D-Rose downs defending champs
Derrick Rose, Dime #32
It’s all cyclical, really. A few years ago when Shaq was on top of the NBA world, he christened Paul Pierce with the nickname that’s stuck ever since. Now with Pierce sitting on top (reigning Finals MVP and all), he could/should have told the world yesterday: Derrick Rose is the muthaf***in’ TRUTH. Hopefully you woke up early and watched the kid, otherwise you missed a hell of a show. In his playoff debut, on the road against the defending champs, D-Rose put up 36 points (12-19 FG, 12-12 FT) and 11 assists, leading the Bulls to an overtime win and a 1-0 series lead … Rose’s back-and-forth with Rajon Rondo (29 pts, 9 rebs, 7 asts) was the story of the game. One sequence summed it up late in the first quarter, when Rondo sprinted past Rose for a layup, then Rose took the inbounds and went Speedy Gonzalez right back at him for a layup of his own. The whole exchange took a total of nine seconds … Remember how bad Ray Allen was in the first two rounds or so of last year’s playoffs? It got to the point where people were saying he should retire ASAP. Well, yesterday he looked worse, going 1-for-12 (4 pts) and bricking all six of his threes. He even missed a dunk … It was nip/tuck in the second half. Rose did Rondo dirty on a crossover in the lane and laid it up to put Chicago ahead with 30 seconds left in the fourth, then Rondo — the smallest guy on the court — rebounded a Ray miss and scored over Joakim Noah (11 pts, 17 rebs, 3 blks) to get the lead back. After Rose hit two free throws, Pierce had a look at a game-winning jumper before Noah just clobbered him. Forget an NBA playoff game; that would have been a foul up at 155th Street. So with 2.6 seconds left, Pierce went to the line, tied it, then missed his second FT that could have won it … Late in overtime, tied up after a Pierce (23 pts) jumper, what’s the LAST play you think the Bulls would score on? If you said, “Tyrus Thomas taking a long jumper with a hand in his face and plenty of time on the shot clock,” that’d be a great call. And yet that’s exactly how they scored, with Tyrus looking like Peja for a sec. Of course he took a similarly ill-advised shot one possession later and bricked, giving Boston a chance to win it, but Ray missed at the buzzer … We said going into Blazers/Rockets that Aaron Brooks would be a big X-factor, but who knew he’d be almost flawless? Brooks went for 27 points and seven assists in the most surprising blowout of the day, a 108-81 Houston win. Somehow LaMarcus Aldridge kept ending up on the wrong side of Brooks’ highlights. Just before halftime, Brooks left skid marks on the court going end-to-end, blowing past Nic Batum going to the rack and floating a high banker over LMA to beat the buzzer. In the third quarter, LMA was guarding Brooks on an island up top, and got a nice crossover/step-back jumper for his troubles …
Josh Howard (photo. Monte Isom)
Portland had nothing for Yao, who hit all of his shots (9-9 FG, 6-6 FT) and scored all of his 24 points in the first half. Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden were getting worked like the pole at The Player’s Club … Saturday’s other blowout was anything but a surprise. LeBron had an easy 38 points, eight boards and seven dimes as the Cavs ran past the Pistons. Get ready for the waving white towels in Cleveland to become this year’s “white tee shirts in Miami” trend; cute at first, but ultimately annoying … Tayshaun Prince is still a world-class defender — which is why he has an Olympic gold medal at home — and we’d have him high on our list if we needed to get one stop with everything on the line like Space Jam 2K9 But Tayshaun just can’t guard LeBron. And what’s messed up for Detroit is that they don’t have anybody else who would do any better. This would be where that, “If he wanted to be, Rasheed would be one of the five best players in the League” thing kicks in, but you know … For most of the first half, it looked like San Antonio was gonna stomp the Mavs. Tony Parker (24 pts, 8 asts) was scoring on penetration, Tim Duncan (27 pts, 9 rebs) was scoring in the post, and the Spurs were getting those corner threes and capitalizing. The coldest play: Parker drew Jason Terry out to the corner, crossed him up like he was going baseline, and when Terry turned his back to recover, Parker knocked down a jumper on him while he wasn’t even aware what was happening … The Mavs opened up the third quarter with a run and took the lead, but after a hard Erick Dampier foul sent Duncan to the ground — he spun around on his butt like a b-boy while doing the Whiny Face/Whiny Pose — TD got pissed. He took Damp into the torture chamber and got the Spurs back in it, but the Mavs didn’t wilt, and went on another run to go up double-digits in the fourth before closing it out … More than a healthy Ginobili, the Spurs could have used a younger Bruce Bowen. They were getting lit up by Josh Howard, who dropped 25 points. And somebody needed to deal with J.J. Barea, who had a crucial 13 points off the bench … E-mail from Austin: “After I saw another grown man with a Mike Vick jersey, my boy and I were going back and forth about what’s the most offensive jersey somebody could wear. Vick, O.J. and Rae Carruth are obvious. But we settled on these two: a custom ‘Bin Laden’ NY Jets, or a custom ‘Osama’ Minnesota Twins. That’s awful.” … Today’s playoff games: Magic/Sixers, Nuggets/Hornets, Lakers/Jazz and Hawks/Heat. Who do ya got? … We’re out like Ray’s shot …
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April 19th, 2009 at 8:41 am
RonnaBonBon says:
first
GO LAKERSSSSSSSSSSSSS
April 19th, 2009 at 8:51 am
rick 773 says:
Tyrus Thomas is clutch…And D Rose was aight too
April 19th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Rafa23 says:
quick question: does derrick rose have some kind of personality? he is probably the most boring guy i ever heard talking…
but he was awesome last night, have nothing against him. was just wondering
April 19th, 2009 at 9:02 am
q says:
This is seriously something strange with Ray Allen. A definitely pcychological problem..
