Derrick Rose Exceeds All Expectations in Triumphant Return to NBA Playoffs
CHICAGO — Derrick Rose didn’t want to admit that this game was different than all of the others, but even he couldn’t help himself. Normally, Rose reacts the same to everything—low-key and soft-spoken, whether he’s talking about a 30-point performance, a 1-of-13 shooting night or a season-ending knee surgery.
But Saturday night was different.
It was Rose’s first playoff game in three years—his first time on that stage since the torn ACL in 2012 that radically altered the course of his career. He couldn’t help a few fist-pumps when things were going well, and a lot went well on Saturday as Rose scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting to power the Chicago Bulls over the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 103-91, taking a 1-0 series lead.
Nobody on earth would begrudge him for showing a little more emotion than usual given the momentousness of the occasion. But he still felt the need to explain it.
“When you miss a long period of time playing the sport that you love and dedicating your entire life to one craft or an art, it comes out in a weird way,” Rose said when he took the podium after the game. “I didn’t mean to do it on purpose.”
That’s Rose.
Even after overcoming a massive personal obstacle, he won’t let himself get too excited. Or at least, he won’t admit to it.
“You can’t think that way when you’re on the floor and you’re in a battle,” he said. “When you step on the floor, all of those thoughts have to be in the back of your mind. You have to have a clear mind. You’ve got to be very confident and believe in the work that you put in to get back on the floor.”
Rose has had high-scoring games this season. He’s had moments of looking like the player who won the MVP award in 2011. But this night felt different, and not just because of the stage or the stakes. He attacked the rim repeatedly, without any hesitation. Even his three-point attempts, an Achilles' heel all season, were largely catch-and-shoot looks, not off-the-dribble attempts.
It almost felt like Rose has had another gear this whole time, one that he was saving for this moment.
He would never admit it, and neither will anyone else. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau attributed Rose’s Game 1 success to the five games he played at the end of the season after missing six weeks with his third knee surgery in three seasons.
“I thought those five games he played were very helpful,” Thibodeau said. “The game in Brooklyn, he played very well and I thought that gave him confidence. He’s had setbacks throughout the year and he bounces back each time. It usually takes a few games and that’s it, so that’s what I’m looking for.”
There’s no overstating the transformation the Bulls make when Rose is playing like this. He’s such an explosive finisher, such a dangerous force around the basket, that all kinds of shots open up for his teammates.
“He makes everything easier for everyone,” said Jimmy Butler, who had 25 points in the win. “I don’t really have to do much whenever he has the ball. I just have to spot up and make some shots. You have to get out in transition. That’s what he does well for our team. He takes the pressure off everybody.”
He also provides an incalculable emotional lift for a team that has had to battle through so much without him over the last three years.
“He told me before the game that tonight was for the love of the game,” said Joakim Noah. “That means a lot because I know he’s been through so much. It’s hard to play basketball when you’re not feeling well, and I think sometimes fans and people take that for granted. So just to see him come out there and competing the way that he competed, at the most important time of the year, this is fun.”
Fun, yes. But it’s also only the beginning.
The feel-good moment of Rose’s dramatic playoff return is behind him now, and his team still has 15 more games to win to accomplish its ultimate goal of a championship. Those games are only going to get tougher.
The explosiveness is back. The “MVP” chants are back too.
But so are the expectations, and those will continue to grow if he keeps playing like this. Rose knows that, and he’s ready.
“This is grind mode,” Rose said. “I think I’ve prepared myself well for this.”
Sean Highkin covers the Chicago Bulls for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at @highkin
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