When Rose stepped to the free-throw line for two of his 10 attempts in the fourth quarter, the chants were pouring down on him from the 23,000 strong at the United Center. "M-V-P, M-V-P." Rose was the reason for this win, and his fans were letting him know it.
But maybe that wasn't the whole story.
Rose was dazzling on the offensive end of the floor, as he has been all season. He had the stats to prove it, as usual. But despite the lightning-quick pace of the game dictated by young point guards Rose and Rajon Rondo, the Bulls won this game by a modest score of 97-81. Their field-goal percentage was a decidedly mediocre 47.4.
Maybe this game was won not by the offensive fireworks, but by consistent defensive effort. And to that end, maybe the true MVP of this game wasn't Rose, but Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
Equally jarring as Rose's gaudy offensive numbers were Rondo's subpar ones. He was scoreless at halftime, and he finished with just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. He attempted only three free throws. It wasn't just Rose singlehandedly shutting Rondo down — it was Thibodeau's team-oriented defensive schemes coming to fruition. All the Bulls pitched in.
Rondo wasn't the only one taken out of the game. Ray Allen went 3-for-11 and never found his touch from 3-point range, Glen Davis was 1-for-8, Kevin Garnett was 3-for-9.
Thibodeau spoke to the media before this game about his knowledge of the Celtics' tendencies. He coached these guys last season as Doc Rivers' associate in Boston, and he knows all their tendencies. He talked about Paul Pierce off the dribble, Allen in catch-and-shoot situations and Garnett posting up. He knows how these guys play, and he knows how to counteract each player.
The stats proved that on Thursday night. Consider this: The five guys that Thibodeau coached in Boston last year — Pierce, Allen, Garnett, Rondo and Davis — combined to shoot 16-of-51 in this game, or 31.4 percent. The five new guys — Jermaine O'Neal, Jeff Green, Delonte West, Nenad Krstic and Sasha Pavlovic — shot 12-of-22, or 54.5 percent.
Things got really bad for the Celtics in the fourth quarter. The C's endured a four-minute stretch without a field goal in the middle of the period. Any chance of winning they had left slipped away in a hurry.
Doc said before the game he had three candidates for Coach of the Year this season — Thibodeau, Philly's Doug Collins and Portland's Nate McMillan. Thursday may have made his decision a lot easier.
For now, the Celtics are fighting a losing battle against the Bulls not only because Derrick Rose has outperformed Rajon Rondo, but also because Tom Thibodeau has done the same to Doc Rivers. They can only hope to change that in time for the playoffs.