April 19th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Rafa23 says:
would have to be something reeeeeeeaally strange with rayray. he was great during the finals, maybe even deserved finals mvp. so why would he be nervous in round 1?
April 19th, 2009 at 9:22 am
abpin says:
bulls will win the series.
spurs will win the series.
cleveland is a lock.
portland will come back, but houston ultimately will win the series.
as for tonight: magic, denver, lakers, heat.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Dagomar says:
Lebron had one spectacular debut. He’s becoming something we haven’t seen since Jordan. But then the Pistons were simply a disgrace, and just looked dispirited after that first quarter.
Blazers/Rockets was a hell of an anticlimax. I think Oden’s the only guy on the Blazers who might be able to push back against Yao, but he wasn’t used in the first quarter when Yao went 7-7. Even that might not be enough. The Rockets looked infinitely tougher, stronger and more experienced than the Blazers out there, and for much of the game it looked like the only guy who showed up for Portland was B-Roy (even he got shaken up). Like the Cavs/Pistons right now this also looks like a short series.
Mavs/Spurs went pretty much as I expected: Spurs with the lead early on, driven by their home crowd, but ultimately lacking the depth to maintain that lead. Duncan is fighting hard out there but he’s in his early 30s and playing with one leg. The Mavs are a good, well-rounded team and if Josh Howard finally steps up in the playoffs they can do some damage. Mavs in 6, I think.
As for the Celtics/Bulls . . . that was unexpected! Rose is going to be a superstar sooner rather than later. But you have to wonder how long the trends in the first game will last. Allen and Pierce having horrible shooting nights against players who should not be able to defend them? Rose scoring 36 points? Tyrus Thomas nailing deep jumpers? I still say Celtics win this in 6 or 7.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:43 am
murcielago says:
d-rose makes d bulls an exciting team again.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:44 am
smoove chips says:
First off, Tyrus thomas rocked it today.That’s how you show up in the playoffs !!I was rooting for tha bulls,and i can’t say i didn’t cringe on some of those jumpers.With that being sed D.Rose is a stud.I said in another post,the only other person with as cold a demeanor is Brandon roy.But even though,Rose defines unflappable .Like Damn he lit up the Celts.Next time they won’t be so lucky.they can sweep the celts if they want to but not by matching j’s with pierce.Hit them with a quick 12 point lead,and not let go.It’s their series to lose.
Wanna thank Houston for pounding on the Trailblazers.And i like that J.ho checked in for this game.Lebron makes that shyt look too easy.Nobody can hold Lebron on an iso situation period.The cavs toyed with the Pistons and that game’s outcome was never in doubt.
with today’s game in mind here’s a message for the Lakers esp. Gasol and Odom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHol7WW2A8g&NR=1
Maflukaz better check in.Go lakers !!
April 19th, 2009 at 9:53 am
rick 773 says:
I’m not sure why people think just because Ray and Pierce had off games they’ll come back and win the series. Hell Brad Miller and John Salmons had two of the worse games imagineable. Even BG was off until the 4th quarter. I know they’re the defending champs and all but without KG to help on O and to execute Thibedeaus Defensive strategy this is the same team that was in the Oden Durant sweepstakes two years ago. Granted Rondo is much more improved but Leon powe and Mikki Moore ain’t Al Jefferson either
April 19th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Rafa23 says:
@ rick
your post is full of mistakes.
nobody thinks boston will win because ray and pierce will play better. but you cant equal the two most important players by FAR from boston and then talk about miller and salmons.
and the celtics without kg are the team from 2 years ago?
