Let's give dap where dap is due in the first game of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Derrick Rose was incredible down the stretch for the Chicago Bulls. He got an and-1 off an incredible drive through traffic to tie the game. He made an incredible spin floater through traffic on a soft double team to give his team their first lead of the game. He drew the triple team on the drive, then found Kyle Korver for the wide open three that pretty much clinched the game to give Chicago a five point lead. 39 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, plus so many trips to the free throw line (19 of 21!).
Bulls Rally behind Rose and Korver (via NBA)
But let's not ignore the efforts of Paul George and Darren Collison by the Pacers. Collison did a good job setting up other teammates, and had an excellent first half to put pressure on Rose defensively, finishing with a statline of 17 points and 9 assists. George did a solid job defensively on Rose before wearing down the stretch, and it's worth mentioning that Rose missed all nine of his three pointers. The comparisons between Dwyane Wade 2006 and Rose 2011 are almost uncanny, aren't they?
Should be the first game of an exciting series between two of the youngest team in the NBA Playoffs.
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