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Derrick Rose was a “game-time decision” whether he would play Thursday against the New York Knicks. As if an aching neck would keep him out of the Bulls’ regular-season home opener at the United Center.
It was the regular-season home opener for the Luvabulls, too.
Despite a 7-for-23 shooting effort, Rose proved to be more than a pain in the neck against the Knicks.
He was the difference.
His baseline floater with 5.7 seconds left gave the Bulls an 82-81 victory. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who had a gamehigh 22 points, missed a last-second three-point attempt to send a sellout crowd of 22,022 home happy.
With the possible exception of movie director/Knicks fan Spike Lee, who was in the audience. Even he couldn’t have scripted the tale that unfolded before his eyes and sold it to Hollywood.
Rose, who looked so impressive in preseason, has struggled from the field in the first two games of the regular season. Then again, he sat out 2012-13 as he reuperated from anterior cruciae ligament surgery after the 2012 playoffs.
“He showed a lot of toughness,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It was a struggle early on in the game. He found his wat at the start of the third [quarter], that got him a little lift. He has a lot of confidence. He had the courage to take and make the last play.”
As if it was designed for anyone else.
“I think Thibs put the ball in my hands for a reason,” Rose said.
Yes indeed. Because Thibodeau likes to win games, and giving the ball to your team’s best player generally is a good idea — even if that player might not yet be functioning the way he is expected. So there was no reluctance to go to Rose for the final shot.
“No,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve been around him long enough; he’s won enough games for us. The only way for him to get through it is to let him do it. I trust that he’ll make the right play.”
“It’s going to be scary when all those shots are falling,” Rose said. “I can’t think about it. I’ve got to have quick amnesia. The shots (for the team) are not falling right now. When they do fall, I think we are going to be a dangerous team.”
Maybe so. And maybe so dangerous that the Bulls could go neck-and-beck with the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference title.
Rose led the Bulls with 18 points. Luol Deng added 17 points and Carlos Boozer 14. Joakim Noah had 15 rebounds and Jimmy Butler had 10.
“Derrick Rose is a great talent,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “The play he made at the end, I haven’t seen many guys go: a 15-footer over a 7-footer [Tyson Chandler].”
“For me, there’s not pressure,” Rose said. “If I miss the shot, I miss it. I just love taking them.”
And Bulls fans love him making them.
Some video highlights (non-basketball) and postgame interviews from the Bulls’ home opener:
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