NBA News: Bulls power past the Hawks
Do you think the Chicago Bulls wanted to stretch their Eastern Conference semi-final playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks anymore then it needed to be? Do you think they like giving the critics more ammunition to discredit their hold of the leagues best record? Derrick Rose really enjoys hearing people questioning his role as a point guard, right?.......Well the newly crowned MVP and his team put those notions to rest in the ATL last night by beating the Hawks 93-73 winning the semi-final series 4-2. The Hawks came in to game 6 with an aura of confidence that if they can win game 6, they can come back and take the Bulls out in game seven. Saying it and actually doing it is two different things. The Bulls were all business from the get go especially defensively, keeping the Hawks from having a lead at any point of the game.
Carlos Boozer who has been struggling with turf toe since the end of the Indiana series exploded for 23-points and 10 rebounds having his best game of the series. You can see when the game started he had a healthy rhythm going hitting jumper after jumper. Rose chipped in with a quiet 19-points and 10 assists. Not the usual monster game from Rose but its good to see that contributions came elsewhere from the Bulls. Not only were the Bulls beating up the Hawks on the boards but kept Atlanta's primary scorers in check. Hawks guard Joe Johnson had a team leading 19-points while Josh Smith contributed 18. A banged up Jeff Teague only had 4-points, three assists and two rebounds. Former Bull Jamal Crawford was no where to be found making only 2-for-10 shots last night. The Bulls kept it basic controlled the boards, pressured the ball defensively, and had good ball distribution.
The Bulls advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since the Jordan led Bulls back in 1998. They have a date with the Miami Heat who dismantled the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in five games. Being this is a superstar driven league most people are giving the nod to the Miami Heat to win this series. Their basis for this argument is that Miami has the two best players in the game today with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade opposed to Chicago's lone star Derrick Rose. They also feel that since the Heat dispatched the mighty Celtics in 5 games there is this sudden aura of invincibility. However the Bulls seemingly struggled in the first round against the Indiana Pacers and then with the Atlanta Hawks in the semis. Oh by the way the fact that the Bulls have 3-0 record against the Heat in the regular season doesn't mean jack. I said this once and I'm going to say it again, how you handle one team in a series doesn't have any reflection on your next opponent. Yeah the Heat knocked off the Celtics in 5 games but it wasn't as easy as it looked. Despite the injuries and the numerous times they looked old, (with the exception of game 4) the Celtics kept it close. The Bulls struggled against the likes of the Pacers and the Hawks because those teams rosters were rich with long and athletic forwards. The Bulls prevailed because of their defensive prowess and deep roster. Miami can't really say that....beyond Lebron, Wade, and Chris Bosh who do the Heat really have........James Jones?? Mike Bibby?? Joel Anthony?? Hey I'm not discounting the Heat, this is going to be a tough series, no doubt. What I find funny is that can Wade and Lebron really say they disposed of their nemesis in the Boston Celtics completely.......The architect of that Celtic defense that has given them trouble time and time again is now sitting on the sidelines for the Bulls. The same Bulls team who are younger and deeper then what the Celtics have been carrying of late. That is the one factor critics have been leaving out of their arguments and that factor is Bulls Head coach Tom Thibodeau......So I would be very careful before you start putting the Heat in the NBA Finals just yet........nuff said
