Atlanta Hawks Blog – Page 66 – NBA Blog

Hawks vow to get more physical with Derrick Rose

Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Hawks coach Larry Drew promised Saturday to make some adjustments in terms of defending Derrick Rose after the MVP scored a career-high 44 points in Friday’s 99-82 Game 4 win.

Part of those adjustments no doubt will include more physical play against Rose.

Drew checked out the stat sheet during halftime and saw only one foul from his starters, assessed to point guard Jeff Teague.

In other words, Rose won’t go untouched come Sunday night.

“Without a doubt,” Drew said when asked if his team needed to be more physical with Rose. “From a physical standpoint, absolutely.”

Rose scores career-high 44, Bulls rout Hawks 99-82 in Game 3

The AP reports:

Derrick Rose sliced up Atlanta for a career-high 44 points as the top-seeded Chicago Bulls seized control of the Eastern Conference semifinals with their best performance of the postseason, romping to a 99-82 victory over the Hawks in Game 3 Friday night…

Rose was dominant from the opening tip, slashing into the lane for a basket that prompted Atlanta to call a timeout before the game was a minute old. He finished off the Hawks midway through the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers, hopping down the court, serenaded by chants of “MVP! MVP!” from a hefty contingent of Bulls fans…

While everyone will point to Rose’s performance, the Chicago bench played a key role in a decisive second-quarter spurt. And everyone chipped in rebounding, leading the Bulls to a 47-34 edge that included 18 offensive boards. Joakim Noah led the way with 15 rebounds, plus five blocks…

Most noticeably, Al Horford had another miserable game. With Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford getting doubled every time they touch the ball, the Hawks need more from their All-Star center. He had just 10 points and is shooting less than 40 percent in the series…

Jeff Teague, who wouldn’t have been playing much if not for an injury to Kirk Hinrich, kept up his strong play from the first two games. He scored 11 of Atlanta’s first 17 points but couldn’t keep the Hawks in it all by himself…

Joe Johnson was held to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Crawford managed only seven. It was those two who dominated Game 1. They’d better get it going again, or Atlanta’s season will be done in a few days.

Rose, Noah lead Bulls over Hawks in Game 2

The AP reports:

Newly crowned MVP Derrick Rose scored 25 points, Joakim Noah added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 86-73 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night to tie the series…

The night started with Commissioner David Stern presenting Rose the MVP trophy, and the superstar point guard showed just why he became the youngest player to win the award—at least in the first half, when he scored 16 points.

He went cold after that and wound up hitting just 10 of 27 shots, going 1 of 8 on 3-pointers. He did convert 4 of 6 free throws after failing to get to the line in the opener…

Noah helped pick up the slack. So did Luol Deng, who scored all but two of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds in the game.

Carlos Boozer, bothered by a turf toe injury on his right foot, had eight points and 11 boards, and the Bulls let out a small sigh of relief after salvaging a split at home…

Atlanta’s Jeff Teague had another good game filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich with 21 points, but Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford struggled after coming up big in the opener.

Johnson saw his scoring dip from 34 points to 16. Crawford finished with just 11 after scoring 22 in Game 1, and the Hawks simply couldn’t sustain any momentum.

Live fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

Joe Johnson scores 34, Hawks beat Bulls 103-95 in Game 1

The AP reports:

Joe Johnson scored 34 points and Atlanta beat top-seeded Chicago 103-95 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

As if the loss itself wasn’t bad enough, the Bulls got a scare when Derrick Rose came up limping after he turned his left ankle at the end of the game. Their MVP—yes, MVP—stepped on Jamal Crawford’s foot as he dribbled out the final seconds and was helped off by teammates and a trainer…

The Hawks went on a 15-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to turn a 69-65 deficit into an 80-71 lead with 10:27 remaining.

Johnson scored eight points during that stretch, and the Hawks hung on.

Johnson was brilliant, hitting 12 of 18 shots and all five 3-point attempts. Crawford scored 22 points, and Jeff Teague added 10 while starting at the point for the injured Kirk Hinrich and wound up getting the game ball from coach Larry Drew…

Rose twisted the same ankle in the opening round against Indiana, but even before he limped off the court, this certainly wasn’t his best night.

He scored 24 points, but he was just 11 of 27 from the field and did not attempt a free throw.

Luol Deng scored 21 points for Chicago while Carlos Boozer added 14 points and eight rebounds despite a turf toe injury on his right foot. But it was a rough night overall for the Bulls—particularly on defense.

Live fan discussion of this game took place in this forum topic.

