Bull-strong! Playoff Pondering for May 11, 2011

Luol Deng was a big help to the MVP
in defeating the Hawks in Game 5
(image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

CHI over ATL, 95-83 (CHI up, 3-2)

Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 33 big ones
(image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

This time the Bulls responded the way they needed. League MVP Derrick Rose had another huge scoring game, ending up with 33 points, but it was a host of other Bulls who kept them strong throughout the game.

Luol Deng rebounded from a lackluster Game 4, finishing with 23 points. Keith Bogans hit 3 of 5 triples to finish with 11. The PF tandem of Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson was solid, with both netting 11 markers and Booze grabbing 12 caroms.

The Bulls just hung tough and rode Rose most of the way, while the shock-troopers mopped up. And the Hawks?

Well it was a good thing Jeff Teague has been stepping up, else they’d be staring at a bigger deficit going back to Atlanta.

Jeff Teague has been
a revelation in this series
(image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

So the warriors from the Windy City have regained the advantage and the momentum, but they shouldn’t count these Hawks out just yet. Larry Drew’s big guns weren’t very menacing in this match, but they’re sure to regain their bearings in Game 6. Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford combined for just 45 points on 19 of 51 FG shooting. Horrendous.

If you’re an Atlanta fan, you know something’s probably wrong when Zaza Pachulia outscores Crawford, with the former playing fewer minutes than the latter?

Where is Crawford anyway? Did he leave his game in Orlando? He was in the running for the 6th Man of the Year award for the season, but his performance in this series has justified his losing that race.

And if the Hawks still want to win this race? They’ll have to be collectively awesome against bull-strong Chicago.