As NBA matchups go, James vs. Rose intriguing

Some older, optimistic Bulls fans may have gotten flashbacks to 1991 during Thursday's 108-106 victory over Cleveland.

Two star players matched up in an intriguing head-to-head battle. During the '91 Finals, it was Michael Jordan vs. Magic Johnson. Thursday's game featured Derrick Rose vs. LeBron James.

Not a perfect comparison, obviously. Michael vs. Magic was for the NBA title. The Bulls vs. Cavs matchup is a long shot No. 8 seed trying to stay alive against the team with the league's best record.

Michael vs. Magic was a maturing star against a legend. Rose vs. James equals two players with a combined age of 46. James is about to become a two-time MVP, while Rose is just getting started.

At no point in his NBA career will the 6-foot-3 Rose be counted on to guard the 6-8 James. But in the waning minutes of Game 3, James decided he was his team's best option to put the clamps on Rose.

It was a compelling sight and something to talk about with two days off before Game 4 arrives on Sunday afternoon at the United Center.

"I think it shows what kind of player Derrick is, just taking on the challenge," Bulls center Joakim Noah said Friday at the Berto Center. "People talk about LeBron guarding him, but he really didn't do a great job. D-Rose was giving him buckets. That's pretty nice."

James did seem to make things tough on Rose, although when the defensive switch was made, the Bulls were in the process of putting together the game's decisive run.

After Cleveland trimmed a 21-point deficit down to 94-92 with 4:17 left, Rose scored twice against James, once on a long floater and then on an 18-foot jumper.

The second basket put the Bulls ahead 100-92 with 2:47 remaining and provided enough cushion for the Bulls to survive the Cavs' late 3-point onslaught. Rose missed a couple of shots later in the game with James playing strong defense.

"At that point in the game, I think it's just important to stay with our principles," Luol Deng said. "Whatever they're trying to do, maybe they're trying to get us out of our rhythm and see if we'd go to a different look. I think we did a good job of sticking with it."

Rose did not speak to reporters following practice Friday at the Berto Center. During the Game 3 television broadcast, it was mentioned that Rose's uncle had died, the reason he missed Wednesday's practice.

Noah provided an interesting description of his younger teammate, who has averaged 27.3 points and 8.3 assists in the first-round series.

"He's a real humble kid, but he doesn't play humble at all," Noah said of Rose. "He has a real swagger about him when he steps onto the court. I think that's really rare. I think that's one of his greatest gifts: How humble he is off the court. But on the court, there's nothing humble about his mindset. That's a good thing."

James admitted after Game 3 that guarding Rose full-time doesn't make sense. The Cavaliers have tried several strategies so far in the series, including sending frequent double-teams at Rose and going with a smaller lineup. For most of the fourth quarter on Thursday, Antawn Jamison played center for Cleveland and James was the power forward.

"Good players are going to make plays, that's just the way it is," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We have to do a good job opening the floor up. Derrick has to do a good job of not settling (for jumpers); getting to the basket and not just scoring; making plays, getting us into the penalty, those things."

Stars cross-matched

No one is expecting Derrick Rose to outplay LeBron James in the Bulls-Cavaliers playoff series, but he's holding his own in the battle of the teams' best players. Here are the stats through three games:

Points

Assists

Rebounds

FG pct.

FT

Derrick Rose

27.3

8.3

3.7

.462

9-12

LeBron James

34.3

7.0

8.0

.574

19-26

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