The Bulls Dominated the Knicks, Rose's Youngest MVP Was Missed

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At the start of the game, both teams were still evenly matched. The Knicks relied on Rose's energy, and their offensive firepower was not far behind that of the Bulls.

However, as the game progressed, Wang Chong, Curry, and even Billups from the Bulls began to fire away from beyond the three-point line, and the Knicks started to struggle to keep up.

There is no doubt that three-pointers are always worth more than two-pointers, but why did teams in the past not focus enough on three-pointers? The reason is quite simple. The general thought was that the farther from the basket, the lower the shooting percentage. This is also the core of the concept that those who get inside will dominate.

However, with the development of modern basketball, players' shooting accuracy has improved drastically. More and more players, like Curry, are more accurate from beyond the arc than from mid-range. The tactical game in the league is certainly undergoing significant changes.

Many people say that the reason players like Curry are able to perform so well is entirely due to the league's increasingly weak defense. If the league had not abolished the hand-checking rule, external players would not be able to score so easily.

But this is purely a misunderstanding. The hand-checking rule is a defensive rule involving hand contact, allowing defenders to use their hands or forearms to stay with the offensive player and follow their movements.

This rule affects ball-handlers more than anyone else because when physical contact is allowed, defenders can disrupt the player's momentum through their hand strength.

So, what is Curry better at? Is it off-ball movement or getting open shots through a teammate's pick-and-roll? Even if you put both hands on Curry, can you still get past a strong seven-foot big man's pick-and-roll?

The arrival of the small-ball era is inevitable. Even if a player similar to Shaq appears in the league, he won't be able to stop the development of this new era.

Of course, if it were only Curry, it might have been hard to change the league. Although Curry was incredibly strong in his prime, he still needed Thompson, who also had elite three-point shooting, by his side to truly succeed. The difference is that the deterrent power of three-pointers has reached its peak, and even with this setup, the Warriors were still not strong enough to dominate the league. The team that won 73 games and came in second place ended up as the biggest loser.

As for the period when the Warriors were unbeatable with their five-star lineup after Durant joined, it didn't matter how explosive Curry's three-pointers were. The exaggerated lineup configuration made the Warriors appear as the best team in the universe. Looking through league history, no second team has ever had such a terrifying configuration. Winning became too easy.

Now, Curry doesn't have Thompson around, but he has a better version of Durant's physical three-point shooting. Even though it's not yet Curry, the offensive environment remains comfortable, because Wang Chong will attract most of the opponents' defensive attention, and Curry doesn't often face heavy defensive pressure.

And the Knicks themselves are not a team with outstanding defensive capabilities.

In the first quarter of the game, Curry hit 3 out of 5 from beyond the arc. In the second quarter, he made 2 out of 4. By halftime, he had scored 15 points with three-pointers.

Wang Chong, on the other hand, didn't give up too easily, hitting 4 out of 6 three-pointers, along with some mid-range shots, and ended the half with 18 points.

The Knicks were still able to keep up with the Bulls in the first quarter. But in the second quarter, the rule that three-pointers are greater than two-pointers made the point difference grow. The Knicks recognized the problem; their perimeter defense was truly poor. Even if they played solid one-on-one defense, they couldn't stop Wang Chong and Curry from hitting three-pointers. Curry, in particular, could easily get open shots through his teammates' pick-and-roll screens.

By halftime, the score was 61-47, with the Knicks trailing by 14 points. The situation didn't improve in the second half.

The Knicks' lack of offensive firepower made it difficult for them to keep up, and the gap in points continued to widen. As the game entered the second half, Rose's physical strength also started to fade.

Rose's primary offensive method is driving with the ball. Every time he attacks the basket, it consumes a lot of physical energy.

Rose's scoring ability isn't explosively high, and he's rarely had big scoring games in his career. He has only scored over 40 points twice, with 44 points in a single playoff game. He's only scored over 40 points a total of three times in his career.

Although this is partly due to the fact that Rose's peak period was short and quickly ruined by injuries, it is undeniable that Rose's innovative playing style would have been difficult to maintain without the best players in the league, like Kobe, LeBron, and Iverson. His physical style of play makes it difficult to rack up big points.

Rose, who was sidelined for many years due to injuries, scored 50 points in a single game with the Timberwolves, and it was truly a rare emotional moment for him on the court.

