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Sixers coach Doug Collins discusses Derrick Rose's season-ending injury.

There are a lot of reasons the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls in Game 2. But the play of Sixers guard Jrue Holiday was the biggest reason the series is tied 1-1 heading into tomorrow night's game at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.

Holiday scorched the Bulls for 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field. He shot 3-for-3 from 3-point range. He handed out six assists. He also played 41 minutes. Holiday did a better job of knocking down the open shots in the second game despite scoring 17 points in Game 1.

"I think the shots are pretty much the same," Holiday said. "The shots fell in the second game. The first game they kind of went in and out. I look more to set people up. It comes down to: I need to be aggressive. If I'm aggressive, scoring, that's going to open things up for everyone else."

Holiday did open things up in the backcourt, particularly for shooting guard Lou Williams and second-year guard Evan Turner. Williams tallied 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field. Turner notched 19 points on connecting on 8-of-15 shots.

Although Holiday played a splendid game offensively, Sixers coach Doug Collins was very impressed with his defense on 6-foot-7 shooting guard Richard Hamilton, who moves extremely well without the basketball.

"We didn't want Evan chasing Rip," Collins said. "We thought Jrue would be a better guy chasing Rip. We wanted to obviously keep Dre [Andre Iguodala] on Luol [Deng]. Evan does a good job of guarding the ball. Evan, at this stage of his career, to me, does a better job on the ball than he does chasing. That's something he didn't do in college. Also, that puts him in a position so when that ball does go up, he can go back and rebound it.

"When you're guarding a guy like Rip Hamilton, it's such a team effort. The guy is so smart. This guy is a champion. When he uses those screens, he knows where he wants to go. He knows who he wants to get involved with having to play him. So for us to get him to go where we want him to go, it sort of becomes a battle of wills."

The playoffs are a game of adjustments. In the first game, Hamilton had 19 points and shot 6-for-7 from the field, 6-for-6 from the free throw line and 1-for-1 from 3-point range in 27 minutes. In the second contest, he was limited to 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field.

"As this series goes on, the X's and O's, all those things you talk about, the adjustments and the tape you watch and everything," Collins said, "it comes down to the will to get the ball where you're supposed to get it. The will to go get that rebound. The will to go and get that 50-50 ball. It's just the little things along those lines."

The Bulls are playing without their star guard, Derrick Rose, who is lost for the postseason with a torn ACL. Rose is the reigning MVP. He's one of the elite players in the NBA. The Sixers were able to take advantage of his absence in Game 2.

The next two games are huge for the Sixers. They're both at home. Rose generated a lot of excitement when he came out to half court at the beginning of the second at the United Center. Holiday anticipates an enthusiastic crowd in Philly.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to be just like it was for Chicago," Holiday said. "Like that first game, and even when Derrick Rose came out that second game. You see how crazy it was. You have great fans. That's what we like."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- It is not likely to spark any great shock should the Chicago Bulls end up succumbing to the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series and fade out of these NBA playoffs.

Nationally, the news cycle might not even last 24 hours for the team that lost its franchise player to a devastating knee injury in Game 1, then was defeated with a guy named C.J. Watson taking his place. And even locally as some people actually dumped their playoff tickets and other more sane fans quickly predicted doom, there is likely to be a sense of inevitability along with the disappointment.

But a first-round elimination by the Bulls, currently tied 1-1 after an embarrassing home loss in Tuesday's Game 2, should spark shock and locally, it should cause outrage. And more than that, early elimination by the Bulls, coupled with Rose's injury, may well have long-term implications for a franchise, its players and a head coach whose prospects only recently seemed unquestionably positive.

Read the entire story.

Most Chicago Bulls fans would admit the loss of Derrick Rose for the rest of the postseason severely reduced the Bulls' chances of winning a title. But what about next season? Rose may not return until February, 2013, and when he does come back, how good will he be?

That's one of the topics our panel weighs in on this week.

Fact or Fiction: Derrick Rose's injury will wipe out two years of championship contention for the Bulls.

Scoop Jackson: Fact: Truth is, the medical community's best work won't get Derrick back faster than anyone else in the history of the game who has suffered the same injury. Plus, we can't forget, he has those other nagging injuries that need to heal. The only hinge of hope is that Rose does an MJ circa 1985-86 and miraculously comes back 100 percent 7-10 games before the playoffs begin, helps the Bulls get into the playoffs, then does what Jordan wasn't able to do against the Celtics: Win. It's a long shot, but we're talking about Derrick Rose, we should be allowed to dream, right?

