Bulls & Hawks Battle in Critical Game 5

Josh Smith played like a man possessed on Sunday, and managed lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 12 point win over the Chicago Bulls at Philips Arena. Smith finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists in an effort that exemplified sheer determination from the opening tip. Chicago’s Derrick Rose managed to score 34 more points and dish out 10 more assists, but he did so on 12 for 32 shooting.

It’s obvious that stopping Rose from getting 30+ points is next to impossible. The 44 point performance by Rose in game 3 was remarkable as he made shots in every way, shape and form. Atlanta’s philosophy for the remainder of the series will be to at least make Rose work for every point he gets. Most NBA predictions have the Bulls playing the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, we have seen already how a tough match-up can make it difficult to advance for any team regardless of how high they are seeded. The Mavericks destroyed a Lakers squad that was previously considered the odds-on favorites to win the title again, and the Memphis Grizzlies shocked all the basketball experts with a first round win over the top seeded Spurs.

Atlanta’s length and size are a good countermeasure to the quickness of Rose. Neither team plays at a fast pace, which almost always results in a closer game. Sunday’s game was a nail-bitter until Smith and the Hawks pulled away over the last few minutes. It has been said by many NBA analysts that game 5 is the most important game of a 7 game series. If the Hawks can somehow find a way to steal another game on the road Tuesday, they would be faced with the opportunity to go back home in game 6 with a chance to finish off the series.

Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are the most important factors in the Hawks success as they play critical roles on both ends of the floor. The one thing that Bulls fans should be concerned about is the lack of offensive flow. Derrick Rose has been putting on a show, but the rest of the team looks to be spectators instead of participants. Carlos Boozer needs more touches in the paint for Chicago to keep the Hawks off balance. If he can get it going in game 4 then there is a very good chance that the Bulls can put themselves 1 game away from going to the Eastern Finals since Michael Jordan retired. Tune in Tuesday for what could possibly be another highly contested game this post-season.

 

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2. Hawks and Bucks Battle in a Critical Game 5 Match-up
3. Bulls need to Step Up Defense in Game 2
4. Hawks keep pressure on Magic in Game 2
5. Hawks out for Revenge after Game 1 Massacre

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