Wow who are these guys? I have missed you! Finally the Bulls got their stuff together and played like they have all season. They brought that playoff energy that I have starved for since the start. I will get to Rose later but the rest of the team clicked all game. Noah is really play at a All star level again. Not many players can have such a huge impact on a game and only score 2pts. Noah can do that.

The Bench mob had their best playoff game to date. 34pts off the bench is huge and only had one tough patch where the Hawks drew with in 12pts. Lets hope they can keep playing well so we can keep this rotation.  The Hawks are lucky that Teague has played out of his mind other wise that would have been a 30pt Bulls win.

I was worried after the 1st half that the Bulls might let up but this wasn't the case as the Bulls did what I have asked for all year. STEP ON THEIR THROATS! Now the Bulls need to have that same mind set for game 4. If the Bulls can do that then the Hawks will fold and go to Chicago more to see the cities attraction then to play basketball.

Why Can't I? 
He was fast, he was focused... He was a killer. Tonight Derrick got to the hoop at will which opened up his shot. This has to be the formula to his game every night. That Derrick is impossible to stop. I do think the world has been lifted off his shoulders now that the MVP is sitting at home on his coffee table. I think that can be said for the team too. The tightness just seems to be gone.

Rose made way better choices tonight. From a passing stand point and a shooting stand point. I didn't see many dribble dribble jack a 3 point shot and he was making the right passes and not just forcing it into a crowd of Hawk players. Only two turnovers tonight.

Some of his shots were pretty much insane off the glass stuff... The crap he puts in on a normal basis. His D was pretty shaky to start the game. Caught sleeping a lot but he made adjustments as the game went on.

Noah vs Horford
I have been sorta tracking this match up since I found it as a draw in the my Bulls Hawks preview but it really hasn't even been close. Noah has pretty much shut down Horford. I am rather shocked as I thought he would get his vs Noah and it would be more of a back and forth thing.

Horford isn't even avging 10ppg in this series. He had a few nice rebounding games but he doesn't give them the hustle and energy that Jo does. Noah may only got 2 pts tonight but he effect a tone of shots and grabbed 15 rebounds with 8 on offense.

No doubt in my mind that Noah would have been a All Star this year if he had not been hurt. What he has done vs Horford just proves that.

Taj Gibson
What a draft pick this dude was. When you can just let Boozer rest and still get great production out of that spot from a back up then life is good. He just puts all his effort on the floor and you will never say he didn't play hard. He just out works all the other Hawk players.

Let Boozer go through his slump and Gibson will play well.

10 cent brain 

This explains Smith in a nut shell.

I know Josh Smith has nothing to do with the Bulls but this is the first time I have had a chance to watch his game and I must say he is with out a doubt one of the dumbest players I have ever seen. When he goes to the rack and uses his physical gifts he is hard stop but he settles for bad jumpers on so many plays. Its mind boggling. I know he had a nice stat line tonight but he could be so much better. I know Boozer can be a bit frustrating but this dude makes me wanna pull my hair out and he doesnt even play for my Bulls.

The Good
-DRose Kilt It
-MVP chants
-Korver found some open space
-Deng shutting down Johnson again
-Rose and Bogans frustrating Crawford
-Noah's impact
-Taj Ho Grant type game
-Boozers dunk.... That didn't count.
-Rose plays well when Hubie calls his games... Dick Stockton and David Rose can hit the road.

The Bad
-Transition defense sorta...sucks.
-Boozer wasn't great but I have a feeling he climbing out of the slump.
-Another defensive 3 secs?? AHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRR!!

The Ugly
-Josh Smith's brain
-ZaZa's face
-Rose's first 5 min defense
-Boozers hands

The Players

Rose: Thought he was gonna go a quarter on us...
Bogans: Got his 6pts which mean we win
Deng: Tough night on offense but putting all his efforts into Joe
Boozer: I think he gonna start playing better. He looked better tonight despite being blocked again.
Noah: What can you say? He has been elite all series. Horford has been shut down for the most part.

The Bench Mob

Korver: Found some space. Did his thing.
Gibson: Grabbed that lunch bucket and hard hat.
Watson: After a rough playoff start has turned it around. Been Great.
Brewer: Doing his best when given chances. Playing solid.
Asik: Gave great mins tonight. Adjusted some Hawk shots.



Media Crap
Hawks suck at Home.
Rose finds his Groove.
SHUT EM DOWN!
Bench Mob hits the Hawks.
Do they deserve each other? 

Yeah we are disgusted too.

Might as well had a pajama party at the UC. The Bulls were sleep walking.

