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NO ONE-MAN SHOW
The Derrick Rose Show took an abrupt—and painful—turn in the first quarter of last Saturday's Game 4 against Indiana when a twisted ankle sent the Bulls' All-Star guard hobbling off the court. But what a show it was: 39 points in Game 1, 36 points in Game 2 and a game-winning driving layup over three Pacers in Game 3. When Indiana tried to slow Rose's roll with some hard hits, he just went to the rim harder. "He's got Allen Iverson's speed, Jason Kidd's vision, Chauncey Billups's shooting and Michael Jordan's athleticism," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "How do you guard that?"
When he's healthy, you can't. Hobbled, you can try. With Rose a step slow in the fourth quarter of Game 4, the Pacers built a 16-point lead. Then Rose's teammates suddenly came to life: There was Kyle Korver with a three. Carlos Boozer with a runner. And Joakim Noah with a three-point play that cut the lead to one. Ultimately the Bulls ran out of clock and Indiana averted the sweep, but in defeat Chicago's supporting cast rediscovered its identity.
TWO PHOTOS
JOHN BIEVER
BULL DOZERS After Rose (right) tweaked his ankle, the slumbering duo of Boozer (5) and Noah—who averaged 19.3 points between them in the first three games—finally came to life.
