Can Chicago Bulls win the NBA Finals without Derrick Rose?
Derrick Rose is the most talented point guard in the contemporary world of basketball and is rightfully known as the wind beneath Chicago Bulls’ wings. But, this season, the Bulls have been surprisingly successful without him on
the court.
Chicago are 16-7 without Rose and they are a solid team without him as they have proved to bank victory after victory while Rose sat out with myriad of injuries.
While the MVP has been on the bench, C.J. Watson and John Lucas III have stepped up to assume the pivotal role. Watson replaced Rose in 21 games and provided a solid support averaging 12 points and 4.4 assists to go with 2.4 boards.
He often orchestrates the pick and roll game for Carlos Boozer and the duo have proved to be an unstoppable force on the court.
Similarly Lucas averaged 7.0 points and 2.1 assists coming off the bench; he netted 10 or more points in 12 games and is a spark off the bench.
The offensive depth was provided by the veteran Carlos boozer. While Rose hobbled with injuries the veteran averaged 16.7 points and 9.1 rebounds he also tallied 20 or more points in 8 games. He is one the main reason behind Bulls
success in Derrick’s absentia.
Any team that has suffered the loss of their cardinal player might be struggling but not Bulls. Under the stewardship of Coach Tom Thibodeau they have transformed themselves into a mighty offensive team.
In 23 games without Rose they clamped down their adversaries to 87.9 points and proved that they are the best in business when it comes to defence with or without Rose.
Hats off to Thibodeau who instilled the team first mentality into the squad though his contract extension is still in limbo but he never let his sentiments overcome the profession. As a result a triumphed unmatched Bulls’ record
without Rose is evident of his greatness. He also holds the record of becoming the fastest coach to win 100 games. Despite all the mumbo-jumbo his priority is Bulls. The day he won the 100th game he credited the team and refrained from any euphoric
comments.
"I’m just glad we won," he said. "When you look at stuff like that, it says that you have good players. We have great guys, too. They're not only good players, but they're great players. I'm very fortunate to be coaching this team."
Chicago has cemented their place in the post season already and with Rose’s return their chances for the championship has solidified. To substantiate the claim Heat out gunned playoff contenders like Miami Heat, Boston Celtics
and Phoenix Suns without Derrick while they won 67% of their games without the prized point guard.
In a nutshell they are great without Rose but with him they are invincible.
Tags: