Bulls crush Hawks 93-73, move on to Eastern Conference finals
BY MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com May 12, 2011 7:48PM
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) reacts to a basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series, Thursday, May 12, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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Updated: May 12, 2011 11:46PM
Carlos Boozer scored 23 points, Derrick Rose added 19 and the Bulls’ defense stifled the Atlanta Hawks as the Bulls coasted to a 93-73 victory to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1998.
Luol Deng added 13 points and made several key plays on both ends of the floor as the Bulls turned a 45-35 halftime lead into a 70-53 lead after three quarters and clinched their series with the Hawks 4-2.
The Bulls will play the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday at the United Center.
HAMMER TIME: C.J. Watson usually gives Derrick Rose a rest at the start of the third quarter, but with a 70-53 lead, coach Tom Thibodeau kept Derrick Rose in the game to start the fourth quarter this time.
PUTTING IT AWAY: After Josh Smith hit an 18-footer to get the Hawks within 15 at 70-55, Omer Asik scored off a pass from Luol Deng and Taj Gibson hit a jumper off the glass, Rose scored on a breakaway dunk off a Deng teal, Gibson hit from 17 feet to give the Bulls a 78-55 lead with 8:28 to go.
NA-NA-NA-NA: Kyle Korver’s three-pointer that gave the Bulls an 81-57 lead with 7:01 sent many in the Philips Arena crowd to the exits.
FINISHING TOUCH: Carlos Boozer hit yet another 17-footer to give him 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the game.
THIRD QUARTER
The Bulls’ defense continue to thwart the Hawks, holding them to 5-of-16 shooting as the Bulls opened a 70-53 lead after three quarters.
ROSE STRIKES: Derrick Rose used a screen from Joakim Noah on a fast break for a layup and three-point play, then dunked off a feed from Keith Bogans on a fast break to give the Bulls a 52-37 lead with 8:39 to play in the quarter.
WHEN YOU’RE HOT, YOU’RE HOT: Luol Deng hit a short jumper and then beat the shot clock with a hesitation 18-foot jumper that gave the Bulls a 56-43 lead with 6:25 left in the quarter.
HANGIN IN THERE: Jeff Teague hit another floater in the lane to cut the Bulls’ lead to 56-45 with 6:17 to play. It was only Teague’s second basket of the game.
BIG SHOT: Keith Bogans silenced the Philips Arena crowd with a three-pointer and Boozer hit a 17-footer to give the Bulls a 61-45 lead.
BOOZER AGAIN: Boozer, who hit 6-of-7 shots in the first half, hit another 17-footer and later hit two free throws to give him eight points for the quarter and 21 for the game on 9-of-13 shooting after three.
THE BIG FELLA: Omer Asik made his presence felt with an offensive rebound that led to his dunk off a pass from Boozer for a three-point play that gave the Bulls a 70-51 lead.
SECOND QUARTER
With Derrick Rose scoring one point in the quarter, the Bulls still opened a 15-point lead and settled for a 45-35 lead at halftime.
Luol Deng capped a 7-0 run with a long jumper that gave the Bulls a 42-25 lead with 4:22 to play in the half. But the Bulls shot 1-of-6 from the field the remainder of the half and the Hawks outscored them 10-3 to stay within 10 at the half.
TEAGUE HURT: Hawks guard Jeff Teague missed a short jumper and then suffered an apparent wrist injury when he fell on his arm and left the game with 11:07 left in the quarter.
BENCH MOB: The Bulls’ second unit struggled offensively, hitting 3-of-9 shots with two turnovers in the opening four minutes of the quarter. But they held the Hawks to six points and maintained the 10-point lead — 33-23 — when Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah returned midway through the quarter.
A LITTLE RESPECT: After his game-clinching performance in Game 5, the Bulls’ Taj Gibson got a little respect from the officials, drawing a foul on Marvin Williams on the receiving end of an entry pass.
HE STOLE IT: The Bulls had missed six of their first seven shots in the quarter when Ronnie Brewer scored inside, C.J. Watson stole the inbounds and Taj Gibson scored on a dunk to give the Bulls a 33-21 lead with 7:38 left in the half.
TAKING COMMAND: Carlos Boozer hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper, Noah scored on a fast break from Rose and converted a three-point play and Luol Deng beat the shot clock with a long jumper to give the Bulls a 42-27 lead with 4:22 left in the quarter.
NOT GIVING UP: Teague returned with 4:02 left and forced Rose to miss on a drive, then hit a floater in the lane as the Hawks outscored the Bulls 10-3 to get within 44-35 at halftime.
NOW THEY’RE EVEN: Trailing 45-35 in the final minute of the quarter, the Hawks looked like they had cut their deficit to single digits with momentum when Josh Smith scored on a fast break off a Rose turnover, with a foul on the play. But after discussing it, the referees reversed the call to a charge on Smith against Rose, nullifying the basket and drawing the ire of the home crowd.
KEY STAT: Carlos Boozer has 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and four rebounds at halftime. Rose has eight points on 3-of-8 shooting and six assists.
FIRST QUARTER
Carlos Boozer scored nine points and Luol Deng added seven as the Bulls were near-flawless on offense to take a 27-17 lead.
The Bulls hit 12 of their first 16 shots from the field to take a 27-15 lead. Derrick Rose scored just five points in the quarter, including a three-pointer that gave the Bulls a 25-15 lead.
BOOZER FACTOR: Carlos Boozer got the Bulls off to a fast start, scoring on a dunk and 17-footer off passes from Derrick Rose and converting a three-point play off a 14-footer to give the Bulls an 11-4 lead with 8:35 to play in the quarter.
NOAH CHIPS IN: Joakim Noah, who was scoreless in Game 5, scored on a baseline hook and a drive from the elbow against Jason Collins that gave the Bulls a 15-8 lead with 6:20 to play in the quarter.
TEAGUE SILENCED: Hawks point guard Jeff Teague did not attempt a shot in the first quarter, did not score and was replaced by Jamal Crawford with 4:28 left in the quarter.
DENG HURT: Luol Deng fell hard to the floor and appeared to injury his hip when he was fouled by Josh Smith on a fast break drive with 3:25 to play. Limping noticeably, he shook it off and made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Bulls a 20-11 lead.
KEY STAT: The Bulls hd 10 assists on their 12 field goals in the quarter.
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