Hawks Trail Bulls but Are Upbeat About Forcing Game 7

For a team that knows its season could be done in one more game, the Atlanta Hawks are still feeling confident about their chances in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“If we get this win,” guard Jeff Teague said, referring to Game 6 with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday in Atlanta, “I think there’s a good chance we’ll get Game 7. I feel like there would be a lot of pressure on them playing at home in Game 7.”

The Hawks have played three competitive games on the road in the series, winning the opener and putting the Bulls on the ropes Tuesday night.

But, led by Derrick Rose and the reserve Taj Gibson, the top-seeded Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 95-83 victory and a 3-2 series lead. Having struggled to beat the lowly Indiana Pacers in the opening round, the Bulls want to get this over with as quickly as possible.

“When we go to Atlanta, our crowd’s not going to be there,” the Bulls’ Ronnie Brewer said. “ So we’ve got to find the passion and intensity that it takes to win.”

Like Teague, forward Josh Smith said the Hawks would have the psychological edge if they could force a winner-take-all game against the Bulls, who had a league-leading 62 wins during the regular season — 18 more than Atlanta — but do not have a lot of playoff experience.

“We believe deep in our hearts that we can beat this ballclub,” Smith said. “We just have to do it for the full 48 minutes.”

The Bulls sound confident, too.

“No matter the situation, down or up, we believe,” forward Carlos Boozer said.

BAREA ISN’T UPSET Dallas Mavericks guard J. J. Barea said he held no animosity toward Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum after their ugly collision in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Dallas swept the series.

Bynum elbowed Barea in the chest while he was in the air for a layup. He hit the floor hard, and Bynum was ejected. On Tuesday, Bynum was suspended for the first five games of next season. Barea said he had a bruise on his ribs and another on his left hand.

Barea said he received an apologetic message from Bynum that he considered sincere. “He just had a big mistake,” Barea said. “People have those sometimes. He lost his mind and he fouled me pretty hard. I know he regrets it.”

GRIFFIN AND WALL TOP ROOKIES Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, the rookie of the year, and John Wall of the Washington Wizards, the top pick in the 2010 draft, were among those named to the all-rookie team.

Griffin was the only unanimous selection in votes from coaches with 58 points, followed by Wall (57), the Knicks’ Landry Fields (56), the Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins (54) and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal (44).