CHICAGO—That switch the Hawks flipped to start the postseason is still on, shocking opponents and critics each step of the way.
The Hawks stormed the United Center and stunned the Bulls with a 103-95 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday. Atlanta, the fifth seed, took home-court advantage away from the top-seeded and heavily-favored Bulls.
In each of the past two postseasons Atlanta was swept 4-0 in the second round. They vowed it would be different this time and immediately proved it by beating the Bulls.
Even after they vanquished fourth-seeded Orlando in the first round, the Hawks felt critics focused more on their foibles than their triumphs. The doubts only increased when point guard Kirk Hinrich went down with a hamstring injury.
“They can keep questioning our team while we keep moving forward,” Hawks forward Josh Smith said. “You can tell by the way we are playing we don't care what the critics say. At the end of the day, there's a lot of pride and talent in this locker room and we are not going to back down.”
The Hawks rode spirited defense, determined rebounding and the shot-making of guards Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford to end a 15-game losing streak in the second round.
The Hawks last won a game in the second round in 1997 against Chicago. They were swept by Cleveland in 2009 by an average 0f 18 points per game and by Orlando by 25.3 points per game last year.
During the regular season the Hawks had more losses by 20 or more points than any winning team in league history. They staggered down the stretch with losses in 12 of their final 20 games.
But the Hawks have come alive since the playoffs started. They beat the Magic four games to two and now have an advantage on the Bulls.
“If you looked at us in the regular season, we are a roller coaster,” Hawks center Al Horford said. “We come out and play great, the other game we get blown out by 50, and so people are saying, ‘Same Hawks again.' And I can understand that.
“But I think the guys have come to realize we have an opportunity to do something special. We are just embracing our chance to still be in the playoffs.”
The Hawks led by as many as 11 points in the first half. They fell behind 66-60 amid several poor possessions in the third quarter before surging in the fourth.
Like they did several times against Orlando, Johnson and Crawford provided Atlanta's finishing kick.
Crawford opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and Johnson made two 3-pointers as part of a 17-4 run for an 87-75 lead.
Reserve center Zaza Pachulia, whom coach Larry Drew said is Atlanta's “energy guy,” also was key during that burst. He earned two free throws near the end of the fourth quarter, scored a layup on a pass from Horford and collected a loose ball to score.
The Bulls cut the lead to 89-83 on Derrick Rose's fast-break dunk. Atlanta finally put Chicago away with baskets from Crawford and Smith, a Crawford free throw and scores by Johnson and Horford.
Johnson scored a game-high 34 points, one shy of his career high for the postseason. After signing the league's richest contract last summer, Johnson had his least productive and efficient season for the Hawks but has delivered in important moments during the postseason.
“It's big, man,” Johnson said. “The regular season is over. The playoffs is a whole different season. I just wanted to come out, be aggressive and make plays.”
Just as important as Johnson and Crawford (22 points) to Atlanta's victory was point guard Jeff Teague's duel with Rose. Teague was making his first postseason start after playing a total of 11 minutes in the first round while Rose is expected to be named league MVP.
It was supposed to be a mismatch but Teague, who replaced Hinrich in the starting lineup, more than held his own against Rose. He helped dog Rose into 11 for 27 shooting and also had 10 points with five assists against one turnover.
“I think everybody in this league, when you play Derrick Rose, they think it's a big difference in the game,” Teague said. “I think as a group we did a good job guarding him tonight. I didn't really listen to any of the criticism.”
Drew presented Teague with the game ball in the locker room.
“Jeff was absolutely phenomenal,” Drew said. “He played like a seasoned vet.”
The Hawks finished the game as strong as they started it, quieting the frenzied crowd in both cases. The Hawks raced out to leads of 9-0 and 16-6 and were up 30-19 early in the second quarter.
“Once they get going offensively they are hard to stop,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Bulls rallied by raining in 3-pointers and running at most every missed shot and turnover by the Hawks.
Consecutive 3-pointers from C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer got Chicago within 32-25. A rushed miss by Crawford led to a Watson layup and the Bulls collected two offensive rebounds to lead to Kyle Korver 3-pointer that trimmed the lead to 34-30.
A bad pass by Teague led to Horford picking up his third personal foul while challenging Luol Deng at the basket. Deng made both free throws to cut Chicago's deficit to 41-38 and Rose and Korver each made a 3-pointer as the Bulls closed the half with a 12-4 run.
The Hawks led just 51-50 at halftime despite shooting 56 percent because Chicago scored 13 points off six turnovers and more than that by running on Atlanta's misses. The trend continued early in the third quarter, when Atlanta's poor shot selection led to a 6-0 Chicago run.
The Hawks eventually regrouped and ran away to victory, leaving others to scrutinize their faults.
“Let them do it," Crawford said. "We believe in ourselves. That's the most important thing.”