WOW
have you seen them play?
i really think the bulls have a good chance winning the series, but please stop talking about basketball when you dont know anything about it.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Shrink This says:
Maybe that brutal attack on Ray Allen’s elbow by Anderson Varajao’s bag last week had something to do with Ray’s poor shooting performance yesterday…
DRose’s on the court offensive performance yesterday was so spectacular, I completely forgot about how brutal his post-game interview was.
That being said, he is just a kid and I wonder what Stern and the league says to young players about what is ‘acceptable fare’ in interviews etc (particularly in light of Josh Howard’s softball comments this past summer). Maybe this held him back a bit from being more animated. Just a thought.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:16 am
rick 773 says:
First that’s where you’re wrong I’m not talking about just Dime I’m talking everywhere check espn for example the majority of opinions seem too think that this is an aberation. But since you have such a wealth of basketball knowledge tell me the difference between this team without KG and the one that was in the lottery two years ago. Don’t worry I’ll wait
April 19th, 2009 at 10:18 am
rocky lobs says:
ben gordon had a solid 4th quarter too
though
he took shots that benny the bull wouldnt eff with during a half-time set
April 19th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Rafa23 says:
you just seem to think its based on players. sure they dont have a true post presence(al jefferson back then…). they are just playing a lot better then the season they won 24 games. you really think this team is as bad as the one back then? they have ray, rondo and perkins improved, workhorses like powe or davis.
but thats not the point. that team back was horrible, probably the worst in the league. this team now has a good record without garnett and would easily make the playoffs in the east.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Dagomar says:
rick 773:
The differences: Ray Allen, Glen Davis, J.R. Giddens, Eddie House, Stephon Marbury, Mikki Moore, Gabe Pruitt, Bill Walker, an improved Kendrick Perkins, an improved Leon Powe, a vastly improved Rajon Rondo, an excellent defensive system under Tom Thibodeau (and defensive culture enabled by KG’s leadership).
The only thing the two teams have in common is Doc Rivers and Brian Scalabrine. This Celtics team held off the Magic for the East’s second best record and has a record without KG that’s almost as good as their record with him. That said, KG’s absence is still a killer. But to suggest the Celtics now are the same as the Celtics that had the worst record in the league two years back is unbelievably stupid. Rafa is right: you probably shouldn’t talk about the NBA until you know something about it. And to back up your opinions by saying most of the spammers on ESPN agree with you is pretty asinine too.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:29 am
busterjonez says:
Portland, welcome to the playoffs. Learn to play some defense, we want a more entertaining series.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Damon says:
omg rick
do you really think this boston team is like the one in 07?
they beat cleveland at home and won at denver.just two games where you can see its at least a playoffs team.
don’t be so bulls blind
April 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am
DurrtyInjun says:
I admit that two years ago it was pretty much the same roster (sans KG) with Ray instead of Big Al. But you act like age and experience don’t matter. Outsde Pierce they were just young and dumb back then. The improvement of Rondo, Powe, and Perkins surrounded by better role players is a huge difference. Still doesn’t mean they can get past Orlando (If they can squeak past the Bulls), without KG.
Now I am going to get back to studying so tomorrow I can start drinking and began wallowing in the self pity the realization the state of my Pistons are in has brought on to me. They need to be at there best to even have a chance to win this series, but just like the teams of the last few years, they just don’t seem to have the fight/desire in them needed this time of year. To easily discouraged, and that can not all be blamed for AI, since they were like this before he came.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
rick 773 says:
I’m not saying that they’re not a playoff team they’re not a elite team. When they stunk two years ago it was mostly because pierce was hurt but with that said without KG they’re just like all the other Celtic teams that pierce took to the playoffs but were never a threat to be an elite team. Again nobody doubted they would make the playoffs with or without KG but can you say they’d be a threat to win a title if they didn’t have KG. They made the playoffs plenty of years with pierce walker and a cast of others but never were considered threats to hoist a trophy. So my point is how can you overlook the Bulls as if the Current Celts had some type of Championship pedigree before KG arrived.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:45 am
rick 773 says:
Ok maybe the comparison to lottery team was a tad overzealous I can admit that. But I’ll say it again even with the Celts improved team if they didn’t have KG would they have been a threat to win a title this year or last. Whats the difference between the Celtic teams at the beginning of the decade that consistently made the playoffs but were never a threat than this one without KG
April 19th, 2009 at 10:47 am
DurrtyInjun says:
Lol, how many teams have a “Chamionship pedigree” before they win their first Championship? But the main guys had big time playoff experience which the Bulls do not have. Also, I don’t think people have overlooked the Bulls, but they are being realistic if you ask them who they think will win, based on individual matchups, and overall experience.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:49 am
DurrtyInjun says:
And again, I really doubt anyone expects them to win it all without KG except for the hardcore Celts Fans.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Big Freeze says:
damn rick, you got learned. but it’s true, without KG, the Celts are fcukin soft. no interior presence, heavy reliance on jump shots, and lack of offensive boards all translate to an early exit in the tourney.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
rlf says:
derrick was amazing yesterday. i’m glad i watched that game.
