Pau Gasol was a beast last night during Chicago’s 91-85 win over the Bucks. Chicago’s big free agent acquisition finished with 20 points, 11 boards and three blocks in less than 30 minutes. But it was Derrick Rose who really stood out and showed he’s still got nitrous tanks in his engine.
Mid-way through the third quarter, Joakim Noah stripped the ball in the paint and turned to go the other way. Rose was behind Noah — and everyone else — at the time of the steal, but he churned past him to receive the mini outlet in mid-stride. Then, Rose simply runs past two Bucks and sliced through three more for the easy layup.
Just look at how fast Rose’s legs are moving in comparison to the other players in this slowed down version:
Crazy.
Yes, the Bucks were lazy in their transition defense — after the play, the camera pans over to coach Jason Kidd with a grimace on his face — but when Rose shifted gears near mid-court everyone else looked stuck in concrete while he was Chuck Yeager in the X-1.
Rose finished with 16 points (5/10 overall and 3/4 from three), five rebounds, four assists, two steals and three turnovers in a little over 22 minutes.
He’s still shaking some rust off, and the concerns about his health over the long haul of his first full regular season in two years will remain in the back of our minds throughout the year. Still, this sequence shows Rose has got that extra gear only one or two other players in the NBA can reach, and that’s great news for Bulls fans.
(video via Basketball Orbit and Dawk Ins)
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