Jock Strap? Check. Other Support? Missing.

Could someone please put out an APB on Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver … quickly! Derrick Rose and the Bulls were spanked on Sunday night in Atlanta, as the Hawks evened their best-of-seven series at 2-games apiece. Rose, whose only support came from his athletic gear, was forced – and I don't use that word lightly – forced to take 30+ shots on a night when he didn't have his jumper.

Rose may be the meat in the Bulls sandwich (forgive the analogy, but it's lunchtime and I'm hungry!), but Luol Deng and Joakim Noah are the bread that keeps this team going – the intensity, the energy the Bulls so desperately need if they're going to revive their playoff lives and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Deng and Noah have to provide the spark - Deng by slashing to the bucket and creating space, and Noah by banging the boards and being a general nuisance.

And don't get me started on Korver! If you're a "shooter" - but you're missing your shots – and you don't play much defense – what's the point? Exactly! It's the lack of points that’s killing this team.

Atlanta has new confidence after a beat-down on Friday night. Josh Smith has discovered that if you don't heave-up bad shot after bad shot, and instead attack the rim, you will have success – and he did against the Bulls on Sunday. The Bulls are a couple of Jamal Crawford hot-streaks from going home and wondering how the hell they blew a shot at the Conference Finals to the Atlanta Hawks!

Youngest MVP in the history of the NBA: Derrick Rose

As has been the assumption for over a month now, Derrick Rose is the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player. Rose collected 113 votes for 1st place, compiling 1,182 total points.

Dwight Howard was a distant 2nd-place with 643 points. LeBron James had 522 points, good for 3rd place. Kobe Bryant came in 4th place with 428 votes.

"I think it's great. I think he's very well deserving. I think it's a situation where everybody knows it's his. It's not like somebody else deserves it," said Joakim Noah. "It's for him and I'm happy for him, but there's really no time to celebrate it right now. We're in a dogfight against Atlanta!"

Rose will get the Maurice Prodoloff MVP Trophy at a presentation during Wednesday's playoff game against the Hawks.

He is the first Bull to win Most Valuable Player since none other than Michael Jordan in 1998 - the last of his 5 MVP's.

Did #1 deserve the MVP? Were you surprised the vote wasn't even close?

Melissa Isaacson has more on ESPN-Chicago.

Post your thoughts in the "comments" section below.

Why Wake a Sleeping Giant?

There were 3 minutes and 48 seconds remaining in an amazingly boring playoff game. The #8th seeded Pacers have just extended a lead they've held since the opening tip to 95-88. The advantage was stretched to 7 on a face-up jumper from the left side by Tyler Hansbrough over Carlos Boozer - who should have been playing much tighter defense!

That was the story for the Bulls most of the afternoon, trading buckets with a significantly less talented Indiana squad - and playing uninterested on the defensive end. Seriously, how the hell does this Indiana squad shoot over 50% for most of the game? Danny Granger (24 points) and Hansbrough (22 points) were killing the Bulls - often times with open shots!

But at 3:48 remaining, Hansbrough hit that jumper over Boozer and turned into a bird, flapping his arms like a parrot - bumping chests with teammates and mocking the crowd. Hansbrough was also mocking Luol Deng, who just a few minutes prior waved his hands to get the crowd moving, following an emotional play in which Derrick Rose was hacked - again.

It was almost as if the Bulls weren't awake - that this Noon start didn't give them enough time to shake the cowbwebs. But once things got emotional - with Deng leading the way, and then Hansbrough fanning the flames - the Bulls were back to looking like the team that won 62 regular season games.

Following Hansbrough's jumper - the Bulls went on a 16-1 run, including 10-0 to close the game! I never understand why - on the road - you'd give the home squad and their fans ANYTHING to get excited about. Wait until the game's over. It reminds me of Reggie Bush taunting Brian Urlacher in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field in January 2007 (http://bit.ly/gPDFVk).

Derrick Rose - unquestionably the league's best player this year - led all scorers with 39, scoring at will. He added 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and a steal. Deng had 18, Kyle Korver 13 and Boozer 12.

If the Bulls want to avoid being only the second #1 seed to lose to an 8-seed, they'd better bottle up some of that emotion and BRING IT for the rest of this postseason.