Rose Grows Through Wall

If the Bulls go on to do great things this season, one stretch people will point to is these past three games against Memphis, Toronto and Washington, all of whom are threats to win their respective conferences.  Tuesday's test against the Wizards in our nation's capital was to show just how much the club has changed since last spring's playoff exit.  Ultimately, it boiled down to which of the two star point guards could will his team to victory more.  And it was Derrick Rose who bested John Wall in a 99-91 final.

After starting slowly with a couple of costly turnovers, the Bulls got their act together and traded leads with the Wizards until establishing one that would last most of the evening.  Despite their best efforts to pull away, they could never quite do so and it nearly came back to bite them.  Up 11 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulls saw Wall score 10 of 12 unanswered points in a little over two minutes. and were suddenly down by one.  That's when Rose decided enough was enough, scoring eight consecutive Bulls points and skipping to the bench in a fashion that screamed confidence.

Rose led all scorers with 25 points and Pau Gasol finished one rebound shy of a double-double despite scoring 18.  Aaron Brooks continued his recent offensive surge with 13, driving at will more than a player like him should.  Taj Gibson's 12 including a couple of angry dunks.  Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah had the number 11 in common:  Butler for points and Noah for rebounds.

These last two games against quality opponents have given people more confidence in Rose than they've had all year.  He's not completely back, but he's showing what he was able to do before and can do more consistently going forward.  Taking over the fourth quarter without making many mistakes is what the best NBA players do and Rose wants everyone to know he still belongs in that conversation.  Best of all, he doesn't seem to be playing with reckless abandon all night, but rather saving his best for the end of the game, which proved to be crucial in this game.

The second part of the fourth quarter was truly power against power, demonstrating where each player is in his career.  Wall has a lot of talent and leadership, which are key to a long All-Star career.  But even with Rose missing most of the previous two seasons, he's still got more to his game and as of right now, knows how to close out close games.  It helps that he has lots of talent around him, which the Wizards also do, but the Bulls have been through their growing pains, making them more seasoned.

Nick Friedell had an interesting tweet towards the end of the game.  It was about how the Bulls drew it up over the summer that the team would establish itself in the first three quarters before turning it over to Rose in the fourth.  For two consecutive nights against two other East contenders, that scenario played out.  If we can see more of this going forward, look out.

I know Butler didn't have his best game tonight, but I want to repeat something I told myself after Monday's game.  If the Bulls can lock him up and he continues his improved offense, he and Rose have the potential to become the franchise's next power duo like Jordan/Pippen and Love/Sloan before them.  For all we know, Butler could just be going on this spurt for one year and Rose might be dealt one final blow to his career.  Still, it's fun to think that this could just be the beginning of something special for years to come.

Next, the Bulls will face the Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center on Christmas.  I know it's the NBA's biggest TV day of the year, but the Lakers' marketability as a big-name franchise is all they have going for them right now besides Kobe Bryant.  I'm not anticipating the close finish we saw at the Staples Center on Christmas 2011, but stranger things have happened.  Until then, enjoy my holiday song parodies about Butler and Nikola Mirotic.