May 5, 2011
NBA playoffs - Chicago Bulls win game two and tie series with Atlanta Hawks
By Stephen Lars
On game one, the team with the most valuable player and the recipient of the coach of the year award, the Chicago Bulls, took on a 103-95 beating by the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, they had been phenomenal record in the regular season, securing the home team advantage throughout the Playoffs. But despite opening the series at Chicago things got ugly on the first round against the Indiana Pacers, and they got ugly again in game one of the Easter Conference Semifinals.
This time around, Rose and Co. were not going to give up a 2-0 advantage that easily and at moments looked like the team that with a 62-win record had dominated the league in the regular season.
This time around, Rose and Co. were not going to give up a 2-0 advantage that easily and at moments looked like the team that with a 62-win record had dominated the league in the regular season. After getting the MVP trophy from commissioner David Stern before the tip-off, the humble Derrick Rose not only became the youngest player to win the recognition but also the man in charge of leading the Bulls in a brilliant first half. Things got a bit cold for Rose after the intermission but the support crew stepped in to pitch in for the 86-73 win over the Hawks. The Bulls managed to even the series before hitting the road and for the fist of two the games in Atlanta on Friday, May 6th.
Rose had 25 points for the night and Joakim Noah added 19 points and 14 boards to lead the way. After the break, it was time for the rest of the team to pitch in. Don’t get us wrong, its not as if Rose wasn’t been aggressive, its just that his shooting wasn’t at his finest. Still, considering the lack of production from Rose, on the second half it was Noah and Loul Deng who picked up the pace. Deng scored all but two of his 14 points in the second half and was a dominant force under the rim collecting 12 rebounds for the game.
This was a huge improvement over what the Chicago Bulls showed in game one. The Bulls outrebounded the Hawks 58-39 after getting beaten on the boards 38-37 in Game 1. The defense was key in keeping dangerous players under the radar. For instance, Joe Johnson had 34 points, 4 boards and 3 assists in game one. He only had 16 points and 5 boards on game two. Chicago’s defense worked hard and with great rhythm to hold the Atlanta Hawks 33.8 percent shooting, after they converted just over 51 percent in the conference semifinals debut.
Jeff Teague guided the Atlanta Hawks on game two. He managed to score 21 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists without a turnover. The Hawks believed for a moment, particularly considering what had happened on game one, that they could have arrived to Atlanta with a 2-0 lead on the series. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah got on their way. While Teague came through with another good game filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich, Johnson and Jamal Crawford struggled after coming up big in the opener.
Johnson scored less then half of the points he had on game one. Crawford finished with just 11 after scoring 22 in game 1, and the Hawks simply couldn't keep any rhythm. They better bring it on for the next two games at home, or this series is only going to get uphill for the Hawks.
About the Author
Stephen Lars is a prominent sports blogger and currently covers the Sports news, previews and handicaps for the BetIAS Sportsbook. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.