Chicago Bulls 104, Houston Rockets 97

After beating the Spurs, this was a very difficult loss for the Houston Rockets, especially with the Chicago Bulls playing without the injured Joakim Noah.

Brad Miller turned back the clock for 25 points, grabbing a critical rebound late that sealed the Rockets’ fate.

While hitting subscribe on my DishNetwork program guide, moments prior to having NBA League Pass enter my life, I had only two words in my mind: Derrick Rose.  This is the only player in basketball, not Kobe, not Lebron, for whom I would pay to watch.  Naturally, I was excited about this game.  Rose is probably the most physically compelling specimen we’ve ever seen at the point guard spot, and I do think that is saying a lot coming from me as I did get to watch Steve Francis closely during his prime.

I don’t think I have ever seen a guy with a first step similar to that of Rose.  A lot of times, what people consider to be ‘quickness’ is actually just a manifestation of deception or evasion.  In the case of Francis, he wasn’t necessarily that much quicker than his peers – he just possessed a devastating arsenal of hesitation moves with which he could completely freeze his defender before blowing by.

Rose is different and for reasons which make the above image appropriate for our discussion.  Honestly speaking, the first time I watched Derrick Rose play last year, the thought conjured instantly was of The Rocketeer comic book hero from the ‘80s.  In my mind, the comparison seems so obvious that I’m almost expecting to find that that it’s already been made.

Watching Rose make his move off the dribble, he literally explodes, almost as if possessing some jet pack, propelling to his spot of choice.  Derrick Rose’s first step is the 100mph heater when it comes just moments after the 81mph curve. You’ve suddenly been blinded. Explosion.  You can only back off or hack away in fear.

Random Musings:

• The Rockets were 13-5 at home heading into this one and had played the fewest number of home games in the league.  Losses like this one are tough because these are the games upon which the team needs to be capitalizing if it wants to make a serious playoff push.
• Prior to tip-off, the NBAtv crew remarked that the Houston Rockets struggled against teams with low post options and that they were probably feeling fortunate to face the Bulls who didn’t have one.  Actually it is probably the other way around.  The teams that have played the Rockets the best this year are those with no inside presence. The Rockets win through their quickness advantage and Chuck Hayes can neutralize any post-guy in the league.  But if you challenge the Rockets at their own game, and have the personnel to do it, they are very beatable.
• I liked seeing the Hinrich/Rose backcourt – I’m a big sucker for two-point-guard lineups.  On Hinrich: that span during one of the games last year in the playoffs where he shut down Pierce through like two quarters was one of the greatest defensive sequences I’ve ever seen.  There should be college courses devoted to the study of that film.
• I was disappointed that Noah was not in uniform.  I know it’s a long shot, but with some of the rumors, I atleast wanted the chance to assess him in relation to our other bigs.
• Sometime in the 3^rd, Matt Bullard remarks: “how is it that guys that couldn’t play any defense in the league become great defensive coaches?”  I would venture to say that it’s precisely because of this inability to defend that they have later instructional success.  Most of what goes into being a great defender in the NBA is god-given.  There are very few examples, other than Shane Battier, of a guy becoming great on the strength of technique.  The Hakeem Olajuwons, the Gary Paytons – sure, these guys had techniques as well, but a large part of their success came as a result of their physical characteristics.  Long arms, heightened quick twitch muscles, and instincts that facilitated tenacity.  These guys could never truly teach someone what they were doing because it just came as second nature.  But the poor-average NBA defender – the “guy(s) who couldn’t play any defense” – has to somehow become adequate and compensate for his genetics.  Technique is all that is at his disposal and he must study and master it to even become passable enough to get on the court.  In life, you will find that those who aren’t naturally gifted at something or aren’t particularly elite in their field are usually the best at teaching it to others.
• Tyrus Thomas vs. Carl Landry was a matchup tailor-made for basketball ontology.  This was untamed athleticism vs. tamed.  How much athleticism is sufficient?  At what point does it cease to compensate for other qualities?  Landry has the refined skillset that Bulls fans probably dream of Tyrus having.  Tyrus has the springs that fate has robbed from Landry.
• On Landry: I tweeted this during the game, but there’s nothing better right now during a Rockets game than below-the-hoop camera angles when he has the ball.  It’s marvelous, but not just due to his physique but because he personifies ‘intensity.’  Remember that scene in Batman Begins where the  little kid gets to see Batman up close and is in complete awe (prompting some to speculate that he would later become Robin in the sequel)?  Getting to watch Carl Landry at that angle is like being afforded the privilege of seeing a superhero fend off the villain right on the street in front of you.