Derrick Rose Leads Bulls over Spurs, What to Think of the Star's Big Night

The Chicago Bulls were expected to be the cream of the crop in a weak Eastern Conference this season.

Between the stifling defense they had become known for in recent years and the addition of Pau Gasol in the offseason, the Bulls were tapped as the team most likely to take a trip to the NBA Finals come June.

But perhaps the biggest addition to the team wasn’t an addition at all, as superstar Derrick Rose was set to make his long-awaited return to health.

The season started slow for Rose, with injuries keeping the star out of the Bulls ranks for games at a time. But since 2015 started, the University of Memphis product has only missed one game, and has seen his play return to the heights it reached in the 2010-11 season.

But the Bulls weren’t backing up Rose’s stellar play with wins. Losing six of their last eight games, the Bulls faced a stiff test Thursday night, when the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs strolled into town looking to add to Chicago's mid-season woes.

Yet despite all the momentum pointing to the contrary, the Bulls obliterated the Spurs, 104-81, powered by Rose, who showed he is ready to lead Chicago back to the promised land.

Although Rose did score a game-high 22 points and dished out five assists, it was the manner in which he went about putting up the numbers that really showed how far Rose has come.

Of his 22 points, 14 came from inside the paint, with Rose cutting and slashing his way to the rim to create chances for himself. The Bulls were also an astounding plus-26 when Rose was on the court, which more than made up for the huge margin of victory.

The defense was back too, after allowing triple digits in all but two games since the turn of the year, holding the Spurs to more than 20 points below their season average. The Spurs also managed just 37 percent shooting in the game, which is a scary prospect for the league.

If the Bulls are back to playing the defense they have become known for under Tom Thibodeau, then it is only a matter of time before they are back at the top of the Eastern Conference.

With Gasol finding new life and Jimmy Butler continuing to improve—Butler scored 17 points against the Spurs—Chicago is the best bet to upset whichever team emerges from the Western Conference.

But the key to that is Rose. Without the point guard healthy, the Bulls have been a good team in the regular season and an average team in the playoffs. With Rose playing at full force though, it is hard to imagine an Eastern Conference team mounting a true challenge.

Rose is one of the best players in the league, bar none, and even in the era of point guards the NBA is currently in, he is a special player.

When playing with a full head of steam, Rose cannot be stopped when driving to the basket. On Thursday night, he looked like himself again, despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter.

He looks to be good to go for Dallas, and if Rose's playing time continues to increase, the rest of the NBA should be wary. The Bulls are already very good, and they'll only improve as Rose continues to contribute.