Melissa Isaacson: Fiction: Rose is young, has never had knee surgery and there is no reason to think he will not dedicate himself to rehab. Though we do not know the exact extent of his injury and how his body will recover, even if it takes him nine months to get back to the court, there is no reason to think that come playoff time, he will not be close to his former self. Is this enough to guarantee that the Bulls will be championship contenders? Probably not, but how do you wipe out any chance for next year at this point? Not ready to do that yet.

Jon Greenberg: Fact. The team will have lower expectations going into next season, which might not be a bad thing. Luol Deng will likely miss some time next season if and when he gets wrist surgery after the Olympics. The Bulls will have to work both back in during the regular season. Maybe that twist will be beneficial to the goal of winning a title, as the team jells late and carries newfound momentum into the playoffs. But I can't presuppose that will happen until I see it. It's rare to see an almost entire team play together two years in a row. Will the Bulls make it three? It's tough to see them dealing anyone, and they don't have any go-to individual scorer besides Rose. This is uncommon territory for the young point guard and we don't know how his body and mind will respond.

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Fact or Fiction: Luol Deng should have surgery immediately after the season and skip the Olympics now that the Bulls already will start next season without Derrick Rose.

Scoop Jackson: Fact: The wrist has been the bane of his season, all season. At times he's had to be both Batman and Robin. Next season, he's going to have to return as the Bulls' Dark Knight. All season long. Luol needs to be beyond 100 percent to hold the team down until the above mentioned miracle occurs. The only way of having the slightest chance of that happening is if he shuts the entire summer down, forgos the Olympics, forgos working on whatever part of his game he was going to concentrate as he's done every off season and forgos thinking about hooping until October.

Melissa Isaacson:Fact: There is a lot more involved in this than a simple yes or no. Like Rose, Deng has certain obligations to represent the UK in the Olympics. That said, his primary obligation is to the Bulls and they need him to be at full strength next season, whether Rose was going to be in uniform or not. It would be a supreme sacrifice for Deng to have surgery right after the season and skip the Olympics, but Deng has shown himself to be selfless in that regard. Besides, it's a smart move for his own career as well.

Jon Greenberg: Fiction. Deng is a very proud grown man who wants to represent the country that took his family in after they fled Egypt, and before that, Sudan. I know his contract supersedes the Olympics, and if he were on the American team, I'd say skip it 100 percent. But the British team is counting on him to represent the country on its home soil. If he feels it's important to him, he should do it. Sometimes it's tough to remember these guys are human beings, not fantasy players on a computer. Deng has been through a lot to get to this point, and he deserves this reward. Next season will be there when he gets back. Also, it's not like his team will be playing until the gold medal round, and he can't make the injury worse.

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Fact or Fiction: Carlos Boozer is proving again that he's not reliable in the playoffs.

Scoop Jackson:Fiction: Not soon enough. If he doesn't do something of significance and play a major role in the Bulls getting past the 76ers, then yes, that would become fact. Until then, I think it's too early (and too easy) to call Boozer unreliable. It also depends on what we are realistically expecting out of him. Are we looking for Boozer to give the Bulls 20/10 a night, 15/8 or 10/5? I'm not taking up for the guy, but what are the true expectations of him in the playoffs? I ask because that's where the reliability lies. If we just rely on Boozer to play serviceably until Taj Gibson can get in the game, then we can rely on him. If more is expected, then that's a different story. But as it stands right now, he has between three and five games to prove whether or not the Bulls can truly depend on him in these playoffs. We just have to wait and watch.

Melissa Isaacson:Fiction: Too soon to say that, though they sure could have used him Tuesday night. But after coming through so solidly this past season, there is no reason to think he won't bounce back in Philadelphia. He was not quite as awful in Game 1 with seven rebounds and 50 percent field goal shooting. But he is going to have to do a much better job defensively and be more engaged offensively if the Bulls have a chance to get out of the first round. If he's not going to play defense, at least hit your season averages of 15 points, 8.5 rebounds. If he disappears in Game 3, I'm inclined to agree.

Jon Greenberg: Fiction. But only because it's just been two games. I've got to give him another game before I agree to that. In Game 1, he played well enough. He only got off eight shots, and still had seven rebounds and four assists. In Game 2, he was silent in the second half, but the Sixers' defense flummoxed the Bulls, who never really got into an offense. Boozer's rainbow jumper hasn't been falling, and they need to find a way to get him quick looks near the paint. If Boozer has a bad Game 3, I'm ready to deem this a playoff failure, because any kind of deficit will make it more difficult for the Bulls to advance to give him more time to redeem himself.

