Rose makes quick work of Hawks

What seemed a problem for the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 became a full-blown pattern in Game 3.

The Hawks aren't all that smart, they're not very well coached, and if neither changes quickly, Derrick Rose is going to end this series in five games.

Nearly everything the Hawks did poorly in Game 2 continued in Game 3, and the Bulls and Rose just got better at taking advantage of the Atlanta mistakes, pounding the Hawks 99-82 at Philips Arena.

As was the case Wednesday night at home, the Bulls went on the road Friday night and turned long rebounds into easy buckets the other way, and the Hawks did little to adjust.

At the same time, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had his club locking down the Atlanta shooters, and the Hawks' big men refused to find their way down low and use the Bulls' aggressive defense against them.

So the Hawks just kept taking bad shots and the Bulls turned the first half into a track meet, taking a 13-point lead while Atlanta's bigs went 6-for-19 from the floor.

Rose went off for 17 in first quarter, taking whatever the Hawks would give him, and the game was over at halftime.

“Allowing (Rose) to get to the basket without contesting him, I knew we were not as committed,” said Atlanta coach Larry Drew. “It's very discouraging.”

The Hawks couldn't contest because the Bulls' transition kept Atlanta out of its half-court defense, and Rose was able to rip them to shreds for a career-high 44 points.

“We know that if we get our defense going, good things happen,” Rose said. “When that happens, we can be very aggressive on both ends.”

There's little doubt Rose's ankle injury has robbed him of the explosion he had during the regular season, but when he's able to run before the defense gets set he can still take the ball to the bucket.

Atlanta took that away from him in Game 1 when the Bulls had little chance to move before the Hawks were back, but the last two games the Bulls played great half-court defense and watched with delight as Atlanta shot its way out of the lead in this series.

With time and space and without getting doubled by Atlanta's big men in the lane, Rose chewed up the Hawks going to the basket.

“In the first half, getting into the open floor really helped us,” Thibodeau said. “Getting the ball out quickly to (Rose) allows him to get into the paint.”

Meanwhile, Rose didn't figure to shoot like he did the first two games (38 percent) and he turned that around in a big way, going 16-for-27 from the floor (59 percent), and 4-for-7 from 3-point range after a meager 3-for-15 through two games.

The Bulls can't win if Rose isn't great, and he was Friday, while the rest of the starters had 21 points.

Joakim Noah scored only 2 points but had a game-high 15 rebounds (8 offensive), 5 blocks and 3 assists, and the Bulls crushed the Hawks on the boards.

Carlos Boozer (6 points, 6 rebounds) was essentially useless again in 22 minutes, and Taj Gibson came in for the second straight game and fueled the Bulls, scoring 13 points with 11 rebounds (7 offensive) in 25 minutes.

And after Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford went off for 56 points in Game 1, they collected 27 in Game 2 and only 17 in Game 3.

And by the time the Josh Smith started playing below the free-throw line in the second half Friday, it was too late for Atlanta.

“We go to Chicago and fight for two games and come home with a lack of effort,” Drew said. “If you don't match their effort, you have no chance.”

The Bulls' defense and rebounding, combined with Atlanta's shot selection, has completely turned this series, and with a 2-1 lead the Bulls can smell a quick ending.

Considering the state of their health, the sooner the better.

brozner@dailyherald.com