Derrick Rose stars as the Bulls knock down the Grizzlies – (Part 1)
Day in and day out, Derrick Rose is out there proving to everybody in Chicago and the league, that he is the man to look out for after Michael Jordan stormed the 90’s. He’s a die-hard warrior, a leader on court, and most importantly he is the face of the
Chicago Bulls. The sharp-shooting guard has the flair of a Kobe Bryant, the aggressiveness of Allen Iverson, the sharpness of a Dwyane Wade, the attitude of a Tim Duncan and the tenacity of LeBron James.
The man, who is perhaps the biggest individual story in the NBA this season, added another feather to his cap on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Playing without Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah for the first time this season, the 6ft 3in guard returned to haunt the very place that launched him. The second year pro bludgeoned 22 points, 12 assists and 10 boards to mark his first career triple-double,
as the Chicago Bulls knocked down the listless Memphis Grizzlies 96-84 in their own backyard.
The 20-year-old stalwart said after the game, "We came out with an edge. We lost two great players, Joakim and Booz. We just came out and wanted to let them know it was going to be a tough game. We just played together and played defence.''
While Rose efficiently showcased his superior quickness and court vision to outmanoeuvre the Grizzlies' backcourt, Loul Deng made hay with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kyle Korver, the hero of the nail-biting thriller against the Miami Heat,
was the third Bulls player who featured in double figures. Chicago’s newfound triple point prodigy proved that his game turning three-pointer against the Heat was no fluke, as he drilled 6-of-10 from long-range on Monday, en-route to his 22 points off the
bench.
The highlight of the night though, was an uptight Chicago defence that never gave the Grizzlies a sniff. The Bulls did not allow the red hot Grizzlies offence any uncontested shot throughout the course of the match and made it tough for them to penetrate
their ring.
The shored up defensive performance ensured that the Grizzlies were held to 37.7 percent shooting from the floor and 14.3 percent (1 of 7) from three-point range.
Memphis on the contrary, showed no spine while defending. They changed one tactic after another, but failed to out-think and out-perform a Derrick Rose propelled team.
"Defensively, we were on our heels," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said after the match. "We did not compete against Derrick Rose."
Grizzlies leading scorer Rudy g*y, who entered the game averaging 21 points, was the biggest disappointment of the night. Chicago pitched Loul Deng against the explosive forward and he made sure that g*y struggled more than he has done against any team this
season. Consequently, the major fire arm of the Grizzlies was silenced to 1-of-10 shooting and only eight points. With g*y misfiring, the rest of the Memphis offence looked absolutely stale, as they reeled to a 96-84 loss.
Zach Randolph was one exception though. One of the most prolific post scorers and rebounders that the league boasts off, Randolph posted 21 points and 13 rebounds for yet another double-double. He however, failed to inspire the rest of his team. Centre Marc
Gasol was Memphis’s only other starter who managed double figures with 12 points, while O.J. Mayo came off the bench to chip in with 14 points, including 11 in the final quarter of play.
To be continued in part 2
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