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Derrick Rose Proves He Can Play Well After One Day of Rest

By Paul Steeno

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Bulls point guard Derrick Rose proved that ice water does indeed flow through his veins with a game winning three-pointer with 3 seconds left on the game clock to give the Bulls a pivotal 99-96 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 at the United Center.

Rose’s Game 3 performance and subsequent game-winning shot came after one day of rest. This is interesting because reporters have been bashing Rose for the entirety of the playoffs for not being able to capably perform after one day of rest. These reporters are going to have to reassess after Rose’s Game 3 performance.

ESPN reporter Kevin Pelton was one of the first to notice a disturbing trend that he used to explain Rose’s inconsistency during the 2015 playoffs.

The trend seemed to carry over to the second round of the playoffs as well. In Game 1 against Cleveland, Rose had four days of rest between games. He dropped 25 points on 42 percent shooting. Fast forward to Game 2, where he only had one day of rest, and the story was decidedly different.

Rose scored 14 points on an ugly 30 percent from the field. It seemed as if there was a causal relationship between the number of rest days between games and Rose’s performance.

May 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (center) is lifted up by his teammates after hitting the game winning shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-96. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

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However, Rose’s performance in Game 3 diminished the validity of the claims.

If Rose’s playoff performances are broken down further to include a complete snapshot of his effectiveness offensively, the validity of these claims becomes almost completely void.

After the whopping that the Bulls took at the hands of the Cavaliers in the previous game, Game 3 looked like an almost must-win for this Chicago Bulls team.

Derrick Rose made sure that the Cavs wouldn’t enjoy the satisfaction of beating his team on their home-floor. He scored a game high 30 points on 10-26 from the field (38.5 percent), grabbed seven rebounds and recorded seven assists.

May 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (center) is lifted up by his teammates after hitting the game winning shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-96. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

It seems logical that if Rose struggled on one day rest, it would be because of the fatigue factor.  In Game 3, 14 of his 26 shots (54 percent) came within the paint. Of those 14 shots in the paint, 13 came within three feet of the basket. These numbers show that Rose was consistently aggressive driving towards the hoop. Complacency suggests fatigue, and Rose was by no means complacent in this game.

It is impossible to thoroughly cover Game 3, without mentioning the shot that ended it. With three seconds left on the game clock, Derrick Rose unleashed the type of late game magic that was reminiscent of his MVP days.

Rose’s performance in Game 3 after just one day of rest coupled with the incredible buzzer beater will cause many people to stop their knit-picking of Rose’s game. Reporters that noted the relationship between days of rest and performance had a weak argument to begin with. This argument relied too heavily on scoring as the primary factor that determines a successful performance when in fact Rose can impact a game in a positive way without scoring.

May 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) makes the game winning shot as he is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the second half in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-96. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

For example, Rose’s worse performance shooting wise came in the first round in Game 2 against the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored 15 points on 4-of-14 from the field.

However, his impact on the game transcended his scoring. He almost recorded a triple double, with seven rebounds and nine assists and held opposing guard Michael Carter-Williams to 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

In Game 2 against Cleveland a similar stat line unfolded; Rose struggled to score but impacted the game with seven rebounds and ten assists. In both of these games, he played well overall despite only having one day of rest.

Rose did have two really bad games across the board in Games 4 and 5 against Milwaukee. Ironically, both came when Rose had only one day of rest.

In the NBA playoffs, a player can’t hope to be spectacular in every game. There are going to be peaks and valleys. Those games were valleys and the game last night was a peak. Rose’s struggles in some of these games are more attributable to the ebb and flow of performance than to how much rest he gets between games.

It is undeniable that Rose’s stats are down when he only gets one day of rest between games. However, to suggest that he doesn’t play well in these situations is absurd because the stats prove that his impact transcends his scoring totals on any given night.

Despite all the attention that the media has put on this particular stat, Rose told reporters after Game 3 that he doesn’t even think about how many days of rest he gets between games.

"I feel good. When people talk, that’s all their opinions. It’s your opinion so I can’t get mad at you. I let God handle that. My job is to make sure I’m prepared for every game, take care of my body and come out and compete."

Even Bulls beat writer Nick Friedell believes that this argument has become irrelevant after Rose’s late game heroics.

The game-winning shot and the 24 points in the second half prove that Derrick Rose can thrive despite unfavorable circumstances. Confining a player like Rose neatly within a stat paradigm is dangerous. He has defied obstacles throughout his entire career; his Game 3 performance on one day of rest is just the latest example of this.

Next: Bulls-Cavs Game 3: The Non-Derrick Rose Facts

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