Rose puts teammates on his back in Game 3
ATLANTA — Jamal Crawford suggested after the Game 2 loss in Chicago that Atlanta had just seen the Bulls' best shot and managed to stay within 6 points in the fourth quarter.
Naturally, that gave the Hawks some confidence heading into Friday's Game 3 at Philips Arena. But they had no idea what Derrick Rose was capable of doing.
They should have known.
He was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player three days earlier. With the series tied 1-1 and the Bulls facing a crucial test on the road, Rose delivered a career-high 44 points and the Bulls rolled past Atlanta 99-82.
“That was one of the best games I've seen on somebody else's court,” Bulls forward Carlos Boozer said. “When he's like that, we just jump on his back and we go along for the ride. I don't know how else to say it. As a teammate, it's fun to witness.”
Rose hit 16 of 27 shots overall, scored 4 baskets from 3-point range and added 7 assists. This wasn't just his playoff career-high, but the most points he's scored in an NBA game, topping the 42 he tallied this season against San Antonio and Indiana.
“I just had to knock down shots,” Rose said with his trademark humble demeanor. “I spent a lot of time working on mechanics. My confidence didn't go anywhere. I just had to see some go in.”
Before the game, coach Tom Thibodeau emphasized the need for the Bulls to pick up the pace of the game, so Rose could attack the basket on the fastbreak before defenders start packing the lane in an effort to slow him down.
“I want to see him attack,” Thibodeau said. “I think the more he's into the paint, the more effective we are. The less dancing and the more attacking the better.”
Some might wonder how much more Rose could do, since he often seems to do everything for the Bulls. But it took less than a minute for Thibodeau's vision to become reality.
On the game's second possession, Rose hurried upcourt and finished a fastbreak lay-in, which prompted Atlanta coach Larry Drew to call timeout after 49 seconds had elapsed.
When play resumed, Rose pushed the tempo again and drew a foul. Later in the first quarter, Rose split four defenders on a drive through the lane and threw down an uncontested, two-handed dunk.
“I knew it was going to be ugly, because he doesn't do anything out of the ordinary for him,” center Joakim Noah said. “That's what he does. It's fun to watch.”
Rose scored 17 points in the first quarter alone, while hitting 7 of 10 shots from the field. The Bulls led by 13 points at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a couple of 3-pointers by Rose and Keith Bogans.
Midway through the fourth, Rose drained 2 more shots from 3-point range, just after the Hawks put together a mild threat by closing the deficit to 11.
“They were going under (screens), leaving me wide open on the jump shot, so why not take it?” he said.
The Bulls took care of business in this game the way a serious team should. They temporarily lost homecourt advantage when the Hawks won Game 1 in Chicago, but wasted no time getting it back.
Point guard Jeff Teague (21 points) led the Hawks in scoring for the second straight game, while Atlanta's biggest stars were held in check. Joe Johnson and Al Horford scored 10 points each, while Jamal Crawford had 7. Johnson didn't score at all in the second half.
“It's tough to beat us when we get our defense going,” Rose said.
The Hawks scored 103 points in their Game 1 victory. In the other five meeting between these teams, Atlanta has averaged 79 points.
“We had our edge tonight,” Boozer said. “The key to tonight's game was our defense. We had to establish our defense early and we did that.”
“We're not satisfied,” Noah added. “We're going to stay hungry and be ready for Game 4, because we realize that we're going to get a little bit of praise after this game, but it doesn't help you win basketball games.”
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