Pushed hard in the opening round, Derrick Rose wasn’t letting out any sighs of relief once the Chicago Bulls found out they’d be facing Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It’s all well and good that he won’t have to worry about getting flattened in the lane by Dwight Howard after the Hawks knocked off Orlando in six games, but he’s not expecting an easy ride, either, in a series that starts Monday at the United Center.
The Bulls got all they could handle from Indiana while taking out the Pacers in five games, and Rose expects more of the same from the Hawks—except, maybe, the hard fouls.
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Nobody thought this series would be so loopsided, Even the Magic are surprised at how easily they’ve handled the third-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who finished just behind Orlando in the Eastern Conference standings.
Orlando has won by an average of 29 points, going up 3-0 in the series with a 105-75 blowout Saturday that was the worst home playoff loss in Hawks history. Game 4 is tonight, and about all Atlanta has to play for is a bit of pride.
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Hunched over his desk and looking very much like a coach trying to find a way beat the NBA’s hottest team, Atlanta Coach Mike Woodson kept shaking his head as he glanced at a television showing highlights from the Orlando Magic’s latest win.
Orlando has gone more than a month since its last defeat, a 112-100 setback at San Antonio on April 2. The Magic has won 12 straight since then, the last six of those in the playoffs. Going back even further, they are on a 26-of-29 roll, clearly a team peaking at just the right time of year.
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If you thought Orlando would be rusty after a eight game layoff from playoff competition you we’re wrong…dead wrong. Magic blew ATL right out of the gym with a 43 point and had Hawks coach Mike Woodson grow a afro just so he could pull his hair out. Atlanta looked like a high school team vs grown men. Atlanta has to slow Howard and the Magic down in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday night, or the Hawks could be headed toward another quick second-round stint. It was the largest margin of defeat in the playoffs since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1968, and the second-largest playoff victory in the Magic’s history…
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For Orlando rust may be a factor after having the longest layoff of this years(2010) NBA playoffs after completing the sweep of the Michael Jordan Charlotte Bobcats eight days ago, The Atlanta Hawks made the break even longer by taking the full seven games to knock out the injury-riddle Milwaukee Bucks… ATL looks to capitalize on the Magic by stealing game 1 in Orlando and send Dwight Howard lead team asking for answers. Dwight Howard can’t expect to be a absolute non-factor and like he was in the Bobcats series(Foul Troubles) and win against the rising Hawks.
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