NBA mandates metal detectors for playoffs

ESPN Chicago reports:

In the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, the Chicago Bulls will use metal detectors to screen all patrons entering the United Center before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

The NBA issued the mandate for the conference semifinals and all subsequent playoff games.

Not all arenas in the league regularly use metal detectors. At the United Center, patrons are visually inspected. Metal detectors are only employed in a full inspection when, according to the venue’s website, it is determined that “the potential is high for inappropriate or illegal items to be brought into the building.”

Kirk Hinrich doubtful for Hawks-Bulls series

A magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI) taken today revealed that Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich suffered a significant strain to his right hamstring with 3:07 remaining in last night’s series-clinching game six win over Orlando, according to head athletic trainer Wally Blase.

Hinrich is listed as doubtful for the Eastern Conference Semifinals series vs. Chicago, which begins on Monday.

Carlos Boozer skips practice with toe injury; uncertain for Game 1

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer skipped Friday’s practice at the Berto Center with the turf toe in his right big toe that he suffered in Tuesday’s clinching victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Coach Tom Thibodeau said Boozer’s toe has improved but didn’t know if he’d be available for Game 1 of the Bulls-Hawks series 7 p.m. Monday at the United Center.

“It’s hard to say, but I’m thinking that he will be able to,” Thibodeau said. “He had some discomfort, but it’s gotten better each day. Hopefully, tomorrow it will be better. He’s day-to-day. He didn’t practice, so we’ll check him again tomorrow.”

Joe Johnson leads Hawks past Magic, into 2nd round

The AP reports:

A new season. A much different result. The Atlanta Hawks are moving on in the playoffs, knocking out the team that beat them so badly a year ago.

Joe Johnson leads Hawks past Magic, into 2nd round

Joe Johnson scored 23 points and came up with a huge offensive rebound, leading Atlanta past Orlando 84-81 in Game 6 Thursday night to finish off the Magic in the opening round.

The Hawks, who won the series 4-2, advanced to the second round for the third straight year, this time against the top-seeded Bulls. Game 1 is Monday night in Chicago…

The Magic had two chances to force overtime. J.J. Redick missed an open 3, then Jason Richardson had a desperation shot from the corner blocked by Smith.

Turkoglu had 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Nelson was the only other Orlando player in double figures with 11.

Crawford scored 19 points, including consecutive 3s that gave Atlanta its biggest lead, 71-59, with just over 9 minutes left. The Magic fought back with an 8-0 spurt, and Ryan Anderson had a chance to give the Magic their first lead since the opening minutes with an open look from outside the stripe…

The Hawks were up 42-36 at halftime, but the lead should have been a lot bigger. Smith was 3 of 12 shooting with three turnovers. Crawford hit only 3 of 11, Johnson just 4 of 12. The home finished just 39 percent from the field (31 of 79).

Zaza Pachulia now a villain in Orlando

Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

Before Hawks center Zaza Pachulia took the floor in Orlando on Tuesday night he knew the good vibes he once shared with Magic fans were over.

“My rookie year I was fans’ favorite here,” Pachulia said before Game 5 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. “Now I am the most hated.”

The relationship soured after Pachulia head-butted Magic guard Jason Richardson during Game 3 in Atlanta on Friday. Richardson retaliated by smacking Pachulia in the face, and the NBA suspended both players for Game 4 on Sunday in Atlanta.

Magic fans greeted Pachulia with boos when he checked into the game and also when he touched the ball early. The Magic selected Pachulia in the second round of the 2003 draft, and he was on the cover of the team’s in-house magazine in April 2004.

Bulls set to play winner of Magic-Hawks series

Herb Gould of the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The Bulls will open their second-round series Monday against the winner of the Orlando Magic-Atlanta Hawks series, which is headed to Game 6 on Thursday in Atlanta after the Magic’s 101-76 victory at home Tuesday. The Hawks lead the series 3-2.

‘‘I’m speechless right now,’’ Rose, who played only 30 minutes because of foul trouble, not his ankle, said after winning an NBA playoff series for the first time. ‘‘I really can’t believe it. It’s a great accomplishment. We’re going to try to keep this thing going.’’

Coach Tom Thibodeau knew this was a moment for his players.

‘‘It’s always good to advance,’’ he said. ‘‘It doesn’t mean a lot to me as coach.’’

Still, he seemed pleased that the Bulls had delivered a solid knockout punch in Game 5 after four tough encounters.

‘‘We knew we were capable of playing better,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘There were things we had to correct, but we were also up 3-1. In the playoffs, every win is hard to get. I liked our mentality today.’’