Monday night in Chicago, the Atlanta Hawks pulled off a 103-95 win against the Chicago Bulls that was almost as improbable as their entire Orlando Magic series victory -- if you listen to certain pundits, at least. Joe Johnson delivered a performance that for once made you forget exactly how much money he's making, producing 34 points, four boards and three steals, draining all five of his threes.
How good was it? Even John Hollinger was impressed.
We won't say Jeff Teague bottled up Derrick Rose, but he frustrated the league MVP far more than anybody expected him to. The fact that Rose shot zero free throws and was instead forced to shoot seven threes -- not his speciality -- is a testament to Teague's eager defense. Al Horford powered Atlanta to a slight rebounding edge, bringing home 13 boards, three of them offensive.
The Hawks get a day of rest, which should benefit Chicago more than anybody. Rose injured his ankle in the closing second of Game 1 on a meaningless play, and could use all the rest he can get, though he says he's good to go.
Game 1: Hawks def. Bulls, 103-95 (1-0)
Game 2: Wed., May 4 in Chicago, 8 p.m., TNT, 97.9 FM
Game 3: Fri., May 6 in Atlanta, 7 p.m., ESPN, 97.9 FM
Game 4: Sun., May 8 in Atlanta, 8 p.m., TNT, 97.9 FM
Game 5: Tue., May 10 in Chicago, Time TBD, TNT, 97.9 FM
Game 6: Thu., May 12 in Atlanta, Time TBD, ESPN, 97.9 FM
Game 7: Sun., May 15 in Chicago, Time TBD, TNT, 97.9 FM
For more on the series, visit SB Nation's NBA hub, Peachtree Hoops, Blog-a-Bull, and SB Nation Chicago.