Bulls ‘can’t wait’ to get at it
This is exactly what the Bulls signed up for when they bought into coach Tom Thibodeau’s system — playoff pressure and a charged atmosphere.
By losing 100-88 in Atlanta on Sunday, evening their second-round playoff series at 2-2, the Bulls face a vital game Tuesday night at the United Center. Neither side is facing elimination, but a Bulls loss would create a must-win situation on the road for Game 6.
“We can’t wait,” Derrick Rose said Monday at the Berto Center. “If anything, I think all of us are mad with the effort we put in last game. We know it wasn’t good enough.
“Tomorrow, we’re playing back in our building. The atmosphere’s going to be unbelievable and we can’t wait to play.”
It’s easy to think the Bulls should be doing better against the fifth-seeded Hawks. Before the season, though, most projections had the Bulls finishing behind Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks have two all-stars (Joe Johnson and Al Horford), last season’s Sixth Man Award winner (Jamal Crawford) and last year’s runner-up for defensive player of the year (Josh Smith). Their nucleus has been together for four years, and this is their third straight trip to the second round.
So it hardly matters which team is supposed to win the series. The Bulls just need to get it done.
“You shouldn’t feel pressure if you put everything you have into it,” Thibodeau said. “We just have to be ready to play.”
Atlanta finished Sunday’s Game 4 with a 16-4 run after the game was tied at 84-84. In both Hawks victories in the series, they dominated the fourth quarter. But the opening quarter also was a telltale sign.
In Game 1, Atlanta jumped to an early 9-0 lead. In Game 4, the Hawks knocked down 9 of their first 11 shots.
When the Bulls won, their defense made an early stand. Atlanta shot 30 percent in the first quarter of Game 2, while the Bulls started Game 3 with a 9-3 advantage off the opening tip.
Thibodeau keeps talking about how the Hawks are difficult to slow down once their shooters get confident. The box scores seem to support that claim.
“They’ve played well, but we’ve just got to come out and try to jump on them from the beginning and see how they play then,” Rose said.
After returning from Atlanta early Monday morning, the Bulls watched video and held a short walk-through at the Berto Center. Forward Taj Gibson thought the video told the story of Game 4.
“We have to be ready to come out and play with a lot more intensity,” Gibson said. “When you see the film, you can see that their players had much more of an edge, knowing their backs were against the wall.
“It really hurt, because we put in a lot of work. It showed we can put in a lot more, because we really got embarrassed.”
Maybe that’s a symptom of the Bulls’ limited playoff experience. They played well after getting kicked in the teeth in Game 1, then relaxed after posting a decisive win on the Hawks’ home court.
“We’re fine,” Rose added. “Tomorrow’s going to be a new game. We don’t feel any pressure. We’re playing in our hometown. It’s our court and we usually don’t lose there,
“I think if we jump on them, take their confidence away, it should be an easy game. They’re doubling me, so it should be easy offense.”
Rose produced 34 points and 10 assists in the Game 4 loss but hit just 12 of 32 shots from the field. He’s averaging 31.8 points and 9.3 assists in the series.