With the number one overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls chose their hometown prodigy, Derrick Rose. In his first year in the NBA, he proved he could hang with the big guys in the league by winning the Rookie of the Year award.
According to espn.com, he was the “third Bulls player to win the award Wednesday, joining Michael Jordan and Elton Brand.” He also led his team to the playoffs that year–something the city hasn’t seen since the 2004-05 season.
Derrick Rose’s third year in the league was going to be a spectacular year for him. He ended up becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history and lead his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference. But November 16th, 2010, marked one of the first games that showed his full arsenal of moves. Although it was early in the season, it wasn’t the first game where Rose scored thirty points or more. On the NBA’s game-by-game log archive list, he had dropped thirty-nine points earlier in the year, a game where they defeated the Detroit Pistons.
So far in their season, the Bulls had a record of 6-3, riding on a three game winning streak. The Houston Rockets, however, were 3-7. They were without their starting Center, Yao Ming, while he was plagued with one of many foot injuries to follow–unfortunately, the 2010-11 season would be his last.
According to the NBA.com, Rose started the game with a strong eight points throughout the first quarter, having five points outside of the paint. The first half was a quiet one for the Bulls point guard, after only scoring two points in the second half. Even the third quarter wasn’t a productive one for him but when it came down to the fourth quarter, it was game on.
According to the NBA.com game story, the Bulls fell behind in a bad way without Rose on the floor. “With Rose sitting on the bench with four fouls, the Rockets ripped off an 11-0 run to take a 71-63 lead into the fourth quarter.” Rose started the fourth quarter by dropping two three’s within the first two minutes of the fourth, trimming the lead to one.
What makes this game interesting is the different types of ways he was scoring. Although he only made 33% of his three point shots, he showed his capability to have confidence in his range. He ended up shooting four threes out of five.
The game would be decided by free throws and Derrick Rose had a chance to ice the game.
He was at the line with .08 seconds left on the clock as his team was up by two. Rose did his normal free throw routine but the ball clanked off the rim. Still, even with a missed free throw, he still had a chance to put the Bulls up by three…and he did. With no timeouts left, the Rockets had to hope for a miracle, but the soon-to-be MVP was not having any of that. The game ended in a 92-95 win for the Bulls.
Rose ended the game scoring 33 points, seven assists and had even stolen three balls. He showed everything that he had in this comeback game and put his team on his back, scoring seventeen points in the final period. According to NBA.com, former coach Tom Thibodeau of the Bulls was asked after the game about his point guards’ contribution to the win.
“Derrick was Derrick. He took control of the game. He realized what needed to be done. He started attacking. He’s going north and south. Attack, attack, attack. He’s impossible to guard”
This the first of many games that Derrick Rose proved he could not be stopped. His combination of driving and confidence in his jump shot while distributing the ball was the key to the Bulls success that year.
The point guard position in today’s NBA could possibly be one the best melting pots the Association has ever had to offer. There are high-quality three point shooters like Stephen Curry and athletic guards like Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard. In the midst of all that, there are some hidden gems we almost forget about due to injury. Six years ago, little did we know, there was a man named Derrick Rose, the soon-to-be MVP and one of the most dominant point guard to ever step foot in the NBA.
