Bulls Vs. Hawks, Game 1: Derrick Rose’s Championship Quest Continues, But Atlanta Poses Challenge

Derrick Rose had a pretty bizarre first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. The Chicago Bulls triumphed 4-1, and as Mike Prada has written about extensively, we saw the epitome of Derrick Rose Clutch Bot. The presumptive NBA MVP drew more fouls than ever, and the Bulls wouldn't have won the series without him. But he also shot just 37 percent from the floor, hit only 8-37 on three-pointers and averaging almost four turnovers per game.

Against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, he'll likely have to play better. While Pacers rookie Paul George posed some problems for Rose, it'll be Atlanta's big men -- Josh Smith and Al Horford -- who figure to give the Bull some worries in the lane. Smith and Horford are among the league's best help defenders, and given that Rose lives at the rim and line, overcoming the swatting duo will be vital to Chicago's offense.

On the other end, the Bulls' absurdly good defense will need to shut down Jamal Crawford, who was just brilliant against the Orlando Magic. Crawford averaged 20 points on .575 True Shooting, lighting up just about everyone Orlando threw at him on a parade of jumpers. But Crawford struggled against Chicago in the regular season, averaging just nine points a game -- five off his season average -- while shooting 44 percent from the floor and 33 percent on threes.

The bigger problem for the Hawks is the lack of Kirk Hinrich, listed as doubtful for the entire series. That means that either Crawford will have to join the starting lineup, Marvin Williams will have to move to shooting guard and Joe Johnson to point guard, or second-year point guard Jeff Teague -- who played nine minutes in six games against the Magic -- will need to ascend. It's a tough road any which way.