The Atlanta Hawks have had all sort of difficulties containing the inside game of Joakim Noah in this series.They also haven't attacked Derrick Rose when he slashed to the basket.
As a result, Hawks coach Larry Drew is toying with the idea of a different starting lineup for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup against the Chicago Bulls.
Drew told the AJC's Michael Cunningham that he is thinking with going with his "big" lineup with either Jason Collins or Zaza Pachulia in the middle when the series resumes on Sunday night in Atlanta. As is customary, Marvin Williams will head on over to the bench, Josh Smith will slide on over to the three and Al Horford will play the four.
Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson would continue to start at the guard positions.
With the exception of Teague, who is playing in place of the injured Kirk Hinrich, this is essentially the lineup that helped Atlanta to a series victory against the Orlando Magic. It would mark a fundamental shift for how Atlanta has played the first three games of the series with Chicago where the club has played some of it in an ultra-small formation of Johnson, Teague and Jamal Crawford.
But while Teague has played very well in the first three games of the series, Johnson and Crawford have struggled after their 56-point performance in Game 1. And Atlanta has been crushed on the boards.
Perhaps slowing down the tempo and getting physical down low in the post is a way to win the battle of the boards again and slow down Rose, who torched Atlanta for 44 points in Game 3.
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