MILWAUKEE - Consider it another step in his development, if you want to think about it in the present. But as far as the big-picture stuff goes, Wednesday night will be remembered and shown on the highlight reels years from now, when were remembering his already-remarkable career.
Huge, said Derrick Rose, following his first career buzzer-beating shot to win a game with no time on the clock. Thats something that I look at, man.
I know that Im young, like I always say, but I think about that stuff, he continued. When Im done with this game, I want to be a great.
Rose was talking about his legacy. A little presumptuous? Not in the least and observing him on a regular basis, he makes statements like that without a hint of arrogance and not even any false modesty attached to it.
Like everything else, just matter-of-fact. For example, witness a description of the final playfollowing the Bucks tying the game at 104 apiece with 18.1 seconds left and a Bulls timeout, Rose received the inbounds pass, whittled the clock down and went hard right with Brandon Jennings shadowing him before stepping back to his left and knocking down a deep two with no time remainingfrom his perspective.
Roses thought process was to take the last shot. I knew they were going to be playing me pretty tough. Brandon was pressuring me pretty good and I had the opportunity to get space, and make a nice shot, Rose explained. I shot it with a lot of arc, so I just gave it a chance and tonight, it went in.
I usually drive left. I saw him Bucks swingman Carlos Delfino, the primary help defender on the play at the nail and I couldnt go that way, so thats why I stepped back, he continued. If anything, I was going to shoot the floater again, but he was sagging off when I started going to my move and thats what made me shoot it.
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It gives me a lot of confidence, man. I remember a few years back, I was missing those shots. I think its a thing where you just learned from it, knowing what they give you. My last couple end-of-game shots have been floaters. Seemed like he was backing up a little bit and I just pulled up, Rose went on to say. I needed it confidence. Ive shot worse than this before, so thats what I think about when Im out there. My teammates give me a lot of confidence, just telling me to take the last shot and I wanted to go around five or four seconds, so that there was no time left on the clock.
Even his coach, by-the-book Tom Thibodeau, had to chuckle when asked about Rose after the game.
What can you say? Another big shot, played hard all game, big play after big play, said the NBA lifer. It was a great play by him. He took the clock down, he didnt leave any time because you felt like, whoever had the ball, they were going to score next.
Thats the responsibility of your primary scorer, so if youre single-covered and youve got a good look at it, take the shot. If the double team comes, hit the open man. Play the right way. Trust your teammates, trust the pass. If youre one-on-one and you can go, you go. Hes great with that, he added. I thought the play was defended well. He made a tough shot. Sometimes that happens. After the fact, its easy to say, Well, you could have done this, could have done that. Theyre tough defensively.
Hes got a lot of confidence and I thought he was attacking. He got to the line 14 times and I thought he could have been there even more, but thats the way it goes sometimes. He never stops attacking.
Luol Deng also took the play in stride, having witnessed Rose perform countless amazing feats in their four years together.
This was big. D is capable of hitting big shots. Hes proven that. Everyone knows at the end of the game, thats where were going and he just stepped up with confidence and knocked it down, he said. Im really surprised Derrick didnt get to the free-throw line somehow, kind of force it. I was surprised they didnt double as the clock went downI thought he took a little while, but I guess he knew exactly what he wanted, got to the spot and nailed it.
Added Carlos Boozer: Get the ball to Derrick Rose and everybody else get out of the way. It worked, like it always does.
Leave it to the most excitable player on the team, Joakim Noah, to break the monotony of business-as-usual reactions inside a fairly jubilant Bradley Center visitors locker room.
That shot was like a movie. It was like a movie. Hit the shot, no time left on the clock, we saw the horn, the ball just goes in the net. That must be an unbelievable feeling to be able to hit a shot like that and Im happy hes on our team, said the charismatic center. Its like a movie, I swear. Its special and everybody knows that he wants the ball down the stretch. He doesnt want the screen. He just wanted the ball in that situation and I know his confidence is sky-high right now.
Rose himself insisted he was happier about going 14-for-14 from the charity stripeespecially given his foul-shooting woes in the Bulls narrow loss to the Heat at Miami in the two juggernauts only meeting thus far this seasonbut while he, like Thibodeau, wasnt crazy about every aspect of the Bulls performance against the inferior Bucks, he acknowledged how special the moment was.
I remember in Miamialmost the same situationwe were down one and missing both free throws and just coming up here, that was going to be on my mind and knocked them down, and I think I was more happy I hit those free throws than that last shot, he said. Its great, man. Its a great feeling. If anything, were just happy that we got the win and trying to keep this thing going. Were playing pretty good, got to polish some things up still on the defensive end and play together.
But as always, even in the course of genuflecting about the shot in a locker room where even Thibodeau let down his guard with the media around, Rose credited his teammates for putting him in the position to once again rise to the occasion and be the hero.
Love it. As a kid, those are the things that you dream about it and it felt good, man. Youre on the road, playing against a team thats giving you their all and you hit a nice shot like that, he said. It ranks pretty high, man. Its up there. Hopefully I get some more in my career, like in the playoffs or something like that, but Im just blessed that Im on this team and they gave me the ball at the end, and it shows how much respect they have for me and how much confidence they have in me.
Just as Bulls fans are blessed to have lightning strike twiceno need to mention when it first struckand witness special moments from a special player and special person.