After Game 2, my feeling was that in Games 3 and 4 there would be a tough game, and a relatively easy game. Basically one game that would be close until the 4th quarter, and one where the Bulls would have command throughout. I thought that Game 3 would be the tough one, and Game 4 would be the the easy one. Instead the script was reversed, and now the series heads back to Chicago tied at 2-2.
But, let's talk some Josh Smith, as he epitomizes what makes the Hawks fun to watch, and tough to beat, and the reverse as well. Personally, when I think of the Highlight Factory, I think the outputs would be largely driven by one Josh Smith. Gifted athletically, wonderful on the open floor, and an excellent help side defender, it should be easy to win with a player like this on your team. Instead, he's become nationally known for taking and missing deep 2s and wide open threes instead of taking the ball inside. Game 3: At Rim: 4-5, 3-9 ft: 3-3, 16-23 ft: 0-6
Game 4: At Rim: 6-11, 3-9 ft: 1-5, 16-23 ft: 1-5, 3 PT: 0-1 Josh Smith would finish the game with 23 pts (8-22), 16 rebounds (5 offensive), 8 assists and 2 blocks! The mere act of attacking the rim more than he has all series opened up and exposed pretty weak rotations and help by Bulls all game. Through 3 quarters, the Bulls were kept in the game through free throw shooting, but in the fourth quarter the effort level never stepped up. Many will point to Bennett Salvatore's inadvertent whistle call in a 6 point game, especially since he admitted that he should have called it after seeing it on the replay. As I've always said, the game isn't typically lost on a single play but rather leading up to it. And where the Bulls hurt the most was executing their offense. The spacing was decent, but not ideal, and Atlanta had devised some slight tweaks to basic looks to show DRose on double teams. The key here is that if DRose is going to pass out of those double teams, would other players step up and make plays? The answer? No.Luol Deng: 13 pts on 5-14 shooting (1-6 on threes)
Kyle Korver: 2 pts on 1-8 shooting (0-5 on threes). Most of Korver's misses happened in the 1st half. He would only attempt 2 field goals in the second half. Deng also only ends up attempting 4 field goals in the second half. The unfortunate side effect of having a great player on your team, is that you get trapped into thinking it's okay for him to bail you out when things are going well. Unlike Westbrook who virtually never looked for players on his team, DRose tried a number of times, but players would pass up less than ideal shots. It's not a recipe for success that DRose shoots over 30+ times. Other players will need to step up to the challenge, though with home court advantage in a best of 3, I still like our chances.HoopData box score:
http://www.hoopdata.com/boxscore.aspx?id=310508001PopcornMachine game flow:
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20110508&game=CHIATL PopcornMachine box score:
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/boxscore.cgi?date=20110508&game=CHIATL
Game 4: At Rim: 6-11, 3-9 ft: 1-5, 16-23 ft: 1-5, 3 PT: 0-1 Josh Smith would finish the game with 23 pts (8-22), 16 rebounds (5 offensive), 8 assists and 2 blocks! The mere act of attacking the rim more than he has all series opened up and exposed pretty weak rotations and help by Bulls all game. Through 3 quarters, the Bulls were kept in the game through free throw shooting, but in the fourth quarter the effort level never stepped up. Many will point to Bennett Salvatore's inadvertent whistle call in a 6 point game, especially since he admitted that he should have called it after seeing it on the replay. As I've always said, the game isn't typically lost on a single play but rather leading up to it. And where the Bulls hurt the most was executing their offense. The spacing was decent, but not ideal, and Atlanta had devised some slight tweaks to basic looks to show DRose on double teams. The key here is that if DRose is going to pass out of those double teams, would other players step up and make plays? The answer? No.Luol Deng: 13 pts on 5-14 shooting (1-6 on threes)
Kyle Korver: 2 pts on 1-8 shooting (0-5 on threes). Most of Korver's misses happened in the 1st half. He would only attempt 2 field goals in the second half. Deng also only ends up attempting 4 field goals in the second half. The unfortunate side effect of having a great player on your team, is that you get trapped into thinking it's okay for him to bail you out when things are going well. Unlike Westbrook who virtually never looked for players on his team, DRose tried a number of times, but players would pass up less than ideal shots. It's not a recipe for success that DRose shoots over 30+ times. Other players will need to step up to the challenge, though with home court advantage in a best of 3, I still like our chances.HoopData box score:
http://www.hoopdata.com/boxscore.aspx?id=310508001PopcornMachine game flow:
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20110508&game=CHIATL PopcornMachine box score:
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/boxscore.cgi?date=20110508&game=CHIATL