Game 1 Quick Hits
-Where is the energy?
-Is this pre-season?
-Bulls just wore out?
-Hawks pulled some shots out of their ass.
-Why is Korver on Crawford?
-I have no idea why some blogger took this Hawks team lightly.
-Rose has fell in love with the 3 ball?
-Josh Smith got dunked on by Boozer... Come on Josh.
-United Center is pretty sad sometimes. Pains me to say it.
-The 2008 Bulls would smack this team in the face for the lack of Playoff intensity.
-We are to new and young for this "turn it off and on" shit. That's reserved for the over the hill types out in Laker land or in bean town.

Game 2





Wow what a difference effort makes. Was it pretty? No. But we won. This team still looks nothing like the team I knew during the season. I just wonder if the intense season has caught up to them. Even Rose said in his MVP speech that its been "a long season" which I found interesting. He also did all the USA stuff too so this would make sense. But this is what you play those 82 games for.

I keep thinking back to that 08 team that pushed the Cs in their prime to a game 7 and I don't see the energy or the intense moments that team had. The energy was still better tonight and lets hope they bring it on the road. The Bulls are far from being out of the woods. ATL will be very loud(unlike UC). A true test is ahead of us on Wed.

Roses 
Derrick was alright... I am still not crazy about his shot selection. When Noah bangs out a hard Off Board and you then jack a 3 and miss it short(like 80% of your misses) I have a problem with that. I would like to see a chart of his 3 point attempts by the month. For most the season he shot when open but now he just jacks them with no rhythm or anything. Almost like hes out to prove that he can make them. I really think he needs to let them come to him. If your open let it fly. If your dribbling... Don't. He's just so good going to the hoop you hate to see wasted shots that are not there.

His turnover problem is getting a bit out of hand too. Some of his passes I have no idea what he is seeing. I understand he gets caught in the air at times or a defender just makes a good play but at times he just throwing it into a sea of red Hawk players(or pacers). I almost fell out of my chair when he fell down right before the end of the 3rd and allowed the Teague to get fouled for two FTs.  I know he knows hes being careless. I expect him to get better... I hope.

Yeah I know, that was all pretty negative. He did better getting to the hoop but the Hawks have such long athletic dudes its harder for him to finish. He was still better here then in game 1 in getting to the rack. He still only had 6 Fts which is still low imo. Need to be in the 10ish range. I will say his defense has been out standing for the most part. Blocking shots,Challenging shots and getting his hands in on loose balls.

Smith licking his chops 
When Smith saw Boozer going to the rim he had a block party every time. Boozer got the first blow when he dunked on Smith in Game 1 but in game 2 Smith had four blocks. All on Boozer(at least it seemed like). Like I said in the preview, Boozer needs to use a ton of head fakes and post moves to get open looks around the hoop. He can't go toe to toe with Josh Smith around the rim. Boozer still struggling but at least he rebounds no matter what.

D=Deng or Defense? 
Deng got Johnson most the night(I was surprised he didnt more in game one). He did a great job. Making Joe dribble the air out of the ball for a lot of the night. Deng is long and Johnson can't get those easy looks. He still shot well but didnt get even half the looks he got in game one. Deng was alright on offense. If he can do that the rest of the series the Bulls should win in 6.

Noah vs Horford
I know what to expect out of Jo but he has done an outstanding job on Horford. I expected a bit more scoring out of Horford. I am also not sure if he isn't getting as much looks with the Hawks playing one on one ball so much but Noah has shut him down for the most part. I do think he is a player that plays better at home. He just plays with more energy. Noah better expect that. So far though Noah has won this match up I saw as a draw.

The Good
-Noah at 100% is like "ahhhhhh".
-Deng should be on the all defensive team
-Rose's defense
-Good coaching tonight. Good traps and doubles. Match up changes.
-Better effort and energy

The Bad
-Rose still has bad shot selection.
-Bench Mob still ... Meh
-End of the 3rd
-Teague? Really?

The Ugly
-Josh Smith, What if this dude didnt have a 10 cent brain?
-Korver 1-9... Should have been 0-10
-Rose careless with the ball
-David Rose? Is he sorta like Johnny Kilroy?
-Need to play hard 60% of the time..all the time...wait what?

The Players

Noah: Out standing...Simple as that.
Boozer: Struggling still but I really think is making baby steps.
Deng: Did the Job on Joe Johnson and still was a factor on offense.
Bogans: Got his two 3s=win!
Rose: so-so night. Still maybe effected by ankle.

Bench Mob

Thomas: Needs to play more imo.
Korver: Is now cold. This team is the worst match up for him.
Watson: Was solid. Hit a matching three.
Brewer: Looked a lot better. Really got after it.
Gibson: Not much PT, but got a big dunk.
Asik: Got gooned But ugly face.

