The Legend Of Derrick Rose Grows As Bulls Sneak By Pacers
Chicago Tribune Photo
There’s really only one word you could use to describe Derrick Rose‘s performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon: unbelievable. Or is that unbelieva-Bull?
Actually, to this point, the greatness of Rose should come as a surprise to virtually no one. He’s done it all season. You know when it comes down to it, he’s going to be the one on this Bulls squad to step up, and step up he did in Chicago’s 104-99 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
By all accounts, the Bulls did not turn in their best performance in their playoff opener. They actually turned in one of their poorest performances of the entire season.
Chicago found themselves outplayed by Indy in the majority of this one, with the Pacers coming out as the more physical team and carrying more energy, mostly due to the presence of Tyler Hansbrough.
For many, it’s the first time really hearing Hansbrough’s name since he was a standout at the University of North Carolina just a couple years ago, but had the Pacers managed the win on Saturday, it would have been Hansbrough that got them there.
Always the scrappy player in college, Hansbrough brought that energy to life, scoring key baskets for Indiana down the stretch, and really taking Carlos Boozer, who played his college ball at Duke, to school throughout Game 1. It was a rough go all day for Boozer, who had one of his worst games since signing with the Bulls last summer. C-Booz managed just 12 points and six boards in the playoff opener.
Boozer wasn’t the only one quiet for the opener, however. Joakim Noah shot just 5-12 from the field, while the typically potent bench unit scored just 12 points, if you take out the 13 that Kyle Korver dropped, including a key three pointer to give the Bulls a 102-99 lead.
However, Noah did make up for his struggle shooting with his dominance on the boards and of Josh McRoberts. Noah snatched 11 boards on the day, while also blocking three shots. Two of those were blocks of McRoberts in the game’s final seconds, coming on back-to-back shots.
But with the bulk of his squad coming out flat to open up the series with Indy, it was Derrick Rose as the glue that kept the team together, and eventually put them over the top.
Rose dropped 39, even after going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. Of the 39 he scored for the game, 21 came in the second half and 19 came off of free throws. But the most impressive moment for Rose was a sequence early on in the first quarter. After swatting away a Darren Collison layup attempt, Rose made a brilliant spin move at the other end and got the layup to go, cementing yet another play for Rose in Sportscenter’s Top 10.
Danny Granger, who acknowledged the chances of Indiana having success if they could stop Rose, likened the MVP candidate to a “stalker ex-girlfriend”, in that every time they were hoping Rose was done for the day, he kept coming back at them.
As ugly of a win as it may have been, the Bulls now hold the 1-0 edge in the series against the Pacers. Tom Thibodeau and crew are certainly aware of the fact that the Bulls won’t be able to breeze through this series without at least a little resistant from the eight-seeded Pacers.
With the day off on Sunday, expect the Bulls to come out hard after this scare in Game 1, as they host the Pacers in Game 2 of the series at the United Center, on Monday.
Luol Deng Silencing Critics With Solid, Healthy Season
Flickr Photo via Keith Allison
Luol Deng had to listen to it during the entire offseason.
A heavy percentage of Bulls fans could be heard collectively trying to convince the Chicago brass to deal Deng, among others, in a possible deal to acquire former Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony. At points during the offseason, Deng looked to be headed to any of Denver, Philadelphia, or any other wealth of cities that a three-way deal could send him to.
From there, Chicago knows how the story went. The Bulls stood pat and Carmelo got his wish, ending up in the Big Apple, with the New York Knicks.
But the Bulls are better off without Anthony, as a simple look at the standings might indicate. Though many were concerned about the lack of scoring from the two guard, their defensive skill has more than compensated for the fact that Keith Bogans is still starting for this team.
The biggest knock on Deng head into the season was his health, or lack of. A seventh overall pick in 2007, Deng seemed to have trouble staying healthy on a regular basis, though from 2005-2007 Deng did play in 160 games for the Bulls.
This season has seen a turnaround in Deng’s health, as he has appeared in all 70 of the Bulls contests in the 2010-11 season, already reaching his total from last season.
And while his numbers may look awfully similar to the figures from the ’09-’10 campaign, Deng has been exponentially more effective for Chicago this year. The only stat that has gone on the decline for Deng has been his boards, and one look at the frontcourt of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer explain that one rather easily.
On the defensive side, Deng has stood out, just as this whole team has under the watch of new head coach Tom Thibodeau. The former Duke Blue Devil a steal and almost a block per, while still nabbing six rebounds, even with the addition of Boozer down low.
He’s also discovered something of a three point shot. While it was never really absent, Deng has been hoisting up the triples more than ever in his career, leaping from just over one attempt a game last season to over four this year. While his 34 percent from beyond the arc is nothing to write home about, Deng has shown he’s capable of heating up from long range, as we saw on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Even if his individual stats don’t make it clear as to the impact Deng has had on the court for the Bulls this season, one stat certainly does. The Bulls +/- with Deng and Derrick Rose on the court, no matter the combination of the other three, are an, absurd, plus-421 on the season.
In his motivation from being almost labeled a ‘bust’, and the additions to the Bulls’ frontcourt, Luol Deng has taken the leap from expendable role player, to key piece on a squad fighting for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
While he might not have the accolades to say so at the end of the year, Deng is still an important part of a potential title for this Bulls team, and as the Bulls hit the homestretch and the postseason, the nation best take note.
Bulls look to start new winning streak
The Chicago Bulls hope to get back on the winning track against the Philadelphia 76ers after their seven game winning streak was snapped on Saturday.
Before Chicago lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 100-99, the Bulls were on the longest winning streak of the season and impressing the basketball world because of the high level of play since the team was back to full strength.
There is only one reason why the Bulls may have a tough time achieving the same type of streak, they’re no longer healthy.
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Laker bench unloads on Bulls for a 98-91 victory
Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson put up their usual numbers and kept the Chicago Bulls (7-5) in the game, but the bench was outscored 38-to-10, which was the main factor in the 13-2 Los Angeles Lakers 98-91 win Tuesday.
The Bulls hung in the game against the Lakers and at times looked as if they could pull out a win as Rose continually drove to the hoop and Noah set up shop in the low post. Rose’s acrobatic layups looked highlight reel material even if they didn’t go in.
But in the end, the game came down to the Laker’s bench hitting daggers while the Bulls bench threw sporks.
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The Monster known as D-Rose is the best PG in the NBA
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