Derrick Rose showed to everybody that he's really back to his high-flying self, as the former NBA MVP obliterated Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in the much-anticipated preseason tune-up game between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at the Value Center in Columbus, Ohio.
It's very often to see two legitimate Eastern Conference contenders collide this early in the NBA year, but the Bulls and Cavs brought their A-game in a very competitive preseason game.
The Cavaliers played all members of the newly-minted Big Three with James, LeBron and Kevin Love all wearing their white and whine jersey. On the other hand, the Bulls also fielded their star-studded front-line of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah with Rose starting at the point guard position.
As expected, the game was loaded with action-packed sequences starting from the get-go as Brazilian big man Anderson Varejao showcased his full repertoire of moves in the interior to put the Cavs ahead in the first quarter, 21-17.
The Cavs seemed to be in cruise control with their offense clicking really well in the early going until Rose erupted with 16 points in the second quarter to push the Bulls two points behind, 51-49, at the half.
Rose continued his full assault on the Cavaliers defense in the first three minutes of the third period, as he blew by Irving and James with relative ease and finishing acrobatic layups after another. He also had a solid job locking down Irving in a two-way dominance over the Cavs All-Star guard.
Coming off a 17-point game in 21 minutes of action in another preseason win against the Charlotte Hornets, 101-96, on Sunday, Rose surprisingly played deep into the fourth quarter but the run powered by Irving while he was sitting in the third was enough to give the Cavs, a 107-98 victory, its fifth preseason win in six games.
Despite the loss, Rose made a bold statement that he shouldn't be counted out this coming season despite after undergoing major surgeries in both knee. On Monday, ESPN ranked Rose no.28 from no.9 last season in the yearly players' ranking, making his lowest position in the ranking since he won his first MVP award in 2011. He finished the game with 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the field (4-for-5 from 3pt line) in 24 minutes of playing time.
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