If the Atlanta Hawks do end up losing this Game 6, one thing's for sure, they won't go down without a fight.
Carlos Boozer has 13 points and Derrick Rose and Luol Deng added nine each to post the Chicago Bulls to a 45-35 lead over Atlanta in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday night at Philips Arena.
Josh Smith and Joe Johnson netted 10 each for the Hawks, who will go home with a loss in this one.
Let's just say that it's amazing that Atlanta still even has the remotest of chances in this one. They looked like a defeated team, very much deflated and downtrodden.
But second-year point guard sensation Jeff Teague -- who got hurt 53 seconds into the second quarter -- came into the game to give the Hawks a spark. And then Smith happened.
The Atlanta forward stole the ball, ran the court with Johnson and finished with an alley-oop where the Hawks star took off from Winnipeg to cut what was once a 42-25 lead down to 12.
One has to wonder if this young Bulls team is a bit rattled. Remember Hawks fans, this same Atlanta team rallied back from a 20-plus point deficit to win the first game between these two teams by an 83-80 score on March 2. There's no reason not to believe if they look like the club that closed out the second half that they could do it again.
Yes, folks there's hope at Philips Arena with the basketball team. Here's to hoping that the same will happen for the hockey team as well. While Smith's shots should come from Winnipeg, the Atlanta Thrashers shouldn't move there.