Now, Rose still needs to be the main offensive point for the Knicks in the game against the Bulls. The first half of the game was extremely taxing physically. In the second half, his drives weren't as sharp as before. Garnett and Gasol were also putting a lot of pressure on him with their supplementary defense.

Rose's offensive efficiency dropped, which was undoubtedly a blow to the Knicks.

Rose generally can't play alone while Anthony and Stoudemire can intervene at any time. The greatest advantage of the Three Amigos is that they never lack offensive cores.

But this time, the situation changed: Anthony's team was a little better. Wang Chong himself wasn't defending very seriously, so Anthony's offensive pressure wasn't as heavy, allowing him to maintain a normal scoring efficiency.

But Stoudemire faced the same old problem. He was very uncomfortable being guarded by Garnett. He barely took any shots in the first half. Now, with Rose's offense slowing down, the Knicks began passing the ball more frequently. They gave the ball to Stoudemire in isolation.

The result was that Stoudemire forced several shots in Garnett's face, and all of them missed. His shooting percentage was abysmally low.

Stoudemire's struggles were something the Knicks didn't expect at all. Although his performance wasn't great against the Magic in the first round, his opponent at the time was the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard, who kept Stoudemire contained in the paint.

But now the opponent was Garnett. Although Garnett had also won Defensive Player of the Year and was recognized as the league's best defender, his stats had significantly declined this season. It was a completely different level of defensive pressure compared to Howard, with no comparison.

Stoudemire couldn't even handle Garnett. His average of 25 points per game, which had placed him among the top ten in the league during the regular season, had no real meaning.

It was thought that the Three Amigos would team up to battle Wang Chong, but instead, the two giants struggled with Wang Chong, while Stoudemire held them back. If there was any chance in this game, it was hopeless.

In the second half, the Knicks finally couldn't withstand the Bulls' relentless three-point barrage, and the point difference grew to more than 20 points, making the game lose all suspense.

117:95, the Bulls defeated the Knicks at home with a 22-point margin and started off with a strong win.

At first glance, the game between the Bulls and Knicks didn't look very different from their first-round matchup against the Pacers. They also defeated their opponents in less than three quarters with a 20-point difference. However, the Knicks still had some fight in them. At least, the Bulls substituted all their key players after securing the win in the final quarter, unlike the Pacers game, where the main players left right after halftime.

After all, the Knicks still have the Three Amigos. Even though the Knicks' tactics weren't very good, they still had to be cautious about the personal abilities of their stars.

In fact, this was the case.

On May 4th, in the second game of the series, still at the Bulls' home court, the Knicks displayed incredible offensive firepower. Rose and Anthony both scored over 30 points. Stoudemire also posted 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Knicks combined for 86 points, giving them a lead during the game and maintaining it for two quarters.

However, in the final quarter, Wang Chong scored 21 points in a single quarter, leading the Bulls to a 37:25 score in the fourth quarter. They overturned the game and finally beat the Knicks by 2 points, 122:120, in a thrilling comeback.

This game really had the Bulls' home fans sweating. The Knicks' Three Amigos are really powerful offensively, especially Rose. Not only did they score with the ball, but they also repeatedly drew fouls, which put the Bulls in serious foul trouble. Gasol was in major foul trouble, and the defensive wing had no time to worry.

The media praised the Knicks' performance in this game.

"This game showed that the strength of the Knicks' Three Amigos has the potential to challenge Wang Chong and the Bulls. However, the time for the Knicks' Three Amigos to gel is still too short. It's only been two months since Anthony joined the team. The unspoken understanding and tactical play between them are still immature, and with the

significant weaknesses on the defensive side, it's hard to see them defeating the Bulls this season.

"But the Knicks can definitely look forward to the coming years. Anthony and Stoudemire are at their peak, and Rose is still on the rise with enormous growth potential. Plus, New York isn't short on money. They don't need to be as cautious as Miami with the formation of the Three Amigos. They can continue strengthening the team by paying high luxury taxes. If managed properly, they will definitely have the chance to become the new dominant force in the Eastern Conference!"

Of course, the media's opinion was one possibility, but in Wang Chong's view, it had no chance.

Stoudemire's decline was inevitable, and Anthony's peak wouldn't last much longer. As for Rose... while his destiny had changed, without Thibodeau, a coach who likes to overwork his main players, and with Anthony and Stoudemire by his side, Rose's workload was considerably reduced, and he might avoid the severe injuries that once threatened his career with the Bulls. However, his playing style itself is extremely dangerous, and it's only a matter of time before he gets injured again.

