Rose got stronger as Wall disappeared. The Chicago Bulls kept finding ways to fend off the Wizards’ feeble attempts to make the game competitive. And Rose was able to leave town with fans at Verizon Center serenading him with “MVP!” chants, while Wall had to accept a 98-88 loss — and another reminder of how far he is from Rose and how far the Wizards are from being a serious threat.
“It all depends. It all depends on my development and it all depends on how your team carry on,” Wall said, when asked if he looked at Rose and saw himself in two or three years.
For now, Rose is an established elite player, capable of pacing himself through an efficient game in which he scored a season-high 35 points, handed out eight assists and blocked three shots. He had basically done so much through three quarters that when the Wizards decided to trap the Bulls’ fullcourt in hopes of getting the ball out of his hands, Rose let Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah provide the finishing touches.
“Rose had a hell of a game. He’s a hell of a player. He made shots that from a man-to-man standpoint, I don’t know what else you could do,” Wizards interim coach Randy Wittman said. “I mean, the guy, hey, we tried every strategy. I don’t know if there’s anything we would’ve thrown out there that could’ve [stopped him] so did he dice it up? Yeah.”
Wall had 20 points, but only had two in the fourth quarter, when JaVale McGee stole a pass from Noah and fed Wall for a fast-break dunk with 1 minute 15 seconds remaining. Wall’s dunk had ended a spirited rally from a 22-point second-half deficit, but the Wizards didn’t score the rest of the game. Rose ended the scoring with two free throws. He was 14 of 15 from the foul line.
Before the game, Rose said he was going to “go crazy” after the Bulls lost the day before, 97-93, in Miami. Rose had shouldered the blame for the defeat as he missed two free throws and a hook shot in the closing seconds. He quickly made amends, scoring 13 points in the first period, coming down the lane and hitting difficult floaters and runners in the lane.
“I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” Trevor Booker said after coming off the bench to contribute 14 points and nine rebounds. “Sometimes, I caught myself spectating, just watching him. And some of the shots he hit, just unbelievable. He’s definitely at the top. I mean, I watch him on TV, but in person, it’s different. It’s way different, just to see some of the things he did. Just crazy.”
Rose scored 15 points in the third quarter, giving the Bulls a 75-63 lead with 2:56 left in the period. But the Wizards wouldn’t roll over, as Wittman asked his team to start pressuring the ball fullcourt. They were able to disrupt the Bulls’ offense, giving them less time to get into sets, and they also started making shots on offense.
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