CHICAGO -- The Hawks want to be physical with Bulls star Derrick Rose in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but coach Larry Drew doesn't want them to take it as far as Lakers center Andrew Bynum did against Dallas.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that Bynum was suspended for the first five games of next season after he flipped Mavericks guard J.J. Barea with a flagrant foul on Sunday.
“We don't condone those type of fouls where you are taking people out of the air and really trying to hurt somebody,” Drew said before Game 5. “That's not the way the game should be played. The game should be played with hard fouls, though. ... You are talking about fouls that are not going to injure people."
Drew said part of the reason he started Jason Collins at center in Games 3 and 4 was to give the team a physical presence. Collins' hard fouls in the first round against Orlando annoyed center Dwight Howard, but Drew said Collins doesn't cross the line.
“He does it in a way where it not anything malicious,” Drew said.
Collins said his goal on hard fouls was to go for the ball and prevent the shooter from getting his arms above his head to get off a shot. He said mid-air collisions have the potential for injuries even when there is no ill intent.
In the 2004 playoffs, then-Knicks forward Tim Thomas suffered a bruised back and ankle after Collins, then with the Nets, sent him to the court with a hard foul.
“I'm not trying to go out there and hurt him, but he just jumped too high,” Collins said. “I tried to foul him in his arms but ended up hitting him in the chest.”
Another winner
The NBA announced Tuesday that Bulls general manager Gar Forman shared the Executive of the Year award with Heat President Pat Riley. A panel of executives from all 30 teams voted for the award.
The Bulls improved from 41 victories to a league-best 62 after Forman hired coach Tom Thibodeau and added free agents to play alongside Rose. Bulls vice president John Paxson finished third in voting for the award.
The Hawks have faced all of the top award winners in the playoffs. Howard is the Defensive Player of the Year, Rose is the MVP and Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year.
Etc.
Bulls guard Keith Bogans was in the starting lineup. He suffered a sprained right ankle in Game 4 and didn't participate in the team's shootaround on Tuesday. ... The Hawks said tickets are available for Game 6 on Thursday night at Philips Arena. They can be purchased by calling 1-866-715-1500 or at hawks.com or Ticketmaster outlets.