Round 2 Bulls vs Hawks Preview

      VS








Season series 2-1 Bulls

Center Match up
Noah vs Horford-Toss Up
This is maybe the best match up of the series. Old buddies from Gatorville will square off in the 2nd round. Horford is the only dude on the Hawks I would want(ok maybe Johnson for our 2..) anywhere near my Bulls. Hes a work horse and a lot like Noah in that regard. He will grind out rebounds and do all the dirty work that no one on that roster wants to do. He has added a nice 17-18 foot jump shot that Noah will have to come out and guard.

We do know that Al lit Noah up pretty good for a career high in pts and rebounds in the Bulls loss to the Hawks. That of course was not a healthy Noah. To me this match up is a Toss Up. The dudes are gonna be 1up each other all game and will all come down to hustle. Horford will edge Noah in Points but Noah will edge him in blocks and dimes. They may go out to dinner after the game and talk about the old days when they ruled the College Basketball world but on the court it will be war.

Power Forward Match Up
Boozer vs Josh Smith-Adv Smith

What bothers Boozer the most besides his shadow? Long,leapers with head bands. Josh Smith is a nightmare for Carlos but if Carlos is smart he can out wit him on the block with all his up and under moves and head fakes. Thats the way he will have to play it. If he tries to go right at Smith or settle for fade away jumpers then its gonna be a long series for Boozer(like the picture at the right).

The Bulls have to limit Smith. He can either kill you in a game are spurt a 10-0 run with his blocking,running the court and dunking. He will take bad shots and thats what Boozer and his help defense is gonna have to do. Force him into jumpers. Smith himself can go backwards when his play isn't good so lets hope the Bulls are ready to help and force him to take poor jump shots. I gotta go with Adv Smith just due to how poor Boozers play has been and I do think he will only get worse before he gets better.

Small Forward Match Up
Deng vs Williams-Adv Deng

Williams is a guy that can make some nice athletic plays(like the block on Rose) or be invisible. For a number 2 pick he hasn't done a lot(that pick is cursed so whatever). Deng should own this match up. Deng is just  a way more sound player. Williams is gonna have to cover Deng from sideline to sideline. As long as Deng doesn't hit a major slumps then he should have a great series.





Shooting Guard Match Up
Keith Bogans vs Joe Johnson(highly over paid)-Adv Bogans...oops Joe Johnson

Yeah I kid. Joe Johnson wins this in a mud slide. Bogans will do a nice job on him but Joe will get hot at times. Hes just such a good pure shooter. To me he is really a taller Ben Gordan but maybe not as clutch. Joe Johnson will see many defenders. Deng,Brewer and Bogans will all take turns trying to limit him.

If the Bulls do find a way to keep his production down then the Bulls have a great shot at winning the series in 4. If they let him go off then it maybe a bit harder then that. IMO the Bulls have to make him put the ball on the floor. He can stroke it fast and quick(ewwww) and is right there with Ray Allen when it comes to pure shooters.

Point Guard Match Up(LOL!)
Derrick Rose vs Randoms-Adv Rose

With Kirk out or limited it will be hard for the Hawks to stop Rose. He should be able to get to the hoop at will. They will try a number of defenders. Teague,Crawford,Marvin(?) will all get their chance. Hell maybe the Hawks will bring Gerald Wilkins to be the Rose stopper like the Cavs did in 93 for Jordan... We all know how that turned out.

I hope Rose lets his 3pt shot come to him(wide open looks) since he should be able to get to the rack at will vs Crawford or whoever. If Kirk does make a game then he should be a bit slowed but he is tough and would make it harder on Rose. Kirk did maybe the best one on one job all season on Rose. But its Playoff time now and I expect Rose to have his way with the 50% Kirk if he does dress.

Bench
Bulls vs Hawks-Adv Bulls
Crawford,Teague,Wikins > Brewer,Korver,Watson
Collins,Head Butt Dude,Armstrong < Gibson,Thomas,Asik

Depending on how the Hawks go with the starting line up their bench is just bizarre to me. They could have up to as many 4(!) centers on the bench if they start Crawford or Williams. That leaves just Teague at PG and a paper bag at SF. Its a pretty uneven bench and roster to be honest. I like the Bulls bench in this match up and that's even with Crawford coming off it and a crapping showing thus far by the Bench Mob. As a whole the Bulls are better.




I like the Bulls is 5. The Hawks are a glorified AAU team in my eyes. They play one on one ball a lot. Don't really look for each other and can take a ton of bad shots. Basically this team would end Larry Browns coaching career with a heart attack if he were the coach.

This kind of basketball plays into the Bulls defense pretty nice. The only way this series gets tough is if the Bulls come out flat again. They need to bring energy because the Hawks will. Also limit Crawford and Johnsons easy looks. The 3pt shot will get them going. If the Bulls bring it and stick to their Ps and Qs then this series should be a sweep or in 5. Six would suck but not out of the realm. Derrick should have a field day if Kirk can't go.

Enjoy the games friends. 


IN YO FACE JON KONCAK!!!!!