Oak Park Journal Sports Page

Hawks De-Clawed By Bulls 95-83.
Rose 33 & Deng 23 Points

by Mark Rotor

Yes, Derrick Rose was the answer any time the Bulls have needed to regain a lead or lengthen a dwindling lead, once again Chicago needed to call on their MVP to work his magic in the 4th but the unsung hero, the reliable reserve forward Taj Gibson contribute in the final quarter allowing the Bulls to come back down (70-69) to Atlanta only to recover win game 5 by 14 points 95-83. Chicago now leads the Eastern Conference Semi final by 3-2 margin.

Rose finished 11 of 24, 10-13 free throws scoring 33 points on 9 assist. In the 4th quarter he finished the game the way he started driving to the basket while providing scoring opportunities for his team. “I wanted to make the game easier pushing the ball with me driving, make them commit to me to make it easier for my teammates to hit open shots and to night they were getting some,” Rose said.

Hard Hat & Lunch Bucket – Gibson Electric In The 4th

Taj Gibson had a transcendent 12:00 minutes in the 4th quarter. He scored all 11 of his points in the 4th keeping the Bulls 10 point run alive late in the quarter. He finished with only 2 rebounds but contributed 2 assist and three key baskets in the last four minutes. Gibson shot with confidence scoring on a hook shot with 3:05 remaining giving Chicago a 91-79. After a floating jump shot by Rose, Gibson lunched his 2nd flip hook shot to capture a 14 point advantage with 2:23 to virtually lock-up the victory. However, Atlanta could not answer missing multiple scoring attempts by Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Josh Smith.

“My teammates were looking form me. I was playing with a lot of energy, and I was making some baskets,” Gibson said. “When we play with a lot of energy, we are a hard nosed team.”

When Gibson was asked was this his best game he responded: “I have been playing basketball along time, but tonight was special knowing my team was behind me and knowing the city was behind me.”

Bull's Noah saying "No", the whole night long.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo by Mark Rotor

Tough Day For the Hawks

Although, most of the game stats were very close between Atlanta and Chicago a few stats did hurt the Hawks. Atlanta offense was snake bitten shooting 1 of 12 (8.3%) from three point range while Allstar Joe Johnson shot a meager 5 of 18 neutralized by the defensive job of the Bulls’ Luol Deng. “The Coach stayed with us late in the game because we had a lot of energy,” said Deng. Deng not only slowed down Johnson but also was the 2nd leading score with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assist.

“In the 4th quarter I think we completely lost our composure, I told our guys a bad shot is just as good as a turnover,” said Hawks Head Coach Larry Drew. “In the 4th quarter we did not do a good job of executing our offense.”

The Turning Point – Beginning of the Quarter

Up till the 4th quarter the Hawks were able to remain close down only by 6 points at half time 48-42 as they out scoring the Bulls by a 21-16 margin. At the end of the 3rd quarter the Hawks took the lead for the 1st time in the game with 1:58 left on a jump shot by back-up center Zaza Pachulia. Chicago answered and grabbed the lead 69-68 on a lay-up by Ronnie Brewer. However, Atlanta remained in striking distance down by one.

“We were in great position until the end of the third quarter,” Drew said. “From a rhythm standpoint I thought we were playing at a favorable pass for us and are bench was doing a really good job. In the 4th quarter we had some bad offensive possessions, we were not executing and that led to bad shot that led to baskets on the other end.”

Carlos Boozer Adds To The Winning Mix

In 29 minutes the injury plagued Carlos Boozer recently playing threw toe ligament damage, provided a welcome contribution of 11 points, 12 rebounds in 29 minutes.

Although, Gibson played in the key final minutes of the game Carlos was impressed by contributions of the “Bench Mob”. “They have been great all year. I think they played great in game 4 and tonight. When the 2nd team comes in the energy goes down, but we are lucky, our energy picks up. It has been like that all year.”

Closing The Door On The Hawks

Chicago now has the luxury of having two games to attempt to end the series. Up 3-2 in the best of seven Chicago plays next on Friday at Atlanta with their next opportunity to close out Atlanta. If not, back home on Sunday for game 7 for a final chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a victory.