In sports, a single play can be transcendent, and in the process swing the balance of how history is remembered.
Derrick Rose’s season ending torn ACL injury sustained in game one of the Eastern Conference first round playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday effectively knocks the Chicago Bulls out of contention.
As a native of the Chicagoland area, I’ve seen the Bears blow a 14-6 lead in a Super Bowl with the league’s best defense. I’ve watched the Cubs get as close as they ever have in more than 100 years when they were five outs away from getting to the World Series during the 2003 National League Championship Series. Sunday’s injury to Rose had the same sickening feeling, and it was a time in my life when I will always remember exactly where I was.
The feeling among Bulls fans seemed to resemble someone dying, because just as Rose’s knee bent in a way that it wasn’t supposed to, so did the pathway of the Bulls’ season. Chicago forward Kyle Korver called it the saddest win ever, and that was even before the diagnosis of Rose’s knee.
The agony on Rose’s face after the forceful jump-stop that led to the injury said it all. Sometimes pictures are more powerful than words.
Sure, the Bulls can get by the 76ers, but they face a major talent discrepancy the further they advance in the playoffs.
While every Bulls fan holds his or her breath and hopes for the best the rest of the playoffs, spectators can’t help but wonder what could have been. This season could have very well been the year Chicago took the next step and made its return to glory not seen since the undisputed greatest basketball player of all-time donned a Bulls uniform.
Purely from a fan’s standpoint, I couldn’t help but think, “This can’t be happening again.”
Rose walked off on his own two feet with help from two trainers, but the atmosphere at the United Center was like that of a funeral. You would have thought the Bulls lost by 20 in their 103-91 victory over the 76ers.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau will undergo immediate scrutiny for his decision to leave Rose in the game. But Thibodeau is a leading candidate for coach of the year for a second straight year, and even 76ers Doug Collins said he should win it again. It’s safe to say the Bulls would not be nearly as successful at this point without Thibodeau’s coaching ability, and Rose’s injury doesn’t change that.
Additionally, the Bulls were 18-9 playing without a battered Rose this season. But with Rose unable to play, the Bulls have a slim chance of being able to play with the top-tier teams without their superstar, the same type of player that is absolutely crucial for a team to win an NBA championship.
It was the type of game where halfway through, you knew the 76ers didn’t have a chance regardless of what the scoreboard read. Chicago was poised for a deep postseason run with Rose leading the way. Even if Rose had stayed healthy, it’s not to say the Bulls would have automatically marched to a title, but we should at least be entitled to watch them try.
Even if you aren’t a Bulls fan, you can’t help but feel a bit of compassion for a team that will ultimately succumb to the pressure of playing basketball at the highest level without its floor general.