Bulls already letting Rose show the way
The Bulls folded badly under pressure Sunday night against Denver, giving up a game-ending 18-2 run after leading by 3 points with five minutes remaining.
Twenty-four hours later, still running through thin air, the Bulls were essentially in the same spot at Utah, clinging to an 87-83 advantage with five minutes left.
The Jazz was missing its two best players, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, but still had five of its top six scorers available, since Williams averaged just 7.5 points in the two game he did play this season.
Utah also had coach Jerry Sloan, whose teams always execute, no matter who is on the floor.
The Jazz scored on eight of its final nine possessions, but the Bulls pulled out a thrilling 101-100 victory when Larry Hughes buried a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer.
Coach Vinny Del Negro used his final timeout with 51.8 seconds remaining, which meant the Bulls' final two possessions came without any sideline discussion.
So what was the plan?
"I told the guys (with 51.8 seconds left) ... 'No matters what happens, we have no timeouts left, come back down, spread the court, and Derrick make a play,'" Del Negro said.
To quote a Monty Python sketch, "Say no more."
Rookie Derrick Rose was able to knife through the lane and score 8 straight points, giving the Bulls four different 1-point leads. He finally missed his last shot, an 18-footer to the left of the key with about five seconds on the clock. But the rebound caromed to Hughes on the perimeter, and he drained the game-winner.
"We still won, that was the whole key," Rose said in the locker room. "This is special. This is a game I'll always remember."
Against Utah, Rose produced his third 25-point game of the road trip. Take away the team-wide lackluster effort in Portland, and Rose is averaging 22.5 points, 7.3 assists and shooting a remarkable 56.3 percent from the field since the circus invaded the United Center.
Not surprisingly, the defensive schemes have become bolder and more Rose-oriented as this trip has progressed. Both Denver and Utah tried trapping Rose with two defenders as soon as he crossed midcourt.
Learning how to attack an aggressive double-team is something the Bulls need to work on. Twice on Monday, Rose tried to dribble around it and lost the ball.
"My teammates say they don't care if I turn the ball over a couple of times trying to attack the big men," Rose said. "But make sure I stay under control if I get past them and make the open pass."
The Bulls held a short workout Tuesday in San Antonio in preparation for tonight's game against the Spurs, but Del Negro doesn't believe the Bulls will be able to solve the gimmick defenses geared toward Rose with practice alone.
"We can drill it, we can talk about it and we can show film," Del Negro said. "You just have to go through it. Every team will play him differently and change their defenses up to try to utilize what they can against his athletic ability.
"He's just got to continually watch film, talk things through with me and just continue to work. Because it's just a matter of time before we realize everything, then we'll be more aggressive at times."