Rose shows rare emotion during Bulls' win over Cavs
Derrick Rose saw an opening in the lane, fought off a reach by Cleveland's Anderson Varejao, finished a driving lay-in and then did something that might be a lifetime first.
He flashed some emotion, letting loose with a Kevin Garnett-style standing scream.
The usually stoical Rose first vowed to act more like the Celtics more than a month ago. A rousing 102-93 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday was as good a time as any to get extra vocal.
"It's been awhile," Rose said when asked if he'd ever let out such a scream. "I was struggling the whole night, my shots were all long. Just to get that was a relief. I was just relieving the pressure. I see how they do it, but Garnett lets it out after every basket. I can't do that."
On the second possession of overtime, Rose finished another drive and foul, then ran over to the sideline and offered a quieter, smiling yell toward the fans.
All the boos, injuries, growing pains and questionable teamwork seemed to melt away at the end of this game. The Bulls (18-22) pulled together, kept their poise, played defense when it counted and knocked off the NBA's best team before an appreciative crowd at the United Center.
Following Rose's 3-point play in overtime, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Deng again knocked down 3 straight 3-point baskets. Deng's second shot bounced high off the rim, then fell straight through the net to send the Bulls ahead 99-88.
"It's good to see us competing at the level I feel we can," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Back-to-back wins is a good sign for us."
The other major story line in this game was an uncharacteristically cold shooting night by LeBron James. The league's second-leading scorer hit his first shot of the third quarter, then missed his next 13 field-goal attempts until finally draining a 3-pointer with 1:07 left in overtime with the Bulls leading by 10.
"This was my worst game of the season," said James, who finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while hitting 8 of 28 shots. "Yes, I was sick tonight. It's tough when you can't breathe. I missed layups and putbacks and I had no lift in my legs."
James had a chance to win the game for Cleveland (30-7) at the end of regulation, but missed a 21-foot jumper just before the buzzer.
The Bulls held the Cavs scoreless for the final 2:14 of regulation. Trailing by 4, Rose finished a left-handed drive, then missed 2 free throws that could have tied the score with 1:32 left.
But he got another chance after James slipped and mishandled a pass. Fouled by Mo Williams, Rose buried 2 tying free throws with 17.1 seconds left.
Deng guarded James most of the night and finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.
"The last three games, having everybody back, we felt like we were playing with a lot more energy and playing a lot harder," he said. "Winning tonight really shows us that when we actually put in the work and play hard, we can win."
Tyrus Thomas also had a big game, finishing with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. He had an impressive block of a James' lay-in attempt in the fourth quarter. Bulls forward Drew Gooden returned after missing the Toronto game with a groin strain. He picked up 11 points in 18 minutes.