May 2011 Archives

* Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a Best-of-7 series. The last team to do so was the Phoenix Suns, who beat the Lakers in seven games in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

* The Heat have seen their shooting improve in each successive series this postseason. They shot 42.6 percent against the 76ers, 45.1 percent against the Celtics, and are at 46.8 percent so far in this series.

* The Bulls have never won a Best-of-7 series when trailing three games to one, and only once in five tries have they even extended the series to six games. The Heat, meanwhile, have won all four of their Best-of-7 series in which they lead 3-1, being extended to six games just once (by the Pistons in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals).

* After outscoring Miami by 12 points in the 4^th quarter of Game 1, Chicago has been outscored 64-47 in the 4^th quarter of Games 2-4, shooting just 32.7 percent overall and going 0-for-10 from three-point range.

* After averaging 16.3 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting in the first two rounds of this postseason, Chris Bosh is putting up 24.0 ppg on 63.6 percent against the Bulls.

* In three career potential elimination games (1-2), Derrick Rose has averaged 25.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.3 turnovers while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor.

* The Heat have picked up back-to-back double-digit victories over the Bulls. Over their final 65 games of the regular season, the Bulls lost by double digits just twice.

* While the Heat have shot above 47 percent from the field in each of their three games against the Bulls this series, they have hit exactly three three-pointers in each of their games this series.

* LeBron James did not record a single turnover against the Bulls in Game 3. In LeBron's last 19 games in which he played and did not record a single turnover (including playoffs going back to January 2008), his teams have gone 19-0.

* Chris Bosh has scored at least 30 points twice in this series against the Bulls, after scoring at least 30 points just twice over his previous 76 games with the Heat.

* After dishing out double-digit assists in five of six playoff games against the Hawks, Derrick Rose has averaged just 6.3 assists per game this series against the Heat.

* Carlos Boozer recorded 26 points and 17 rebounds against the Heat in Game 3, marking just the second time that a player has put together at least 25 points and 15 boards in a game against the Heat since the beginning of the regular season. The other performance came just a couple weeks ago, as Kevin Garnett recorded 28 points and 18 rebounds in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semis.

* Over their four meetings this season (including playoffs), the Bulls have outrebounded the Heat by an average of 11 boards per game (44.0 - 33.0). In Game 1, the Bulls picked up 19 offensive rebounds - tied for the most allowed by the Heat since the beginning of the regular season.

* In Game 1, the Miami Heat went 15-for-15 from the free throw line - marking the first time the Heat were perfect from the line since going 10-for-10 against the Mavericks on February 20, 2010.

* The Bulls have allowed their opponents to shoot at least 47 percent from the field in four of their last five playoff games. At the same time, the Bulls have allowed a total of just 13 three-pointers over their last six playoff games.

* The 31 second-chance points scored by the Bulls in Game 1 were the most scored by a team in the playoffs since the Celtics scored 32 against the Bulls in Game 2 of the first round of the 2009 playoffs.

* In Game 1, the Bulls limited LeBron James to just 15 points. In his postseason career, James is winless (0-6) when scoring 15 or fewer points. James has also committed at least four turnovers in each of his last four playoff games.

* In Game 1, Joakim Noah had 14 rebounds, along with two steals and two blocks. The Bulls have gone 8-0 this postseason when Joakim Noah has recorded multiple defensive stops.

* During the regular season, the Bulls beat the Heat in all three games the teams played against each other. All three of these games were decided by four points or less and neither team scored 100 points in any of them. Chicago has won four of the five series it has played against Miami in the postseason all time.

* Chicago is back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1998 postseason when it beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games. The Bulls went on to beat the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals in six games in what was Michael Jordan's final season with Chicago.

* Miami is back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2006 postseason when it beat the Detroit Pistons in six games. The Heat went on to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals in six games giving the franchise its first NBA Championship.

* In Miami's series-clinching win over Boston in Game 5, LeBron James (33) and Dwyane Wade (34) each scored over 30 points. It was the first time this postseason and the eighth time this season (regular and post) that both players scored at least 30 points. Miami is 7-1 this year (regular and post) when James and Wade each score at least 30 points.

* Last year when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James averaged 31.8 (159/5) points, 9.2 (46/5) rebounds, 8.2 (41/5) assists, and shot 56.7% (55/97) from the field against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference first round. James and the Cavaliers won that series in five games.

* In the three regular season games the Bulls played against the Heat, Derrick Rose averaged 29.0 (87/3) points, 6.3 (19/3) assists, shot 44.6% (33/74) from the field, and shot 94.7% (18/19) from the free-throw line. Rose is averaging 28.8 (317/11) points per game this postseason, second-most behind Kevin Durant's 29.7 (297/10) points per game.

* In Chicago's series-clinching win over Atlanta in Game 6, Carlos Boozer had 20 points in a playoff game for the first time as a Chicago Bull, scoring 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting from the field (62.5%) to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. During the regular season, the Bulls were 16-6 when Boozer scored at least 20 points.

* The last time these two teams played in Atlanta (Game 4 on Sunday), the Hawks picked up a 100-88 victory. Since the beginning of the regular season, the Bulls are just 4-15 when allowing at least 100 points.

* Since 1980, the Hawks have played in just two Game 6's beyond the first round of the playoffs. In 1988, the Hawks lost Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to Boston (at home, 102-100) before losing Game 7. In 1994, the Hawks lost Game 6 (also in the Eastern Conference semis) at Indiana, 98-79, which eliminated them from the playoffs.

