Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals was tied with just over seven seconds left. The visiting Chicago Bulls had the ball with a chance to win the game. You knew that the MVP of the regular season Derrick Rose was going to take the last shot. The question was what kind of shot was he going to take?
Rose had shown his blazing speed throughout the game with prime examples being the fast break dunk and when he posterized Joel Anthony, both in the second quarter. However instead of trying to drive the lane he tried to get separation on Lebron James and shoot a fadeaway jumper from the high post. It clanked off of the rim and harmlessly fell to the floor, much like the Bulls did in the overtime session.
While Derrick Rose is the MVP of the league, the most valuable player in this series has been Lebron James. His versatility in this series has been unbelievable, whenever a big play is being made James is sure to be right in the mix and not just on the offensive end.
Two of the most overlooked aspects in James’s game are; his passing ability and his on ball defense. He has been the catalyst for many of the good looks that Chris Bosh and Mike Miller had in Game 4. He made Miller the focal point of the scoring in a key stretch of the fourth quarter. Not only is that having faith in the bench guys, but smart basketball because the Bulls were not putting any pressure on him. Miller finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds.
While Derrick Rose was clearly the best option to take the last shot for the Bulls, I did not like the way that he went about it. He has to understand that no matter how much separation he got from James, the size differential would make up for it. James’s 6’ 8” frame and 7’ wingspan is going to make up for the 4 feet that Rose got away from James. Rose should have used his speed to try and get to the basket, I understand that you can’t let an official decide a game, but he would have gotten a better look for his skill set and possibly a foul.
Tags: Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Eastern Conference Finals, NBA playoffs 2011
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