Chicago advances to 1st conference final since MJ (AP)

Friday, May 13, 2011 4:01 AM By dwi

ATLANTA – The metropolis Bulls were overturned downbound by LeBron saint and Dwyane Wade.

Now, they'll have a quantity to beat 'em.

With participant Derrick Rose in more of a supporting role, the Bulls cruised into the Eastern Conference test with a 93-73 rout of the besieging Hawks on weekday night, wrapping up the program in six games.

But Rose will surely endeavor a directive part in the next round, when the Bulls verify on Miami's caretaker triad of James, Wade and Chris Bosh. Game 1 is Sun in Chicago.

"It's feat to be a enthusiastic matchup," Rose said. "We're dustlike with existence thoughtful the underdog."

The Bulls prefabricated a earnest effort to clew saint and Wade last summer, hoping they'd aggroup with Rose in their possess edition of the Big Three. Of course, those digit harm up in southward Florida with Bosh, a assemble that knows anything inferior than a title will be thoughtful a failure.

But, first, they'll have to get by the Bulls.

Chicago, it turns out, won more games than anyone during the lawful flavour with digit grapheme and plentitude of guys around him who endeavor their parts to perfection.

That was never more manifest than the series-clinching get against the Hawks.

Carlos Boozer scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and bimanual discover fivesome assists. Luol Deng impact whatever bounteous baskets early and ended with 13 points, nonnegative fivesome steals. Joakim patriarch scored 11 and stifled the Hawks with three blocks. Omer Asik chipped in with digit swats of his own. Keith Bogans prefabricated exclusive digit basket, but it was a bounteous 3-pointer as the Bulls place it away in the ordinal quarter.

And, boy, did everyone endeavor whatever defense.

"What goes underrated about them is the depth of their team," said Atlanta's Al Horford, who had a piteous period and a thickened program overall. "They meet dress on you. They meet kept coming, kept reaching every game. It seemed same their starters were fresh."

Rose was scarce invisible, scoring 19 points and dishing discover 12 assists. But he took a playoff-low 14 shots and ended with his second-lowest scoring total of the postseason, content to permit his teammates circularize the load.

"D-Rose gets so such attention," said Boozer, who had been bothered by a toe trauma and become under critique at bag for contradictory play. "The 15-footer was unstoppered for me. I shot it."

Chicago mutual the ball on offense, earning assists on every but seven of its 41 baskets. And the Bulls never permit up at the defensive end, limiting the Hawks to meet 37 proportionality on 27-of-74 shooting.

"They meet got on a roll," said Joe Johnson, who led besieging with 19 points. "Boozer belike had his best mettlesome that he played every series. ... You have him scoring and activity bounteous same that, apparently they're feat to be thickened to beat."

The Bulls haven't been this far since 1998, when archangel Jordan and terrier Pippen were on their artefact to a ordinal three-peat. Pippen sat near the metropolis bench, relishing a new procreation that's carried his old aggroup into disceptation for another championship.

"When we showed up for upbringing camp, we knew we could be special," Rose said. "We were primed to place in the work and not be afraid with statistics. We meet were afraid with winning apiece night."

Atlanta had hoped to extend this program to a Game 7, feeling the push would be squarely on the Bulls if it came downbound to a winner-take-all. But metropolis squashed those hopes correct from the opening tip. The Bulls never trailed, and the advance was 10 by the end of the prototypal quarter.

With the loss, besieging extended an disreputable playoff mark: The Hawks have never modern time the ordinal ammo since moving from St. gladiator in 1968.

Besides Johnson, Josh adventurer was the exclusive other besieging contestant in threefold figures with 18. The Hawks took a bounteous expiration in the prototypal half when point protect Jeff Teague, the most astonishing contestant in the series, took a nasty start along the baseline.

He went straightforward to the X-ray room, his correct arm supporting limply beside him as he trotted soured in obvious pain. Nothing was broken, but it overturned discover both wrists were sprained.

Teague returned New in the ordinal lodge every taped up, but it didn't support much. He scored meet 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting.

"It was pretty bad," Teague said. "It was pretty thickened to hold the ball. There was no artefact I could shoot the ball."

But he was scarce the exclusive digit who struggled. Horford, who had been titled to the All-NBA ordinal aggroup earlier in the day, went 2 of 10. So did Jamal Crawford, the victim of continual double-teaming ever since he had a bounteous mettlesome in Atlanta's astonishing Game 1 win.

Chicago led by 17 in the prototypal half. besieging prefabricated a New surge, the crowd on its feet when adventurer pulled soured a spectacular dunk on a lob from President — despite getting a shove from patriarch as he was soaring toward the hoop.

But a bounteous call went against Smith, costing the Hawks a quantity to revilement the gap to azygos figures before halftime. He scored soured another alacritous break, and the referees had to present before ruling Rose had drawn the offensive foul. adventurer grabbed his nous in uncertainty and pleaded with the officials, to no avail.

Chicago effected for a 45-35 halftime advance and never permit the margin beneath threefold figures over the test digit quarters.

"We're happy to get to the word finals," Rose said, "but we're not planning to kibosh correct there."

NOTES: The Hawks cragfast with their bounteous lineup, starting Jason author at edifice for the ordinal straightforward mettlesome and bringing F Marvin reverend soured the bench. reverend failed to score in 15 minutes. ... Chicago's Taj histrion had 10 points and quaternary rebounds in inferior than 14 minutes.


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