NBA Playoffs 2011: 5 Keys to Success for the Chicago Bulls Against Atlanta

After beating the Indiana Pacers in the first-round, the Chicago Bulls are ready to take on the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

Depth

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 11: Zaza Pachulia #27 and Damien Wilkins #3 of the Atlanta Hawks try to control the ball in front of Omer Asik #3 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 11, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledg

The Hawks have some really nice pieces in Joe Johnson and Al Horford, and their starting lineup is solid overall. However, once you get past the top five players, the roster looks extremely thin. Especially with Kirk Hinrich out, their bench is very spotty.

There are only seven players left that, using my subjective reasoning, are rotation players on the Hawks: the starting lineup, Jamal Crawford and Zaza Pachulia. With Kirk Hinrich out, they will rely on only six players for the bulk of their play. They will also be forced to play without a true point guard since Hinrich is the only one on their roster.

On the other side, the Bulls have had spurts where they go 11 deep. Their depth allows them to come at the Hawks with different looks and can kill them in different ways. The Bulls bench beats the Hawks bench by a sizable margin, despite the Hawks having the best player. 

Rebounding

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 26: Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls grabs a rebound away from Jeff Foster #10 of the Indiana Pacers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at the United Center on April 26, 2011 in Chicago, I

The key to Chicago beating the Pacers in the first round was their sizable rebounding edge. The Bulls averaged 46.4 rebounds per game over the series, compared to Indiana's 38.4, an eight rebound differential. The Hawks as a team only averaged 38.5 rebounds per game against the Magic, who only had one true rebounding threat.

The Bulls prowess on the boards allowed them to overcome their poor shooting, allowing them multiple attempts at the basket. If the Bulls can rebound to their ability, it will make it difficult for the Hawks to score. 

Derrick Rose

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 26: Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls goes up for a shot against Tyler Hansbrough #50 of the Indiana Pacers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at the United Center on April 26, 2011 in Chic

The Hawks have absolutely positively no answer for Derrick Rose, especially with the injury of Kirk Hinrich. As it stands, Jeff Teague or Jamal Crawford will be called upon to defend Rose, and neither can be described as even a decent defender. 

Derrick Rose should be able to impose his will on the Hawks with their lack of perimeter defense. The focus that Rose will draw should mean that everyone around him will have a relatively easy go of it. Hopefully this means too that Carlos Boozer can ease back into his game after getting turf toe in Game 5. The longer that we can deal without a healthy Carlos Boozer the better. 

We don't need Rose to average 30 points per game, but quick strikes should be enough to destroy the Atlanta defense. 

Contain Al Horford

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 11: Al Horford #15 of the Atlanta Hawks looks to pass against Kurt Thomas #40 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 11, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Hawks 94-76. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledg

The Bulls went 2-1 against the Hawks this year. The two wins were blowouts of 18 and 33 points, and the loss was a three point heartbreaker after leading with 29 seconds left in the game. 

Al Horford was the main reason for their success, scoring nine of the Hawks' 20 points in the final quarter and ending the game with 31 points and 16 rebounds on 65 percent shooting. 

The Bulls blew out the other two games, when Horford averaged merely 10 points and five rebounds per game in those two. Horford is by far the most efficient player for the Hawks and taking him away negates any easy offense for the Hawks, especially since their main scorer is a jump shooter. 

Come out Strong

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 26: Keith Bogans #6 of the Chicago Bulls talks to members of the Indiana Pacers sitting on the bench after hitting a three-point shot in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at the United Center on

What hindered the Bulls in the Indiana series were poor starts. In three of the five games, the Bulls trailed after one quarter. The two exceptions were Game 3 and Game 5, which the Bulls won handily. Getting into an early hole makes things harder for the Bulls because they have to make up lost ground and then try to put teams away.

For a team like the Pacers, an early lead gives them incredible confidence and means that they will not go away, even if they know that they have a very small chance of actually winning any games. The Hawks are a team that was able to gain some confidence after beating the Magic a couple of times, and eventually went up 3-1. 

It's much easier to try and prevent the Hawks from gaining confidence than trying to come back on them. These guys have the personnel to beat Chicago and it's better not to force your MVP to win every game for you this early in the playoffs.