Upstart Hawks trip up Bulls in opener

CHICAGO -- The Atlanta Hawks stared down Superman, and they weren't blinking against the Bulls, either.

Joe Johnson scored 34 points as Atlanta beat top-seeded Chicago 103-95 on Monday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

As if the loss itself wasn't bad enough, the Bulls got a scare when Derrick Rose came up limping after he turned his left ankle at the end of the game. Their MVP -- yes, MVP -- stepped on Jamal Crawford's foot as he dribbled out the final seconds and was helped off by teammates and a trainer.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed reports Monday night that Rose is the winner, making him the league's youngest Most Valuable Player and only the second Bulls player, along with Michael Jordan, to win the award.

That announcement is expected today, with the presentation at Game 2 on Wednesday. If the Bulls keep playing like this, that could be their final appearance at the United Center, particularly if Rose is limited.

"I should be OK," he said. "I'll probably get treatment right now, go home, get some more treatment and be ready to go for Wednesday."

The Hawks went on a 15-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to turn a 69-65 deficit into an 80-71 lead with 10:27 remaining.

Johnson hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points during that stretch, and the Hawks hung on.

Johnson was brilliant, hitting 12 of 18 shots and all five 3-point attempts. Crawford scored 22 points, and Jeff Teague added 10 while starting at the point for the injured Kirk Hinrich.

"We're the team that nobody talks about," Crawford said.

Well, this is a good way to get them talking -- shoot 51.3 percent against one of the league's stingiest defenses and take the series opener.

As alarming as all that was for the Bulls, though, the sight of Rose limping off sent a real shiver through Chicago.

"It's tough when your best player is limping off the court with an injury that you know he's had before," center Joakim Noah said. "It's tough, but right now, we have a game on Wednesday in less than 48 hours."

Rose twisted the same ankle in the opening round against Indiana, but even before he limped off the court, this certainly wasn't his best night.

He scored 24 points but was just
11-for-27 from the field and did not attempt a free throw.

Luol Deng scored 21 points for Chicago, and Carlos Boozer added 14 points and eight rebounds despite a turf toe injury on his right foot. But it was a rough night overall for the Bulls -- particularly on defense.

"The intensity wasn't right," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The start of the game was poor in terms of ball direction, in terms of challenging shots, in terms of showing help. There wasn't one aspect of the defense that was good."

Pushed by Indiana in a tough five-game opening series, the Bulls fought through a brutal first quarter to pull within one point at halftime and led by as many as six in the third quarter before this one slipped away.

Johnson started the go-ahead run with two free throws with just under a minute left in the third, and Zaza Pachulia hit two more with less than a second left in the quarter to put the Hawks ahead for good, 72-71.

Johnson then hit a 3 off a turnover by Deng to start the fourth. Teague added a floater and Crawford nailed a 3 to make it 80-71.