best part about him, he is not arrogant, whatsoever, he seems like a nice kid.
when players such as kobe and lebron got into the league, they were arrogant, still are, this kid has a quick appeal because he is humble and has amazing game.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Steve Gomez 10a-2p on Hot 104.7 Modesto, Ca says:
It was the Bulls speed that killed the Celtics.
April 19th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Simon says:
Great work on the jersey ideas Austin! Haha, you know someone is going to have those made up now because of you guys. Did you actually see people rockin those?
- Simon
April 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
K Dizzle says:
I don’t remember Bron bein arrogant comin in, maybe I missed somethin.
I didn’t watch Tyrus play this season, but I didn’t know kid had skills like that. That play when he took the rock coast to coast, hit his man with the hesitation cross then splashed a floater was sick. If dude brings it between the ears for 6 games, the Celts(without KG) won’t see these Bulls.
Thabk you, Houston, for that clinic on Rose City, cuz as a Laker fan, Portland had me stressed cuz they been ownin us, but that mental lashin they got last night made me feel a lil better if they somehow get by Houston….
@ Youngfed
it’ll be alright, bruh lol
April 19th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
POPPI GEE says:
Houston Up!
Like I said that Dallas lost at the end of the season focused them boys.
I like Portland though.
I like Houston better!
Let’s Go!
April 19th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
LakeShow84 says:
You would think the best player in the world COULD hit the final FT for the lead.. never seen a man lean forward that much when shooting a FT..
Paul Pierce is wweeeeaaaakkkkkkkk.. Celtics will be out fast cuz Garnett aint there to mask Allen’s conference choke job.. Deja vu from last year conference series..
@ GEE
Good shit on the Houston win.. heres to hoping Houston takes care of our Dirty work!! lol Artest is going to murder them kids..
April 19th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Bron42 aka Had springs before slamball says:
@K Dizze, um lebrons been cocky since hig school lol. SAme with kobe.
@rick, so yur saying ray allen is equal to walker? If pierce hits that ft were not even having this conversation.
@lakeshow, how you callin pierce weak when your star player choked away the whole finals last year.
April 19th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Bron42
Because it was a collective choke Bronnie.. You sayin it was all Kobe?? then you must be one of those hypocrits who cry about a team effort and call him a ball hog when he goes off and drops buckets..
and aint you the foo who hates on Bynum just cuz you dropped “buckets” on him in junior high??
Riiiigggghhhhhhtttt…
Give Kobe or Dwade both those free throws and its a wrap.. Dont defend someone who talked out they ass cuz then you look like you talking out ur ass..
April 19th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
haslem says:
Bold prediction: No way D-rose gets 30+ again this series. It is my conviction the celts don’t let that happen again. Rondo focuses on clamping him up and Ray Allen and PP step up in the scoring department.
This prediction could easily blow up in my face, as last game we saw how much the Clets miss KG. Simply put: KG would have put the fear of god in Derrick Rose last night. KGs scoring, rebounding will be missed but his menace on D is what no one on the team can replace. No way Derrick Rose gets in the lane that often even if you put an injured KG (in a suit) in front of the rim. KG is not going to let a young guy like Noah grab all those boards either, and in general would bring down the Bulls cockiness down a few notches. This effect he has on other teams is not measured by any stat but you could see it was missing last night. With guys like Glen Davis and Perk in the paint KG’s ability to cause a guard to think twice about taking it to the hole is not gonna be replicated.
KG maybe should consider paying a visit to D-rose’s hotel room and having a conversation with. Or the Celtics could give him seats right behind the Bulls bench and he can just stare at D-rose the whole game with a look that would scare even a hardened vet.
Bottom Line: Yea losing Posey was a huge blow but with KG gone the celts just aren’t intimidating to play against.
