 9 – 0 run from Chicago shattered Hawks’ chances of a comeback.
A key point of the run was the three point play by Taj Gibson, which roused up the crowd and tilted the momentum in Chicago’s favour. Atlanta kept trying though. With the score at 79 – 85 and just under five minutes left to play
they still had a chance to topple the Bulls.
Chicago had other ideas though as they put up an 8 point unanswered spurt to seal Atlanta’s fate. There was just no time left for the Hawks to recover and the game ended with Chicago winning by double digits, 95 – 83.
Al Horford, who had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, said after the game that he was disappointed with the result, "We were playing for everything," Horford said. "We have to regroup again and get ready for Thursday."
Chicago had a marginal lead on Atlanta, from the field with 48.6 percent to 47.9. The Hawks however did themselves no favours by shooting a poor 8.3 percent from three point range. The Bulls also won the battle of the boards, 37
– 33.
The Chicago Bulls now have a chance to wrap up the series in game-6. However, they will face a determined Atlanta team with a loud home crowd behind them. Josh Smith highlighted the fact,
"The series is not over with," Smith said. "We have to go and play with a ton of energy on Thursday. We have to do a better job of keeping Derrick Rose out of our paint.”
The series has turned out to be one of the most competitive in the post-season so far.
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