Atlanta Hawks Grades and Reactions vs. Chicago Bulls

Apr 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) steals the ball from Atlanta Hawks forward Austin Daye (3) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago won 91-85. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Bad:

• Well…that the Hawks will play the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1. For the sole purpose of that desirable lottery pick swap, now it won’t happen. Since the Nets beat the Magic and the Pacers got just outworked in Memphis, the pick went from almost certain to vanishing in thin air. It really isn’t anything to bury your head in a pillow about but it would have been a fun consolation prize for such a stellar regular season. Oh well, hopefully a swift pounding in the first round will make up for it.

• The Hawks had trouble holding onto a double digit lead late, something that has unfortunately happened a few times in the season. It may be because the Bulls really wanted to win this game and we were just trying to hold on for as long as possible, but nobody likes to give up leads like that. With a fresher, more focused mentality, the Hawks will see to it that these won’t negatively affect them any more.

Next: The Starters