Believe it or not, Monday’s matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers was the first career meeting between former No. 1 draft picks Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving. The game not only represented a chance for the Bulls to get back on track against the seemingly lesser team, but also a challenge for Rose on both ends of the floor. I predicted this week would be a key stretch for Chicago, and Rose in particular, because it was a chance for them to play some easier opponents and develop an offensive rhythm, even though their opposition wouldn’t roll over. The first game didn’t disappoint, but it was for different reasons than we all thought.
Rose Shows Improvement…
Let’s preface this section with the obvious: Rose’s offense still isn’t on point. Even in his best game of the year, Rose’s offense was a little unsteady and inconsistent. But even though he wasn’t playing at an MVP-level people, the improvement was pretty evident. Rose picked things up in the second half and was more assertive en route to 16 points, seven assists and three rebounds. He only shot 8-for-21 from the floor, but he continued the trend of toning down his 3-point attempts (he only took two and missed both) and finished with zero turnovers. Coming into the game, Rose was averaging five turnovers per game, worst in the league.
But as fun as it was to watch Rose split Cleveland’s defense and get to the basket in the half-court offense and in transition every now and then, he looked spectacular on the defensive end. Rose stuck to Kyrie Irving tighter than an Uncle Drew disguise for the majority of the game, holding him to just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting before he subbed out with a little over three minutes left in the game.
Part of the credit goes to Chicago’s improving team defense, but Rose was terrific in shadowing Irving all over the court, following him around and through screens, stopping him from penetrating and forcing him into tough, contested shots. Add that to the fact that Rose went on a little offensive run in the fourth quarter to help Chicago pull ahead with only a few minutes remaining in the game and it was easily his most complete performance so far.
Aaaaaand It’s Gone.
The basketball gods can be cold-blooded sometimes. Just as Derrick Rose was ready to complete his best overall game of the season against Kyrie’s Cavs, he injured his hamstring on a drive to the basket in transition. Rose made an acrobatic twisting layup going to the rim that extended Chicago’s lead to seven with 3:39 left to play and got the crowd on its feet.
But just like that, Derrick Rose’s layup didn’t seem so spectacular anymore. As soon as he came up limping and grimacing, pretty much every Chicago Bulls fan who saw it wished he had just given the ball up to somebody else and stayed the hell away from whatever injury bug was lurking beneath that basket. Unfortunately, that describes both a great and potentially scary thing about Rose: his style is full throttle with little room for caution. That leads to some spectacular plays and makes him nearly unstoppable when he’s on his game, but it also has something to do with his seemingly constant injury problems.
Last season saw an annoyingly high number of superstars sit out with injury problems. Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio and Danilo Gallinari are just some of the big names that had to miss major or important stretches of the season due to injury. This season, most if not all of them will get their chance to return. Some have already come back. This is just a minor injury and Rose is listed as day-to-day, but even a minor setback at this point represents yet another monumental obstacle in Rose trying to re-establish his offensive rhythm. Rose’s status for Chicago’s game against the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night is up in the air, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he sits and rests in preparation for the Bulls’ upcoming showdown with the Indiana Pacers.
Mike’s Hard Lemonade Strikes Back
Mike Dunleavy finally earned the (awesome) “Mike’s Hard Lemonade” moniker I’ve been pushing all season by doing what he’s paid to do: knocking down threes and spreading the defense. His rainbow threes were jump-off-the-couch-worthy, since they came over the outstretched fingertips of defenders during pivotal times in the second half. Dunleavy finished with 15 points, going 4-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-3 from downtown. It was an encouraging sign not only because Dunleavy had struggled up to that point, but also because Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler were looking awfully Rudy Gay-ish and shot a combined 7-for-25 from the field.
Just like the alcoholic beverage for which I nicknamed him, Dunleavy’s game had a smooth taste with a tiny kick to it (much like his hilarious karate chop to Serge Ibaka). It’s not going to knock you off your feet and you can’t take it too seriously, but it’s definitely buzz-worthy the more you drink it in. Here’s hoping that not only will Rose’s hamstring be a minor one, but that Chicago fans will be enjoying plenty of Mike’s Hard Lemonade this year.