It's the best start I've been off to in my whole career," Robinson said. "It's just going good for me. I've got the hot hand right now."

The Hawks (2-1) could make a strong argument for having the best front line in the Eastern Conference with Robinson, Shareef-Abdur-Rahim and a healthy Theo Ratliff at center. All three have been all-stars.

Those Hawks veterans gave Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry fits. Chandler failed to score in 20 minutes, though he did have 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Curry finished with 7 points and 5 boards in just 13 minutes.

The status of the two young Bulls has changed significantly in a year. Last season, fans argued that Curry and Chandler should get ample playing time simply because they are the future of the franchise. This year, their minutes are limited because the team is faring better with its older players.

Curry has had a particularly rough start. He is averaging just 14.7 minutes and didn't collect a single rebound in the first two games. He was teased by his teammates for the absence of rebounds.

"If Eddy doesn't get going in the first five or 10 games, he doesn't have it going," Cartwright said. "We can't concern ourselves with that. He'll get going eventually. But we want to win some games."