Milwaukee, WI. To all those out there who think that the MVP race is still open for discussion, you have your answer.
Every time the doubters, many of whom also happen to work for Miami newspapers and media outlets, crawl out of the woodwork, Derrick Rose has an answer for them. He lets his game do the talking, and tonight, it was a confident roar.
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| DRose led a 12 - 0 run to close out the Bucks by attacking the basket relentlessly. |
Even playing an away game in the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI, Derrick Rose was still serenaded by the "MVP" chants that seem to follow him everywhere he goes nowadays. Affectionately called United Center North by all the Chicago Bulls fans making the trek up the Lake Michigan coastline to see their beloved Bulls, the Bradley Center roared with partisan support for the visiting team, especially when DRose had the ball in his hands.
The support came in really handy as the Bulls went into the 4th quarter with a 5 point deficit. However, the Bulls have grown accustomed to the situation in putting together 20 wins in their last 23 games, especially lately.
In their upward climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Bulls have found their groove, and now, they have a routine. The way the 1990's Chicago Bulls teams used to look to Michael Jordan in the 4th quarter to carry the scoring load, that heavylifter is now NBA MVP leader, Derrick Rose.
Although many players from many teams have tried to be what Jordan was to the 1990's Bulls, few players have been successful. But despite being the only focal point of opposing defenses, Rose neither complains about the pressure nor does he fail to deliver when his team needs him the most.
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| DRose has the Bulls on top in the Eastern Conference and believing they can win any game. |
In recent games, Rose has excelled as the clutch player that the Chicago Bulls will need if they are to make some real noise in the playoffs after this amazing 2010-11 regular season campaign.
On this night, when his team needed him to dominate, Rose put up 10 points and 4 assists in the final quarter of the game, accounting for 18 of the Bulls' 26 fourth quarter points, and almost single-handedly outscored the Bucks in the period, who could only manage 13 points against the stingy Chicago defense. Derrick Rose finished with 30 points and a career-best 17 assists.
It was just another statement game, dedicated to the doubters.
Despite giving the MVP to Lebron James the last two years because he was able to make his teammates better and "lead" his teammates to the best record, now that definition is not good enough.
Now it is also about statistics. Rarely has the top statistical player been given the NBA MVP Award, for there are already individual awards for leading the league in a statistical category. Which stats are the most important and why? Scoring? Assists? Well, the one statistic that does seem to exemplify a player's value to their team is some combination of usage and wins, essentially his relative contribution to the team's wins... short of that, none of the statistics that is oft quoted by these ignorant Miami sports writers is relevent.
And dumbest of all, some would say its about being the best player in the league. Well, why do we wait for any games to be played at all then? Lebron James is pretty much the concensus most gifted player, but what has that gotten him in 7 seasons as a pro? Literally, zero (rings).
What the naysayers fail to comprehend or acknowledge is the
Valuable part of
Most Valuable Player.
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| Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald thinks someone other than DRose should be MVP. |
Historically, the major factor in being named the NBA MVP was winning. Many people want to change the rules to make it a statistical award, but the fact is that the best player on the team who has the best record in the league has won the vast majority of regular season MVP awards.
When the teams with the best record didn't have a clear cut most outstanding player (i.e. Boston's Big 3 in the 2007-8 NBA season), the award went to one of the next best teams, and their best player and leader (Kobe Bryant, that year).
This "system" gave the award to Lebron James for two seasons in a row, but it will not allow him to get it for a third because of the quality of players he plays with. To have two players who can be called "Most Valuable" on the same team makes neither one "Most Valuable". It is an impossibility in a team game.
Fortunately, public sentiment has been way ahead of both the curve and the so-called "experts", in realizing what ESPN and other biased media outlets fail to comprehend. You don't need a calculator or a complicated formula or algorithm to understand the Value that Derrick Rose has to the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls have had top defenses before in the recent past, but could not find a consistent source of clutch scoring for it to matter. In Derrick Rose, they now have a multifaceted playmaker who can take the ball to the basket at will or find teammates if the opposing defense keys on him.
His play makes his teammates better. His proven clutch play gives his teammates confidence. His work ethic makes his teammates want to get in the gym. And his new-found swagger has his teammates believing they can catch the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the league. That's leadership. That's what being the NBA MVP is about.
.JPG)
