By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-05-21 00:21:41 | Word Count: 664
CHICAGO -- This is shaping up as a series where defense, and not the MVP, is the MVP.
Derrick Rose should agree. He must agree. He doesn't have a choice. Not after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Certainly not after the fourth quarter of Game 2, when he scored as many baskets (zero) as you did. And you had an excuse.
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In a sense, so did Rose. If the Bulls are the best defensive team in basketball, then the Heat is close enough to smell their breath. No doubt, Rose knows what Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Mike Bibby had for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Wednesday.
"We tried different bodies on him all night," Wade said. "Mario (Chalmers), myself, Mike, we all had him. We made it tough for him when he got the ball. He puts pressure on our defense whenever he has the ball, but I thought we defended really well."
And so, just like that, a third superstar turned to dust in this series, which now sits at 1-1. First it was James and Wade, who combined for 11 points in the second half in Game 1. Then it was Rose. He was stifled all night Wednesday in Game 2, but was especially a non-factor when it counted. The game was within reach in the final quarter, but Rose came up empty.
Here's what's strange, though: While Wade and James paid the Bulls respect, Rose seemed to suggest his 7-for-23 shooting was all self-inflicted. Only once, when asked about his struggles, did he mention Miami's defense -- and he did so briefly.
"They closed down the lane, but I missed a lot of layups. If anything, we lost this game because of our intensity on defense."
"Shots I normally make weren't falling tonight," he said.
"I didn't shoot that many floaters. It was just one of those nights, I guess."
"I was just missing shots. Everyone was just missing easy bunnies."
Perhaps, in one sense, Rose was right. He was off. He did have a few open looks. As much as he showed an improved jumper this season, and as unstoppable as he is when slashing through the lane and dropping runners, Rose is quite vulnerable to the occasional clunker. And when that happens, the result is usually the same as Game 2; the Bulls scored only 75 points (on 34 percent shooting) and lost by 10.
