Everything Coming Up Roses For Bulls, Advance To Face Heat

Carlos Boozer celebrates with Keith Bogans and Derrick Rose in the third quarter of Game 6's victory.
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Coming into Thursday night’s game in Atlanta, the winner of the first quarter had gone on to win the game. That held true last night as the Bulls opened up a 27-17 lead after the first and never trailed as they closed out the Hawks in 6.

The Bulls had 34 assists on 41 made baskets from the field, 12 of those coming from MVP Derrick Rose. Rose took on more of a facilitator role, taking only 14 shots on the night. It was a stark contrast to Chicago’s last loss in game 4 when Rose threw up 32 shots, connecting on only 12.

The biggest surprise of the night was the embattled Carlos Boozer. Boozer connected on his first 6 jump shots as he rolled to a total of 23 points on the night, leading all scorers. Boozer had recently been called out in the Chicago media by former Bull Horace Grant who stated about Boozer, “…stop worrying about all that money and start worrying if you can contribute to a team winning. He has to put his ego aside for the betterment of the team." Carlos Boozer has been battling a turf toe injury which has put a damper on his production on both ends of the floor, but came through last night in the clutch when his team needed him the most.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls were stifling, limiting Atlanta to 36.5 percent from the field and a paltry 1 for 11 from three. Ball movement was just not there for Atlanta as they were often limited to one shot, late in the clock. As the adage goes, the offense scored the points but the defense won this game.

For Chicago, they look ahead to a marquee series with the Miami Heat, who closed out the Boston Celtics in 5. Game one of that series will be Sunday night in Chicago and both teams will be looking to put their mark on the series early. The Bulls swept the regular season series with Miami 3-0, but as Dwyane Wade and Co. demonstrated against Boston, the regular season means nothing in the playoffs.

NBA Weekend Wrap

Dallas Vs. Los Angeles Game 4: Mavericks Win Series 4-0

As goes Jason Terry, so go the Dallas Mavericks. As far as three point shots that is definitely true. Both Terry and the Mavericks finished the night 1 three point shot short of a NBA record for three pointers made Sunday afternoon as the Mavericks routed the Lakers 122-86. Terry shot 9-10 from behind the arc for 27 of his game high 32 points.

On a normal night, that would have been the top news story. This was far from a normal night. While the game started to get out of reach for the frustrated reigning champions, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum resorted to thuggery to get their point across. Odom's elbow on Dirk Nowitzki got him tossed early in the fourth quarter. Less than a minute later Andrew Bynum committed one of the more egregious flagrant fouls of the season throwing a forearm into a driving J.J. Berea's ribs. Berea hit the floor hard in a scary play which saw Bynum remorselessly leaving the floor, removing his jersey as he did so to a chorus of boos.

Dallas awaits the winner of the Oklahoma City/Memphis series. They figure to be well rested as those two teams battle it out.

Atlanta Vs. Chicago Game 4: Series Tied 2-2

The Hawks used a late run to break open a tight game late as Atlanta tied up the series Sunday night. This game did not come without controversy as Bennett Salvatore blew an inadvertent whistle on a three point shot by Derrick Rose. Salvatore later admitted fault saying, "I blew my whistle and didn't mean to. I didn't think it was a foul. Having watched the replay after the game, it was a foul and I should have called it. I made a mistake." The Bulls were down 6 at the time and three free throws could have made the contest even closer. However, the rules dictated a jump ball at mid court which the Hawks recovered and extended the lead to 8 at the time.

Atlanta got their work done under the basket scoring more than half of their points in the paint. On the defensive end, they limited Derrick Rose to 34 points while shooting 12 for 32 from the field. Rose can't do this on his own and it showed Sunday night with only two other Bulls in double figures. Game 5 is Tuesday night in a game that will go a long way in deciding the outcome in this series.

Memphis Vs. Oklahoma City Game 3: Grizzlies Lead 2-1

With 7:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, Memphis looked dead in the water. Kevin Durant had just put the Thunder up 11 with a driving dunk and the Grizzlies were forced to call a timeout. O.J. Mayo wasn't ready to call it a night and a 3 pointer out of the timeout ignited the crowd and the home team as they came back to send the game into OT.

The extra period belonged to Memphis, scoring 8 of the first 10 points in OT. Memphis went on to win the game 101-93 before a raucous crowd. fourth quarter and overtime Memphis outscored OKC by a score of 38-17.During the regular season, Memphis only managed 4 sellouts, but the arena sold out in less than 30 minutes for the first home game of the second round in franchise history. Game 4 is tonight back in the FedEx Arena in Memphis and the Grizzlies could take a commanding 3-1 lead in their improbable playoff run.

Miami Vs. Boston Game 3: Heat Lead 2-1

Boston showed signs of life early, taking a 16-7 lead in the first and never really looked back as Boston staved off the Miami Heat Saturday night. Kevin Garnett lead the way with 28 and Paul Pierce added 27 as the Celtics got on the series scoreboard with a win.

The story of the game was not the resurgence of Boston's big three, but the dislocation of Rajon Rondo's elbow. Late in the third quarter, he and Dwyane Wade got tangled up and Rondo landed awkwardly on his elbow, dislocating it in the process. However in a great example of mind over matter, the point guard re-entered the game at the start of the fourth and continued to play one handed with his bad arm dangling at his side. Both a MRI and CAT scan of his arm came back negative but it will be interesting to see how it affects his performance tonight in game 4.