Wang Chong has always been pessimistic about Rose's career. He believes that even in the best circumstances, Rose's career will, at best, resemble Westbrook's, and might even end up worse. After all, consecutive seasons of averaging a triple-double isn't something the average person can achieve.

The next game took place at the famous Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' home court in New York City, the Big Apple.

I thought the Knicks, playing at home, would perform better than they did on the road, and it wouldn't be surprising if they won one or two games. However, the reality was that the Bulls won both away games with the ease of an autumn breeze sweeping fallen leaves, completing a 4-0 sweep of the Knicks.

These two away games were obviously much easier than the second one. On one hand, the series was effectively over, and the Bulls started to take the game more seriously, playing with more intensity than they had in the first two games. On the other hand, as in Game 2, it wasn't typical for the Knicks' Big Three to all perform well at the same time. Rose and Anthony did a little better, but Stoudemire, even with a 20+10 performance, couldn't match Garnett in the playoffs. It was like Chinese New Year dumplings—nothing extraordinary.

In the last two games, Garnett completely returned Stoudemire to his original form. He scored just 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in one game, and 7 points with 8 rebounds in the other. His shooting percentage was around 30%, which was closer to the level of a role player than a star.

Meanwhile, Anthony also struggled.

In the first two games, Wang Chong wanted to test his offensive firepower and didn't defend seriously. However, once the series shifted to the away games, he ramped up his defensive intensity.

What is Wang Chong's current level of defense? His perimeter defense has reached 88, and he has earned 8 defensive badges. He has been selected for the All-Defensive Team for several consecutive years.

Despite this, even though Wang Chong couldn't completely shut down Anthony, who was at his peak during this time, he still managed to significantly limit Anthony's offensive efficiency.

In the final two games, Anthony scored 21 points and 18 points, respectively, with shooting percentages just over 40%. While his performance couldn't be considered poor, it certainly wasn't up to his usual standards. After all, among the Knicks' Big Three, Anthony's scoring ability was regarded as the strongest.

Rose felt miserable. The Knicks were so talented, and the Big Three were full of potential, yet all the offensive load fell solely on his shoulders.

In this round of the playoffs, the Knicks had the best performance, and undoubtedly, the most qualified player was Rose.

In 4 games, Rose averaged 27 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. While his shooting percentage was slightly lower at only 39%, which was a little below Anthony's, his ball-handling skills caused significant problems for the Bulls' defense. He averaged 10 free throws made out of 12 attempts per game. Therefore, although Rose's field goal percentage was low, his true shooting percentage was not just good—it was extremely high.

In the 2010-11 season, Rose's third year in the league, his performance was truly remarkable, especially in the four games against the Bulls. He had his personal highlights, which greatly improved his evaluation in the eyes of the media.

"The Knicks lost, but Rose can be considered the only player on the team who can hold his head high. Although the Knicks were swept, Rose used his outstanding performance to save face for the team. His ball-handling overwhelmed the Bulls inside, and they struggled to cope. If his teammates had put in just a little more effort, maybe the Knicks would have had a real chance to compete with the Bulls!"

"After this battle, Derrick Rose has officially joined the ranks of the best stars in the league. His strength is now fully comparable to top-tier point guards like Chris Paul and Deron Williams!"

The media's praise of Rose can be seen as a consolation. Rose might have avoided the serious injuries that ruined his career trajectory due to changes in his career path, but he also missed out on the biggest honor of his career—the MVP.

With the Knicks, Rose obviously didn't have the chance to compete for the regular-season MVP based on personal stats and team record.

Currently, on the MVP list, Wang Chong is undoubtedly at the top. He has dominated the rankings in both regular and advanced stats. In terms of team record, the Bulls' 67-win season is far ahead of everyone else in the league.

Right behind him are James, Kobe, Durant, Nowitzki, and others. Rose is only ranked eighth on the MVP list, making it impossible for him to win the regular-season MVP.

It's just that countless stars live in the shadow of Wang Chong, and Rose is merely one of them.

During the years that Wang Chong dominated the league, he took two MVPs from James, one from Nowitzki, and a total of four championships from the Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons.

In comparison, Rose's mere regular-season MVP is truly insignificant.

End of this chapter

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