Bulls Vs. Hawks Predictions: Al Horford, Josh Smith Can Give Chicago Trouble

By Kris Willis of Peachtree Hoops, SB Nation's Atlanta Hawks blog.

The Hawks weren't supposed to survive the first round against the Orlando Magic and are even bigger underdogs in the second round against the Chicago Bulls, particularly now that Kirk Hinrich is unlikely to play in the series after injuring a hamstring against Orlando. A healthy dose of Derrick Rose and Atlanta without Hinrich has a lot of people pointing to a potential blowout and sweep for the Bulls in the series.

I'm not so sure though. While I will stop short of predicting an upset win for the Hawks, it would not surprise me to see them make this a series. The Bulls didn't exactly look like the No. 1 seed for much of their series against Indiana and even with Rose, I think Josh Smith and Al Horford can give the Bulls trouble against Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Horford has the perimeter game to help take Noah away from the basket while Smith has the athleticism to give Boozer fits inside. It is a long shot for the Hawks, but then again everything is at this point of the season.