There are times when you just win a game, and then there are times when you win a game. Chicago creamed Atlanta 114-81 on Tuesday at Atlanta, with Derrick Rose leading scoring with 30 points.
Look, I know, Chicago at this time is pretty much going to school most of the teams out there, especially when D. Rose goes on a roll. But 33 points—against a fifth-slotted team? What is Atlanta’s defense doing, or, more importantly, what is it not doing?
According to ESPN, Chicago shot a stellar 73.8 percent, in the first half, and 77.8 percent from three-point range. Really, Atlanta? Either Chicago has exponentially better shooters than I thought, or Atlanta’s defense is slacking a bit.
It’s not that Atlanta’s numbers were miserable—Joe Smith and Al Horford got 14 points each, and Jeff Teague led them with 20. Joe Johnson, who, if you’ll remember, signed a lucrative deal this summer with Atlanta for six years and $119 million, dished in 13 points.
At this point, Atlanta will almost definitely play Orlando in the first round of the playoffs. Though this is probably better than facing Chicago in the first round, it’s not very comforting, either. They’d better figure out what happened with their defense last night, and fast.
Look, I know, Chicago at this time is pretty much going to school most of the teams out there, especially when D. Rose goes on a roll. But 33 points—against a fifth-slotted team? What is Atlanta’s defense doing, or, more importantly, what is it not doing?
According to ESPN, Chicago shot a stellar 73.8 percent, in the first half, and 77.8 percent from three-point range. Really, Atlanta? Either Chicago has exponentially better shooters than I thought, or Atlanta’s defense is slacking a bit.
It’s not that Atlanta’s numbers were miserable—Joe Smith and Al Horford got 14 points each, and Jeff Teague led them with 20. Joe Johnson, who, if you’ll remember, signed a lucrative deal this summer with Atlanta for six years and $119 million, dished in 13 points.
At this point, Atlanta will almost definitely play Orlando in the first round of the playoffs. Though this is probably better than facing Chicago in the first round, it’s not very comforting, either. They’d better figure out what happened with their defense last night, and fast.
