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Bulls eye conference finals berth vs. Hawks

May 12, 2011 - 2:31 PM (Sports Network) - Chicago is a step away from heights the franchise hasn't reached since Michael Jordan was still lacing them up in the Windy City.

The top-seeded Bulls have a chance to finish off the plucky Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals set at Philips Arena tonight.

Derrick Rose scored 11 of his 33 points in a lopsided fourth quarter on Tuesday, as Chicago tipped the series in its favor with a 95-83 victory in Game 5.

Rose, the reigning NBA MVP, doled out nine assists, had just two turnovers and got plenty of help from his supporting cast to put the Bulls ahead, 3-2, in the series and on the brink of their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 1998.

"We know going down there they're going to give us their all," Rose said. "If we come out and play defense first, we can make things tough on them."

Luol Deng chipped in 23 points, Carlos Boozer had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Taj Gibson stepped up with all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls.

"I was just being patient, letting the game come to me," Gibson said. "I got great looks ... My hard work paid off."

Jeff Teague paced the Hawks with 21 points and seven helpers, but Atlanta shot just 31 percent from the field in getting outscored, 26-15, over the final 12 minutes.

"We felt confident going into the fourth," Hawks big man Al Horford said. "We weathered the storm, but they just made more plays than us. They were more aggressive going to the basket. That's something we need to do more of instead of settling for jump shots."

The Hawks used a late run to come away with a 100-88 series-tying win in Game 4 and made 52.7 percent of their shots over the first three quarters on Tuesday. Their efficient shooting allowed them to recover from an early 15- point deficit, and they held the lead on two occasions in the third quarter.

Teague opened the fourth with a layup for a 70-69 edge, but the top-seeded Bulls turned it on from there, starting with a string of nine straight points. Rose began and ended the run with driving buckets and helped Chicago stay in front the rest of the way.

In 159 previous instances of a seven-game NBA playoff series being tied, 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has won 132 times (83 percent).

That hasn't put on a damper the enthusiasm of the Hawks, however.

"This is just another great opportunity to show what we're made of," Atlanta coach Larry Drew said on Wednesday. "We have been a team that always responded with our backs against the wall. We've always been a team that responded through adversity."

The Bulls won two of three from Atlanta in the regular season. All three games took place over a three-week span in March with the Hawks lone win by three points at Philips Arena. Conversely, the Bulls two wins (one at home and one in Dixie) were by 18 and 33 points.

The teams have met four times previously in the postseason dating back to 1966-67 when the Hawks called St. Louis home. Each club has taken two series, the Hawks in '66-67 and '69-70 and the Bulls in '92-93 and '96-97.

Game 7 of the set, if necessary, will be back in Chicago on Sunday.