Derrick Rose AKA the 'Air Conditioner' and the Chicago Bulls Beat the Heat
When Carlos Boozer first returned, the Bulls lost back to back games against the Magic and Celtics in his first two games. Their record fell to 9-8 and there were questions as to whether the Bulls could beat the "elite" teams in the NBA. Since then, they've won four straight against teams that could be described as such—teams which have won two thirds of their games. The other three teams they've beaten on their elite streak are Oklahoma City, the Lakers, and the Celtics. The fourth came tonight against the heralded Heat.
Derrick Rose can add another nickname to his MVP resume, the "Air Conditioner." After all, when Derrick rose, the Heat fell. Since the Bulls saw "Air Jordan" retire, they haven't had a real MVP candidate, so why not? His performance tonight certainly shows that he can beat the Heat. His 34 points, eight dimes, and four boards to go with three blocks certainly earned him the title, particularly as he out dueled Heat mega-star Dwyane Wade in the second half of the final frame.
When asked about his duel with Wade, he responded in the humble style that Bulls fans know, "It was fun." It was an intriguing matchup as the two guards project right now to be the starters for the Eastern Conference in the NBA's All-Star game.
He got by with a little help from his friends though. In particular, there was the three that came off a missed shot by Rose when Kyle Korver, aka "Ashton Kutcher," grabbed the long rebound spotted up for a three and drained the deciding basket of the game.
Carlos Boozer and Kurt Thomas didn't have huge games but they helped to win the battle in the paint 36-30 and they helped the Bulls to 42-30 rebounding advantage. Boozer had 12 points and Luol Deng had a dozen of his own.
Chris Bosh went out at the the end of the third quarter when he turned an ankle, and with the Heat already missing one of the three Heatles, LeBron James already out, it seemed to be trouble for Miami. Yet Dwyane Wade refused to give in and started his duel with Rose. It isn't yet known how much, if any, time Bosh will miss.
With James gone, Wade got a lot of "extra attention" form the Bulls fans in the United Center. Wade, even more than James, upset the fans in Chicago when he spurned them this summer. After two interviews, Chicago fans were day-dreaming about the Chicago native completing a starting five with Rose, Noah and Boozer or Bosh. There was a lot of belief that he could sign since his children live in the Windy City.
The Bulls moved to one game behind the Heat in the loss column and gaining the first win in three tries could be significant. If the Bulls can split the final two, and achieve a tie in the standings, they would have the tie breaker with the Heat.
While the Heat had a taste of playing without one of their "big three" the last two games, they are just getting a taste of what the Bulls have had to endure through most of the season. The Bulls continue to work their way successfully through without their third best player, Joakim Noah.
The Bulls' next game will be on Marin Luther King day at 12:00 CST against the Memphis Grizzlies. Their next contest against an elite team will be when they host the Mavericks on Thursday.
