Flaws exposed? We'll see.

That loss to the Hawks was probably the worst of the year.  Yes, worse than their recent loss to the woeful Raptors, worse than their give-away in Denver, and worse than the home loss to the Bobcats.  Why?  Because this game emphasized the Bulls' two main weaknesses.  1. When Rose is off the Bulls don't have a true #2 to rely on to carry them, and 2. Boozer really is a handicap on defense

I suppose when any team's star is off they're going to struggle, and I suppose all this game does is underscore the Derrick-Rose for MVP candidacy since he can't afford to be off for too many games, but the Bulls don't have a second go-to guy.  Sorry Boozy Booz.  I mean, when Rose is shooting 5-21 and his shot looks flat all night, where is our $15 million power forward?  I'm trying not to draw harsh conclusions based on one agonizing loss but it was pretty obvious.  It would've been nice to see Boozer demand the ball and dig the Bulls out of their collapse in the 2nd half.  Isn't this inevitably going to happen at some point in the playoffs?

Not to pile on Boozer, but wow did Horford dismantle him.  It wasn't all Boozer.  In fact, it was a lot of Joakim in the 2nd half.  It seems all Boozer does is desperately slap at the ball after his man gets by him.

In a game the Bulls were leading by 19, and in a game that the Bulls admitted was a huge one if their run for the East's #1 seed had any chance, they couldn't close.  They couldn't break the will of their opponent.  They couldn't continue to execute and hit shots.  At a time when their confidence had never been higher as they were no longer reluctantly included with the NBA's elite but routinely thought of as a legitimate Finals contender, I can't help but feel this was a deflating and perhaps dangerous loss.  As much as it hurts to say, I can't see a team like Boston losing a game like this.  There were opportunities to completely blow this game open and championship teams capitalize. 

But now as the Bulls head to Orlando and to Miami, instead of thinking #1 seed, now the Bulls might be back to thinking if they belong.  And that's dangerous.  The best thing they had going for them was their overwhelming confidence.  Is that gone?  Over the weekend Michigan won a huge game at Minnesota after a crushing last-second loss to Wisconsin.  It was an impressive win on many levels not the least of which was their ability to bounce back mentally.  Again, this is still one loss for the Bulls, but I hope this loss stays in Atlanta.