Hawks beat Bulls to tie series
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Josh Smith seemed to do it all. He attacked the basket. He defended. He rebounded. He made brilliant passes. He even won a crucial jump ball against a taller player.
There was only one thing Smith didn't do - park himself on the outside, putting up shots beyond his range.
The Atlanta Hawks were just fine with that.
Smith answered his critics with a huge game - 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists - and fill-in Jeff Teague came up with Derrick Rose-like plays down the stretch to lead the Hawks past the Chicago Bulls 100-88 on Sunday night, evening the Eastern Conference semifinals at two games apiece.
The Hawks snapped a nine-game home losing streak in the second round, their misery dating to a May 13, 1996, win against Orlando.
Smith is frequently criticized by Atlanta fans for his inconsistent play. He heard nothing but cheers in this one, largely staying away from the jumpers, dominating on the inside and finding the open man.
"We're always trying to stay in his ear, but obviously when he's going to the basket and making it easy for himself, we just try to keep encouraging him," teammate Joe Johnson said. "He was all-star caliber. When he's playing like that, it's almost impossible for a team to beat us."
Smith said he's not worried about those who boo him in his own hometown, who feel he's never quite lived up to his enormous potential even though he's still just 25 years old.
"There are people who don't understand the game, who don't know the game. That doesn't faze me," he said. "My teammates matter more than anybody else. They believe in me. They have confidence in my game. When I was in my rut, they told me to stay positive, to stay in the game, just do what I'd been doing all season long. I stayed with it and had the game I had tonight."
Teague has been a huge surprise filling in for injured Kirk Hinrich, directing the team with the poise of a veteran instead of someone who played infrequently during the regular season and first round of the playoffs. He scored 12 points and doled out four assists, putting the capper on a late 10-0 run that broke open a game that had been tight and intense all the way.
"He's playing great," said Hinrich, who's watched this entire series in dress suits because of a hamstring injury. "Obviously he has ability. He's fast. He's good at finishing up around the rim."
