Can Bulls stop Hawks’ 3-guard offense?

Maybe the Bulls’ defensive shortcomings were mostly a result of Atlanta’s two leading scorers bringing hot hands to Game 1. Whatever the cause, the Hawks clearly won the battle of matchups during their 103-95 victory at the United Center.

The Bulls’ slow start was an issue that needs to be corrected. The fact remains the Bulls recovered to build a 4-point lead with four minutes left in the third quarter and were outscored by 14 points the rest of the way.

“The fourth quarter, we weren’t so good,” Luol Deng said Tuesday at the Berto Center. “They played a lot better.”

The Bulls have reason to be concerned about matching up with Atlanta’s three-guard lineup featuring Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague.

Johnson, Teague and Al Horford never came off the floor in the second half and small forward Marvin Williams was never seen again when Crawford checked in at the 7:15 mark of the third quarter. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau called Williams underrated before the series, but it seemed as though Atlanta coach Larry Drew agreed that against the Bulls, Williams is a weak link who can’t guard Deng.

So the Hawks went with the three guards almost exclusively in the second half. Johnson and Crawford combined to score 34 points after halftime and hit 11-of-22 shots from the field. Teague may lack experience, but he demonstrated a few times in the first half he has the speed to blow past Derrick Rose.

Johnson forced the Bulls to send double-teams early to get the ball out of his hands, similar to what Indiana tried to do with Rose. There haven’t been many times this season when the Bulls defense has been scrambling to keep up with another team’s offensive strategy, but this was one of them.

“Those guys are going to get shots,” Thibodeau said of Johnson and Crawford. “You can defend them well and they still can make.”

Deng tried to stick Johnson most of the second half, but at 6-foot-7, the Hawks top scorer has the ability to simply lean back and drain long jumpers.

Here’s another problem: Thibodeau has not been able to find an opposing player Kyle Korver can guard in the fourth quarter. Most teams have players who stand by the 3-point line the way Korver does.

Crawford used to fire 3-pointers all day long. Now, at age 31, Crawford has become a confident scorer who can put the ball on the floor, step back and shoot, as well as finish on the move closer to the rim. Still lightning quick, he’s a tough cover for anybody, not just Korver.

The Bulls were forced to go heavy on the situational substitutions, trying to get Ronnie Brewer in the game to check Crawford. But having Korver to space the floor is vital to Rose getting the room to drive in the fourth quarter.

Complain all you want about Rose not shooting any free throws on Monday, defense is the issue for the Bulls and they’ll have to overcome some fundamental flaws to fare better Wednesday in Game 2.

“When you’re guarding scorers like that, you’re not going to guard them one-on-one,” Thibodeau said. “You have to guard them with your team. I thought there were times when we left those guys on an island. We’ve got to make sure we’re showing our help and we’ve got to be in the proper spots.”

How could the Bulls do things differently? One idea is to have Korver guard Josh Smith. Except for one key 20-foot jumper in the fourth quarter, Smith looked like a guy who shouldn’t be shooting.

But then the Bulls would have to play with one big man, which hasn’t been their style all year. Orlando had the same problems. After losing Game 1 at home, the Magic lost two close games in Atlanta and dropped the series.

“Every aspect of our defense has to be better and it starts with the intensity,” Thibodeau added.

A faster start would have helped in Game 1, but the Bulls need to figure out their fourth-quarter defense quickly.

Ÿ Follow Mike’s Bulls reports via Twitter @McGrawDHBulls, and check out his All Bull blog at dailyherald.com.