| No Playoff Learning Curve For Derrick Rose Authored by Christopher Reina - April 18, 2009 - 5:34 pm
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Rose never scored more than 30 points in his 79 first NBA games and picked the most opportune time imaginable to really enter the national stage as the best 20-year-old point guard to grace the playoff stage since Magic Johnson.
Rose's only real offensive assets were undersized shooting guard that probably won't be with the team next season (Ben Gordon) and Tyrus Thomas. When he came in for five minutes, Tim Thomas killed them with a 1-for-5 and Brad Miller was just 2-for-11.
Other than the alley-oop that Rose sent to Joakim Noah at the very beginning of the game, the Bulls had to work very hard against the Boston defense.
The Celtics aren't the same in both the tangible and intangible ways without Kevin Garnett, but there really isn't anything they did wrong defensively against Rose other than sending a double more frequently. But Rajon Rondo is one of the best on-ball defenders in the game and the fact that Rose's Saturday afternoon performance came against him makes the debut even more impressive. Rondo couldn't have possibly played better and he was still outplayed by Rose.
Finding easy shots is something Chicago has struggled with for several years now and only will really end when Rose is surrounded by bigs who can pick and pop, pick and roll and play the high post, along with wings that won't flinch on spot-up jumpers.
It wasn't quite (or even two thirds) Michael Jordan's 63 points at Boston Garden in 1986, but what it does establish for Chicago is that they have a situation potentially similar to the one with Chris Paul and the Hornets. He is winning playoff games on the road against the defending champions with one of the least talented rosters in the playoffs. This is a league where the teams with the best players win, regardless of who is on their team. It is why Cleveland is an easy favorite to win the Eastern Conference and the same reason why New Orleans won 49 games and Miami won 43.
Rose establishes a baseline level of competitiveness for Chicago no matter who fills the other seven or eight spots in their rotation, which makes remaking the roster decidedly easier and a more attractive landing for a free agent in 2010. |
