To finish recapping the Atlanta series, Rose was completely unstoppable in game three, turning in a 44 point performance that would justify any MVP votes cast for him. Bulls came out amazingly flat in game four, but hung close until midway into the fourth quarter before collapsing completely. Boozer was horrific but all the Bulls looked like they were just expecting Rose to rescue them at the end. Thibs gave us some inspired coaching in game five, benching Boozer, and less importantly Noah for the entire fourth quarter. Asik, and more importantly Taj, came up big when their numbers were called.
And there was carry over into game six as well, since both Boozer and Noah started the game off very energetically. Boozer actually slightly resembled the offensive player the Bulls thought they were going to get, and he wasn't quite as completely pathetic on defense as usual. Overall, this was probably the most impressive game of the playoffs for the Bulls as just about everyone played well. Rose only had 19 points in this game, far below the 30 to 40 he'd been getting, but he had 12 assists. It was the first playoff game where the Bulls looked like they would have a chance of beating the Heat in the next round.
Speaking of which, this next round will be quite the challenge. I know the Bulls have home court advantage and had good success against Miami during the regular season, but it is no surprise that the betting odds favor Miami. Even at home the Bulls are 4.5 point underdogs. Miami is playing quite well in the playoffs and the Bulls have struggled more often than not. If the Bulls play like they did in game six, then they can win against anyone, but they will come up short if their play remains inconsistent.
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