The Chicago Bulls: Game 3 Report Card vs. the Atlanta Hawks
Recapping my previous if…then scenarios. The Bulls showed there is a decided difference between themselves and the Atlanta Hawks. The young Bulls heard trash talk from former Bull Jamal Crawford and disrespect from analysts like Tim Legler of ESPN. Through all of the rhetoric, the Bulls produced their best game of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
Was it perfect? Not at all, there are still some lingering concerns. Let's examine them in the Game 3 report card.
Slow Start?
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I stated, if the Bulls started slow, they would lose Game 3. They definitely did not; they came out with tons of energy on both ends of the floor. Derrick Rose scored 17 points in the first quarter and Joakim Noah brought enough energy to power the United Center for Game 5.
On the negative side, Derrick Rose did allow Jeff Teague to nearly match his offensive output in the quarter. Teague had 11 points in the first, but cooled off a little for the rest of the game.
Atlanta Hawks head coach Larry Drew could sense that his Hawks were about to get run out of their own gym. It was evident when he called a timeout about 50 seconds into the game after the Bulls had scored the first four points. This only prolonged the inevitable as the first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game.
GRADE: A-
Boozer's Continued Struggles
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I know the Bulls can beat the Atlanta Hawks with or without All-Star production from "The Big Outburst." To reiterate, they will still need him to reach the NBA Finals. It would be nice for him to get a nice game under his belt. This would hopefully lift some of the frustration off his shoulders.
Meanwhile, Taj Gibson scrapped his way to the type of production I wanted to see from Boozer. Don't get it twisted, though, 13 points and 11 rebounds from Gibson is not nearly as affective in the long run as it would be to get that type of output from Boozer.
Gibson's buckets come from scrapping and hustling; Boozer (when on) requires a double team. This makes others on his team better. Same numbers, different affect on the game.
GRADE: D
So Much for Crawford and Johnson's Repeat of Their Game 1 Performances
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Jamal Crawford spoke of adjustments that were made to attack the Bulls differently in Game 3. Those adjustments must've included missing the majority of his shots and being a non-factor. The Atlanta duo combined for 17 points, going 7-for-19 from the field, 1-for-4 from the three-point range.
Those two have to play well to beat Chicago. Without at least 45 points from those those, the Hawks will not win another game this series.
GRADE: A+
Did Somebody Say Big Game for Derrick Rose?
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Even I didn't expect this type of performance. Rose answered any MVP questions, any lost explosion inquiries and any other issue of doubt with a ringing 44-point performance. I tabbed the ideal shooting performance at 13-for-24 from the field. Rose was three shots better than that with a 16-for-27 output. I named two shots made from beyond the arc; Rose made four, doubling-up in that category. Finally, the six to eight free throw attempts turned into nine, of which he made eight.
Rose added his name to a short list of truly dominating playoff performances in Bulls history. This may be the first one created by someone whose name isn't Michael Jordan.
GRADE: A+
A Josh Smith Sighting
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J-Smoove finally got into the series offensively. He did build on what he started doing at the end of Game 2. He didn't settle for as many jump shots as he had in the first two games of the series. He finished as Atlanta's best player, tallying 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
The Atlanta boo birds will have to find someone else to blame for Game 3; Josh Smith was solid. The Bulls chose to allow him to go one-on-one against defenders to ensure the proper attention was paid to the Hawks' two series changers, Johnson and Crawford.
GRADE: C+
D-Rose's Ankle Health
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This was the first game in about a week or so that I've seen Rose exploding like we're accustomed to seeing. He was blowing past defenders all night and showed little to no indication of favoring the ankle.
While he seemed almost 100 percent, he did a lot to decrease the ankle health of the Hawks' defenders, as he was awesome, giving a mixture of the three ball and driving layups. As long as he avoids another ankle issue, Game 3 will be symbolic of Games 4 and 5.
GRADE: A+