April 19th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
haslem says:
Put KG in this series you’ll see his impact, even with him injured.
KG wouldn’t have to shoot the ball or anything, just put him in the game and let him yell and do his whole intense thing until half the young Bulls team is convinced they aren’t leaving the city alive.
April 19th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
heavy d says:
I still occasionally rock my Vick Mean Machine jersey that I had made when the situation first broke.
April 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Where all the Spurs fans today?
April 19th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
baron von faulk says:
Spurs #1 greatest Dynasty baby, we gonna win that one, two, three, four, FIF!!
psyche yo mind
April 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Markito says:
@ rick, Boston might look weak now but they’re the defending champs. They play with pride and are still a tough team to play with or without KG.
And not to discredit Chicago (D-Rose is legit), but it was a close game all throughout without KG. Think about that.
@lakeshow, gotta agree that Pierce leans so much during his FTs. And you gotta wonder why it’s like this since his mid-range game is top-notch. Maybe he should use his legs more on his free throws. wouldn’t call him weak though.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Markito says:
@ spiff, same question i had in mind. the spurs perimeter players looked old last night. they got lit up by j.j. barea repeatedly on high pick-and-roll. wtf.
Hate to say it but they need fresh talent there in SA. Something like an athletic SF would be great.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
bookkwormmaster says:
I really like Portland (Brandon Roy is 1 of my fav players) but he needs 2 slap Lamarcus Aldridge upside his head and tell him to get his soft ass in the paint and bang. He has like 2 or 3 inches on Luis Scola (even though Scola is stronger/bigger than him) and if he just takes him his time and works against him he can be much more effective for his team. Portland REALLY lacks a good inside presence and Aldridge is the only player on their roster who can provide that. You arent gonna beat Houston shooring jumpers all game long. I also think that they need to insert some more offensive players into their starting lineup because the only 2 offensive threats for the starters are Roy & Aldridge. They should start with benching Steve Blake and inserting Jerryd Bayless in his place. Bayless is really the only guy who has the speed and quickness to match up with Aaron Brooks both offensively and defensively. Bayless is relentless attacking the basket which is something that is sorely lacking from Blake. They should also consider starting Greg Oden over Joel Przybilla. Between the two Prybilla is currently the better defensive player and if they wanna have any shot at slowing Yao (another 1 of my fav players) down its gonna have to be by him and you dont want him getting into early foul trouble. I’m not saying that Oden is a sorry defender because he’s actually pretty solid but he is way too foul prone and doesn’t really have the experience necessary to guard a guy like Yao. And finally they need to figure out what to do with Ron Artest. Nicolas Batum is a solid defensive player but he is WAY TOO SMALL to be trying to guard Artest and if you’re Rick Adelman that is a match-up that you should definitely explore. They should alternate post-up opportunities between Yao, Artest, and Scola and just pound the ball all day.
April 19th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
rootsradical says:
the most offensive jersey i’ve seen somebody in was an antoine walker boston celtics last june. how many years did that thing sit in the dresser before it was dusted off after a celtics championship? give me a break.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:30 am
BR says:
@rootsradical
This the guy you’re talkin about?
http://slumz.boxden.com/showthread.php?s=d81f6dd6c0743e6ea51035ac2ac5b3ba&t=1232537
April 20th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Sweet English says:
a bit of 9/11 humor for yo asses.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Mrbball says:
“Pierce had a look at a game-winning jumper before Noah just clobbered him. Forget an NBA playoff game; that would have been a foul up at 155th Street.”
Everyone is saying that was a foul but I’m not so sure. I think PP got some vet treatment. I looked at the replay again last night. Anyhoo
“So with 2.6 seconds left, Pierce went to the line, tied it, then missed his second FT that could have won it”
Justice???
That was the second foul on Noah where he got mad ball on a block. Not saying the ref’s didn’t give the bulls a call or too especially on that John Salmons call…double drible.
April 20th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
everybodyisslow says:
Dam RICK dont go against the ESPN east coast BYEST .. the CELTICS without KG are a 6 or 7 seed. POWE AND DAVIS are soft hot GARBAGE. if u let NOAH bang u then u are sofffff……T lets be real here, you just let a rookie point guard shit on your life, and thats a championship team? wrong, its a championship team when KG is on the court and even with KG on the court the bulls pose missmatch problems on the court for the celts. so with KG this series still goes atleast 6. not to mention the fact that this is a 18-8 bulls team after the trade. SO what im saying is one team got better (BULLS) and one team got worse (CELTS)…