Rose puts in extra time with Thibs
When practice ended Tuesday at the Berto Center, all of the Bulls stood on the court taking extra shots except for one: Derrick Rose sat watching the video screen with coach Tom Thibodeau.
“We were going over everything,” Rose said. “Thibs was going over what they were doing and making sure I stay aggressive.
“We’re going on the road making sure we’re all focused and doing the right things. You never know how we’re going to play there. If anything, we can’t play any worse than we’ve been playing at home.”
Rose didn’t mean the Bulls aren’t capable of playing worse than they did in Games 1 or 2. They just can’t play worse if they want to have any chance of winning at Conseco Fieldhouse.
In Monday’s 96-90 victory at the United Center, Rose scored 36 points and the Bulls dominated the rebounds 57-33. Somehow, though, Indiana scored more second-chance points (15-14), even though the Bulls had the advantage in offensive boards (20-9).
The Bulls also coughed up 22 turnovers and shot 38.6 percent from the field. Despite all those issues, the Bulls still lead the series 2-0.
“We know things aren’t right,” Rose said. “We’re just trying to get everything sharp.”
When the Bulls play Game 3 on Thursday, it will be the first time Rose enters a hostile playoff environment as a member of the higher-seeded team.
“Love it. The crowd will be unbelievable,” he said. “It feels like you against the world. Everybody’s going to have to stay together.”
The Pacers announced Tuesday there are still tickets available for Games 3 and 4 in Indianapolis.
Collison wants to play:Pacers point guard Darren Collison was optimistic he#146;ll be able to play in Thursday#146;s Game 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse. Realistically, though, he won#146;t know until the night of the game how well he can run on a sprained left ankle.Collison turned the ankle when he fell into sideline photographers after a fast-break lay-in during Monday#146;s Game 2.Meanwhile, Indiana coach Frank Vogel expressed confidence he#146;ll somehow find a way to slow down Derrick Rose, who is averaging 37.5 points in the series.#147;I love the challenge,#148; Vogel said, according to espn.com. #147;That#146;s why I#146;m in coaching, to figure out the chess match of what can we do to slow down a player like Derrick Rose.#147;I study it, I watch the game, I watch the game again, I watch all the Rose pick-and-rolls again, I watch his transition again. Every clip, what can we do differently here, what can we do differently there. I love it.#148;George takes on challenge:At 6-foot-8 with a vast wingspan, Indiana rookie Paul George boasts a body reminiscent of Bulls great Scottie Pippen.Conveniently enough, Indiana coach Frank Vogel wanted George to emulate Pippen as he took on the task of guarding Derrick Rose in Game 2.#147;We had a talk with Coach Frank in the locker room,#148; George said. #147;He wanted me to be a Scottie Pippen-type player against him. That#146;s really what I tried to do. I tried to angle him, send him to my teammates. They did a great job helping me.#148;George finished with 4 blocks, 3 steals and, according to Vogel, a franchise-best 18 deflections in Game 2.Ratings bonanza:According to Comcast SportsNet, the combined audience from CSN and TNT drew an 18.5 rating for Monday#146;s Game 2 between the Bulls and Pacers. That#146;s better than the local rating for #147;Dancing With The Stars,#148; according to the station.