Sometimes in life as well as sports, you face an opponent that really cannot be stopped, and you simply try and limit the impact and the damage.
The Indiana Pacers knew Derrick Rose would be a handful and then some, and he has left no doubts about who the best player in this series is.
On Monday night, Rose picked up where he left off in game one and scored 36 points to propel Chicago to a 96-90 victory over Indiana and a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Just as in game one, the Pacers were able to go toe to toe with the heavily favored and more talented Bulls, and while they lost point guard Darren Collison late in the second quarter to a badly sprained ankle, Indiana led at halftime, 47-44.
The Bulls started the second half the way they finished the first one, by pounding the ball inside as they continued to out-rebound the Pacers. But Indiana hung tough, and when T.J. Ford hit a 65 foot bank shot at the buzzer, the score was tied after three periods.
The final stanza would mean a big dose of Derrick Rose and he took control down the stretch, scoring eight points in the final three and one half minutes to put the game on ice for the Bulls. Danny Granger led Indiana with 19 points, and A.J. Price pressed into duty with the injury to Collison and added 13.
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NOTES: The Pacers have been out rebounded in the first two games by a whopping 106-67. Carlos Boozer had 16 boards in game two, as nobody on the floor for the Pacers was willing to block him out. Joakim Noah added 10 boards for the Bulls, who have manhandled Roy Hibbert to date in this series.
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With the injury to Darren Collison, the Pacers will have to turn to T. J. Ford as a backup to A.J. Price. Considering Price’s inexperience in the playoffs, why not start Ford and allow him to settle things down a bit in what has been an awful display of half court sets offensively for the Pacers? Ford has been steady in limited minutes and he will more than likely not turn the ball over as much as Price. Ford is destined to be out of town after the playoffs conclude, but for now, like it or not, he is the best point guard on the roster.
After a spirited performance in game one, Tyler Hansbrough was AWOL in game two. Granted, the playoffs are a new experience for him, but he needs to bring his nasty streak to the floor every night. There has been a lot of praise heaped on this young man this season and while some of it is rightfully bestowed, he remains a work in progress in terms of his consistency and his inability at times to play with his mind instead of his brawn.
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The series moves to Conseco Fieldhouse for games three and four, which will be played on Thursday and Saturday. There are still tickets available at the Fieldhouse box office, which can be reached at (317) 917-2727 or you can purchase them online at ticketmaster.com. You can also watch game three on Fox Sports Midwest.
Danny Bridges, who finds the Pacers unwillingness to crash the boards to be disgusting but not surprising, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
