NBA Fans Are Finally Getting the Derrick Rose They Deserve in 2015 Postseason
CHICAGO — Derrick Rose didn’t celebrate after he made the biggest shot of his career. With three seconds left in regulation, he sprinted from the left corner all the way over to the right wing and heaved a last-second three over Tristan Thompson.
He didn’t call glass, but it didn’t matter: The ball bounced in as the final buzzer sounded and gave the Bulls a 99-96 win and a 2-1 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Then, he walked over to the bench, stone-faced, as his teammates mobbed him. Even after everything Rose has been through over the last three years, he didn’t let the moment overtake him. Because for him, it was something he knew was coming.
“It was a broken play,” Rose said afterward. “I was supposed to get the ball in the corner. When I ran to the corner I wasn’t open, so I ran to the ball. Mike [Dunleavy] threw me the ball, I drove right. When I released the ball, I thought it was a good shot.”
Rose thought it was a good shot because to him, every shot is a good shot. That unshaken, though sometimes misplaced, belief in his own shooting prowess is necessary. To rehab and return from three consecutive knee surgeries without throwing in the towel, Rose had to believe there was a return to MVP form at the end of the road.
Finally, that belief is paying off. The buzzer-beater is the defining moment from Rose’s night, the clip that’s going to be played in future “Hero Ball” playoff promos for years to come, but it was the culmination of a statement game for him. He finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and attempted 10 free throws after not getting to the line at all in the previous three games.
In other words, it was the Rose that he’s been promising all year, and the Rose that NBA fans—forget just Bulls fans—have been waiting to see again for three years.
“That’s Derrick’s greatness,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “There are not many like him. In fact, there are not any like him. You combine his speed, his quickness and power and he’s shaking the rust off. The more he plays, the more comfortable he’s getting and the more rhythm he has.”
Rose’s shot wasn’t just a reflection of his own journey. It was a step forward for the Bulls, who never managed to win more than one game in any of the three series they’ve played against a LeBron James team since Rose was drafted in 2008 (albeit, one of those came with Rose sidelined in 2013). The 2011 Eastern Conference Finals is the closest they’ve come to realizing the promise they’ve had since his arrival.
Now, thanks to a mix of good timing, a few fortuitous health breaks and countless hours of work, the Bulls are on the precipice of finally getting over that hump. More importantly, Rose is making up for the last three years of injuries and reminding fans why they’ve put up with so much uncertainty and disappointment with him.
The payoff is worth it.
“I feel good,” Rose said. “When people talk, that’s all their opinions. It’s your opinion so I can’t get mad at you. I let God handle that. My job is to make sure I’m prepared for every game, take care of my body and come out and compete.”
Nobody understands the magnitude of Rose’s return to form more than James, whose Miami Heat vanquished the Bulls in five games the last time Rose was healthy, in 2011. This time, Rose got the better of him, and all he can do is say well done.
“When you go out and have a game plan and follow the game plan and they make a tough shot, you live with it,” James said. “Obviously that’s easy for me to say since the shot wasn’t on me. But Derrick took a tough shot. Tip your hat to him.”
Rose’s bank shot could shift the entire Eastern Conference playoff picture. It dramatically changes the momentum of this series, which had looked to belong to the Cavaliers after they thoroughly outplayed the Bulls in Game 2. The Bulls absolutely needed to protect home court after stealing one game in Cleveland, and thanks to Rose, they did.
“I don’t mean to sound cocky but that’s a shot you want to take if you’re a player in my position,” Rose said. “I’m thankful and grateful that my teammates gave me the ball. They believe in me. Down the stretch, they kept giving me the ball and encouraging me to play the way I usually play.
“And no, I did not call glass.”
Sean Highkin covers the Chicago Bulls for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @highkin
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