* The Bulls have lost three of their last four Game 6's. However, two years ago, the Bulls picked up a 128-127 triple overtime victory at home against the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs (before losing Game 7).

* In Game 5, the Hawks shot 55.9 percent (33/59) from two-point range, but just 8.3 percent (1/12) from three-point range. Overall, the Hawks have shot above 47 percent from the field in each of their last three games against the Bulls.
* Derrick Rose has recorded at least 33 points and six assists on five occasions this postseason. All other NBA players have combined to make just three of these performances this postseason.

* So far this postseason, the Hawks have gone 6-0 when Joe Johnson has scored at least 20 points, and 0-5 when he has scored less than 20 points.

* The Hawks won Game 4, 100-88 to tie the series at two games apiece; each game in the series has been decided by at least eight points, with the average win coming by 12.5 points.

* Chicago is 5-1 in Game 5's played at home when the series is tied 2-2 (in a best-of-seven series). The Bulls went on to win all five of those series when winning Game 5 while losing to Washington in 2004-05 after dropping Game 5 at home.

* The Hawks are just 4-12 in Game 5 when a series is tied 2-2 (best-of-seven series only). Atlanta went on to win just six of those 16 series, including beating the Bucks in seven games last season after dropping Game 5.

* In the Game 4 win, Atlanta had five players in double figures, including three different players with 20+ points (Al Horford with 20, Josh Smith with 23, and Joe Johnson with 24). This was the first time the Hawks had three players with 20+ points in a playoff game this season.

* Derrick Rose is shooting 48.1 percent in the Bulls two wins this series, while connecting on just 39.0 percent of his shots in two losses.

* The Bulls have outrebounded their opponents by 8.0 boards per game, the best rebounding margin in a single postseason since the 2001-02 (Minnesota, +8.0).

* Joe Johnson has scored at least 20 points in each of the Hawks six wins this postseason while averaging just 11.3 points per game in Atlanta's four losses. Johnson has attempted just six total free throws in those four losses while averaging 5.0 free throw attempts per game in six wins.

* Chicago held Atlanta to 73 points in Game 2. That is the fewest points the Bulls have allowed in a playoff game since holding the Jazz to 54 points on June 7, 1998.

* Three Bulls recorded 10 or more rebounds in Game 2. It is just the second time this postseason that a team has had three or more players record 10 or more rebounds in a game.

* The Hawks are allowing just 83.3 points per game at home this postseason, the fewest by any team. Including the regular season, Atlanta has held its opponent to less than 100 points in eight consecutive games at home.

* Atlanta is averaging just 32 points in the paint per game in the playoffs, tied with the Heat for the fewest of any team. The Hawks are 5-0 this postseason when shooting better than 35 percent from the three-point line and 0-3 when shooting 35 percent or less.

* Derrick Rose is the first Bull to dish out 10 or more assists in back-to-back postseason games since Kirk Hinrich did it in three consecutive games against Detroit in 2007. Rose is shooting just 37.7 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from the three-point line.

* Josh Smith has blocked four shots in each of the first two games of this series, but is shooting just 28.0 percent from the field in this series.

* Their Game 1 win in Chicago was the Hawks' first in the Conference Semifinals since 1997 and only the third time they won a Game 1 on the road since 1987. The other two occurrences were in the first round (1991 at Detroit; 1996 at Indiana).

* The Hawks had their best performance from behind the three-point arc this postseason in Game 1, shooting 53.8 percent (7-for-13).

* The Bulls allowed their highest opponent field-goal percentage of the 2011 playoffs in Game 1, when Atlanta shot 51.3 percent (40-for-78). The 31 points Atlanta scored in the fourth quarter were also the most Chicago has allowed in a single quarter this postseason.

* Carlos Boozer, who scored 14 points in Game 1, has not reached 20 points in his last eight postseason games - the longest stretch of his career. He had scored 20 or more in 10 of his 17 prior postseason games.

* Derrick Rose recorded his fifth career playoff double-double in Game 1 with 24 points and 10 assists. The Bulls have lost the last three times Rose has had a double-double in the postseason, including Game 4 of the first round against the Pacers.

* In Game 1, Joe Johnson was one point shy of his career playoff-high when he netted 34. However, Johnson did tie his best career postseason shooting performances, going 12-for-18 from the field (66.7 percent) and 5-for-5 on three-pointers.

* Chicago won two out of three games against Atlanta in the regular season, with all three meetings coming in March. The Bulls held Atlanta to 83 points or less in all three contests (80.0 ppg).

* Going back to late March, the Bulls have won 17 of their last 19 games, losing only at home to the 76ers (March 28) and at Indiana in Game 4 of the first round. The Bulls have held 18 of those 19 opponents under 100 points, including 11 in a row.

* The Hawks have won a playoff series for the third straight season, their longest such streak since the 1986 through 1988 postseasons.

* Jamal Crawford's 17 three-pointers this postseason are third most in the league, trailing only Ray Allen (22) and Kevin Durant (19).

* Derrick Rose scored 30 and 34 points in Chicago's two wins over the Hawks this season, but just 12 in the lone loss - going 5-for-21 from the field (March 2).

* Joakim Noah (10.6 rpg) and Carlos Boozer (10.2) are the only pair of teammates averaging double-digit rebounds during the 2011 postseason.