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| Rose was aggressive in his return, testing his knee and the Pacers interior defense. |
While all of the Windy City knew that Derrick Rose would be suiting up for the preseason contest in Indianapolis, no one knew what Rose, returning from missing the 2012-13 season after tearing his ACL, would look like on the court.
And while Chicago Bulls' Head Coach Thibodeau had a plan to use the former MVP in 6 to 8 minute stretches to let Rose slowly acclimate to the speed and intensity of competitive play, Rose had his own plans.
In an early play, Rose drove to the rack and challenged Pacers center Roy Hibbert, and after missing the first attempt, Rose bounced right back up to beat three Pacers to the the rebound for an easy putback layup.
If anyone had any doubts about Rose's repaired knee, those thoughts completely evaporated as Rose looked like his old explosive self by the conclusion of the game, and if the easy 82-76 Bulls' victory over Central Division rival Indiana Pacers is any indicator, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls will rise back to the top of the NBA very quickly.
One has to imagine that the sight of a 100% healthy Derrick Rose allowed the entire city of Chicago to breath a collective sigh of relief. However, at the same moment in South Beach, that same sight may also have instilled the fear of potential loss in another city, and another team.
That sets the stage for a very explosive regular season return for DRose on opening night against the Miami Heat.
Here are highlights of #theReturn of Derrick Rose in preseason action vs the Indiana Pacers on October 5th, 2013:
Where do you think the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers will finish in the Central Division and Eastern Conference standings? Who will emerge from the Eastern Conference to play in the 2014 NBA Finals? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
