Pippen Ain't Easy
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Chicago Bulls Are Improving With Every Game Derrick Rose Plays

By Kenyatta Wright

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Derrick Rose has sparked the Bulls after returning from his second meniscus surgery, and his return has helped the team to dominance once again. After blowing a 13-point halftime lead to the Orlando Magic, the Bulls turned things around on Thursday night in Miami, rallying from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Heat 98-89.

In the Bulls last three games, two out of their three victories have been by a combined 38 points, including their 113-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Rose’s numbers and court awareness have improved over a four-game period after signs of rust in his first two games against the Magic and Heat. In Rose’s first two games back, the two-time All-Star scored 21 points (8-24 from the field and 1-9 from three-point land) to go along with four assists and seven turnovers. In Rose’s last two games, he scored 35 points (13-32 shooting from the field and 3-9 from 3-point range) and dished 15 assists accompanied by only two turnovers.

With the NBA Playoffs just days away, the Bulls have played encouraging basketball, and the team’s percentages have risen in a positive direction since Rose’s return. Against the Brooklyn Nets, the Bulls looked dominant. After the Nets led by as many as six points in the first quarter, it was all Bulls after that. They led the game by as many as 29 points and tied the season series at two games apiece. With the win over the Nets, the Bulls avenged a 96-82 loss at the United Center, a game where Chicago was completely outclassed. In the most recent game, the Bulls established Pau Gasol early in the contest. The five-time All-Star scored his 18,000th career point in a spectacular performance and finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

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The Bulls ended the first quarter with a 26-21 lead and the first half with a 57-50 lead, which was the result of a solid quarter for Rose. He hit a pair of threes and also an acrobatic reverse lay-up. The Bulls pulled away in the third quarter off of a plethora of 3-pointers from Nikola Mirotic and a pair of dunks by Taj Gibson.

The Bulls are holding their opponents to an average of 38.8 percent shooting from the field in their last three games. If you ignore their 105-103 loss to the Orlando Magic, then it’s possible that we would have been critiquing a team that had won four straight games. In that game, rebounding was an issue for the Bulls. They gave up 44 rebounds to Orlando and 42 points in the paint. In the game against the Nets, the team also struggled on the glass and gave up 42 rebounds to go along with 40 points in the paint, but the team’s defense held their opponents to 38 percent from the field.

This was a stretch of four games that Bulls fans should be encouraged by. Rose has played smarter basketball with every passing game, and he is learning when to put his stamp on the game offensively. The Bulls’ offense has been very fluid. They have also been saying the right things to the media and appear confident in themselves. That will be needed in the NBA Playoffs.

Next: Would Michael Jordan Average 50 PPG? Not So Much

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