Derrick Rose's Big Games Illustrate the Chicago Bulls' Title Dilemma

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose may have erased any doubts as to whether or not he truly deserves the NBA's MVP award in his first two playoff games against the Indiana Pacers, but his performances also cast doubt on his team's ability to win the 2011 NBA championship.

Rose was simply brilliant in the first two games of Chicago's first round series, as he became the first Bull since Michael Jordan to score 35+ points in consecutive playoff games, while leading his team to two down to the wire victories.

Rose has certainly elevated his game for the postseason, and he appears to have a clear understanding of what's at stake, and the grit, determination and resolve to meet those challenges.

However, the same can't exactly be said for Rose's teammates and their performances in both games have legitimized many of the questions that observers had about their ability to reach the NBA Finals and win.

Most analysts expected the Bulls to make quick work of the Pacers, and although the postseason environment and player matchups usually render those predictions worthless, the Bulls' struggles against Indiana have been revealing.

The main criticism associated with the Bulls and their quest for a championship has been the lack of fire-power surrounding Rose, and the team's first two playoff games highlighted that flaw.

In Chicago's Game 1 victory over the Pacers Rose scored a playoff career high 39 points, but the other Bulls starters only combined to score 40 points while the reserves contributed 25.

In Game 2 Rose scored 36 points and the other starters scored 38, while the bench chipped in with 22 points of their own.

Of course the most important fact is that the Bulls were able to win each game, but what happens once Rose has one bad game against an equal opponent, or a few for that matter?

Rose is a good enough player to carry the Bulls past the Pacers, but in order to survive the next few rounds someone else will have to prove he is capable of rising to the occasion on a consistent basis.

Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and even Kyle Korver have all been offered as viable solutions to fill the scoring gap, and all have had their moments, but can any of them do it consistently in the postseason?

The Bulls are faced with the task of proving that a team doesn't need two star players to be successful in the postseason, but that goes against what recent NBA history has shown us.

Each championship team of the past decade had multiple high profile scoring options, and LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers of 2007 are the only team I can think of that were able to reach the Finals mostly on the merits of one player.

James was never able to lead his Cavaliers to the Finals again despite capturing the league's overall top seed in each of the last two seasons, and he eventually left Cleveland to follow the model which has had the most title success.

Many Bulls fans disregard the James and Cavaliers' comparisons, but tougher tests ahead will prove if Rose and Chicago can buck the NBA's historical trend or just become another casualty to a system that has passed them by.

The Bulls will have a tough enough time with the winner of the Orlando-Atlanta series, but a potential matchup with Boston or Miami in the east Finals will certainly provide the truer challenge.

Both Miami and Boston have multiple players that have proved they are capable of carrying their team's scoring burden when necessary, and in order to beat either team Rose must continue to be flawless, and someone else must help carry the load.

Rose's mentality, focus and clutch performances have left little doubts as to whether or not he is up to the task, but unfortunately the same cannot yet be said for the rest of his team.