The Atlanta Hawks have had a pedestrian existence in the modern-day NBA. In 2015, they made their first conference finals appearance since 1970. Their rich history in St. Louis, where they made four finals appearances in five seasons (winning one), is often discounted. The Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, are one of the glamour teams of the modern NBA. In the 1990s, they won six titles in eight seasons, behind the most marketable athlete in basketball history. Their pedestrian history beyond that run is often overlooked, as they’ve never made the NBA Finals before or since. While some may assume the match between the All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks is one-sided, a deeper look into their respective histories shows that this series could be one of the most competitive of our tournament.
Key Matchups
Chicago’s perimeter defense vs. Atlanta’s firepower: Atlanta’s high-scoring perimeter options (namely, Lou Hudson, Dominique Wilkins, and Pete Maravich) will have to overcome the greatest collection of perimeter defensive talent in this tournament. Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, and Luol Deng were all plus defenders, combining for 30 appearances on all-NBA defensive teams. This group will also disrupt Atlanta’s ballhandlers (Lenny Wilkens and Mookie Blaylock), who will struggle to find open passing lanes, and who will also have to avoid turnovers when Chicago utilizes a full-court press.
Bob Pettit vs. Chicago’s forwards: Bob Pettit, who averaged over 26 PPG and 16 RPG throughout his career, will be a load for Chicago’s forwards to handle. Bob Love, Chicago’s nominal starting power forward, will initially match up with him, but will struggle to contend on the boards with the relentless legend. On the other side of the court, expect Love to use his quickness advantage to make Pettit work on defense. Chicago will also allot minutes to Horace Grant, who can better contend on the boards (especially on the offensive side, where he ranked in the top six of the league in offensive rebound percentage three years in a row), and Toni Kukoc, who has no chance of defending Pettit but will give him problems on defense with his all-court offensive game. Chicago’s best chance to contend with Pettit will be throwing these three distinct looks at him throughout the series, and making him work on the defensive end of the court.
Biggest Mismatches
The athleticism of Chicago’s starting backcourt vs. Atlanta’s guard rotation: In addition to their defensive brilliance, the Bulls feature perhaps the most athletic starting backcourt pairing in the tournament. Jordan and Pippen have a chance to overwhelm Atlanta’s smaller, less athletic defenders. Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta’s perimeter defensive ace, stood at only 6’0”, and will be more effective guarding Derrick Rose than either of these two wings. Atlanta’s ability to mitigate the damage that these two inflict may be the deciding factor in the series.
Atlanta’s three point shooting advantage: As great as Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich were, they would have been even more dominant with a three-point line, which was not in the league during their tenures with the Hawks. Expect them to take full advantage of this rule during this series. Chicago’s main weakness is their lack of three-point shooting. Because of their potential spacing issue, Coach Phil Jackson may give Toni Kukoc more minutes than anticipated, to open up space for Jordan, Pippen, Chet Walker, and Artis Gilmore inside. This may not work perfectly, however, since Kukoc was a mediocre three-point shooter in his time with the Bulls (.327 percent).
X-Factor
Can Atlanta overcome Chicago’s defensive onslaught? The Hawks have a well-balanced team, that may be deeper than Chicago’s. However, down the stretch of close games, can Atlanta find room to score? Expect Chicago to utilize a closing defensive lineup of Van Lier or Sloan, Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant, and Joakim Noah. Atlanta will have to rely on the greatness of Pettit and their perimeter stars to overcome this unit.
Results
These two teams go back and forth in a seven game classic. Chicago’s defense is suffocating, but Atlanta proves resilient behind the great Pettit. In the closing game, Jordan and Pettit go mano a mano in a close encounter. The Bulls are able to shut down Atlanta’s other options, and pull away in the end.
Chicago wins, four games to three.
Next Round
Chicago faces the winner of the All-Time Pistons vs. All-Time Clippers.
why would maravich not start?
I went with Lou Hudson because Maravich only had four seasons with the Hawks, versus 11 for Hudson. If you take Hudson’s best four-year stretch there (probably 70-73), it’s better than Maravich’s four years there, so he has an advantage in both peak and longevity. I appreciate the comment.