Chicago Bulls Stampede Atlanta Hawks 114-81, Continue Quest for No. 1 Seed

It's been a season of "the first time since Michael Jordan's Bulls." Tonight, the Bulls actually broke the franchise record for back-to-back wins, adding a 33-point blowout of the Hawks to last night's 40-point stomping of the Kings.

It's not often you look at a 33-point blowout and say that it was worse at times. At one point in the game, though, the Bulls led by 47, and they sat their starters the entire fourth quarter. It was a game that saw the Bulls for the second straight night firing on all cylinders. The Bulls once again dominated every facet of the game. 

They shot 43-of-79 from the field, good for a .544 percentage. They also hit 10 of 18 from behind the arc. Combined with last night's numbers, they've now hit on 22 of their last 35 shots from downtown. The team also had 30 total assists on the night, after a 34-assist outing last night. That translates to a two-night effective field goal percentage of .778, and when you're shooting like that, you're going to win a lot of games. 

The two-night numbers are just downright gaudy, but to really put things in perspective, the offensive rating has been 139.4, and the defensive rating has been 98.0. That's a difference of 41.4 points per 100 possessions. At this point, it's safe to say that Bulls are looking like they're ready for the playoffs. 

Where last night was an exhibition of scoring from everyone, as eight different players hit double figures, tonight saw the bulk of the scoring come from Derrick Rose, 30,  and Luol Deng, 27. The two combined for half of the Bulls' overall scoring. No one else reached double figures. 

That was more of result of sharing the ball in the second half though, as eight players did score six or more and 10 players scored at least four. 

The most impressive thing about the Bulls in this game was their domination inside the paint, outscoring the Hawks 48-18. They also outrebounded the Hawks 48-26.  

The destruction showcased on national TV was a portrayal of the Bulls' recent improvement on offense. Since the All-Star Break, the Bulls offense has hit another level, and after tonight's game, they've raised their offensive rating since then to 113.5 while lowering their defensive rating to 99.3. In terms of raw score, the Bulls have outscored their opponents by a score of 99.0 to 86.6, a margin of victory of 12.38 points. 

The Bulls also now have the widest average margin of victory in the NBA on the season, beating their opponents by an average of 7.4 points. With the Bulls also moving back into sole possession of the first seed in the Eastern Conference, they also inched closer to claiming home court advantage.

It's hard to know how much to take home from a blowout, but there are several things that should be encouraging from this game. 

• The Bulls greatly improved  from their last back end of a back-to-back game. 
• They continued to improve on the road. They've now won 12 of their last 17 on the road.
• They didn't let down after building a huge lead. The lack of another meltdown was a sign of growth. For the second straight night they showed the ability to step on their opponents throat. 
• Their offense is really starting to blossom. 

All the things that you like to see when you're nearing the playoffs are visible in 3D-Hi-Def with the Bulls right now. Considering how well they are playing now, and how well they win on the road, they are beginning to present themselves as the team to beat in the East.