Scoop Jackson is a columnist for ESPN.com. Melissa Isaacson and Jon Greenberg are columnists for ESPNChicago.com.

Chicago Bulls guard John Lucas III wouldn't say Miami Heat forward LeBron James is a flopper, but he did sense theatrical embellishment on James' part to Tyson Chandler's screen on Saturday.

The reason it caught Lucas' attention was because James set an equally punishing screen on Lucas on April 19 in Miami. No foul was called on the screen, but the 5-11, 165-pound Lucas had to be kept from going after the 6-8, 250-pound James. Lucas and James -- who after the game said "I knew I had him" -- both received technicals, which prompted James to yell "For what?"

"I thought he threw his left shoulder into me a little bit, and then I look up and Tyson Chandler set a clean screen on him, and he took it like he just got shot," Lucas said Wednesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "You got to get back up.

"All that like your neck is hurt, that isn't cool."

Chandler was called for a Flagrant 2 foul that was downgraded to a Flagrant 1 in the New York Knicks' Game 1 loss. ESPN analyst and former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said during the broadcast that he didn't think it was a flagrant foul at all.

Lucas was asked if James is a flopper.

"If that's what you want to say, I don't know," Lucas said. "I just watch the game of basketball like everyone else watches the game of basketball. I feel like when you set a screen like that on somebody, you're taking the risk of hurting that person. For him, I felt he threw his left shoulder. I let him know that wasn't going to fly with me."

Lucas and James had a little history before the screen. Lucas hit a shot over James on March 14 and had some words for the two-time MVP as Lucas' 24 points sparked the Bulls to victory.

With Derrick Rose out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, Lucas again had to step up in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Tuesday as he scored 15 points off the bench. But the Philadelphia 76ers evened the series with a 109-92 victory.

Without Rose, it will take an impressive effort for Lucas and the Bulls to get a rematch with James and the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

"I want to get there, because I feel like we have unfinished business from last year," Lucas said. "Me and LeBron, that's nothing for me, I'm more about winning and getting to the championship."

CHICAGO -- The first person on the court the moment Derrick Rose crashed to the floor was Doug Collins, waving frantically for the Chicago Bulls doctors and trainers to come quick to Rose's rescue.

Before anybody else knew exactly what was wrong with Rose, Collins knew. Yes, Collins was the coach of the Bulls' playoff opponent but in those particular moments at the end of Saturday's Game 1, with Rose laying in agony on the court, Collins could feel and understand Rose's pain more than anybody in the building, Rose's teammates and coaches included.

Once upon a time Doug Collins was Derrick Rose, a schoolboy star from the state of Illinois who'd become the first overall pick in the NBA draft, a point guard who as a very young man would lead his team deep into the playoffs. And now, in a moment he wouldn't wish on anybody, Collins and Rose would share something else: a ripped up left knee.

Read the entire story.

CHICAGO -- The question posed to Luol Deng was a simple one.

"With Derrick [Rose] gone, do you feel like you have to be the guy to get to the basket more?" a reporter asked the Chicago Bulls All-Star in a subdued Bulls locker room after Tuesday’s 109-92 Game 2 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"Derrick is not here, so this is a different team," a frustrated Deng said.

Perhaps not getting the answer he was looking for, the reporter asked the question again.

"Derrick is not here," Deng responded. "This is a different team. We've been through it. We've played a lot of games. It's a lot of games that we won. You guys can go back and watch them, how we won them. It's not one guy that has to get out of character. We're a team and we're going to get it done together."

After watching the 76ers roll to victory, maybe Deng should go back and watch how his team played without Rose. Deng was one of many Bulls who struggled without their floor general and leader. Deng couldn't get most shots to fall and his poor performance was compounded by the fact that Carlos Boozer played poorly for the second game in a row. Boozer has been a nonfactor in this series, and that has to be very disconcerting for coach Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls' front office, especially given how poorly he played during last year's postseason. Over the first two games of this series, Boozer has just 18 points and 12 rebounds.

"I think we definitely got to try to put the ball in the paint a little bit more, try to get easy baskets," Bulls guard Rip Hamilton said. "Once we get easy baskets in the paint, it opens up the whole perimeter. It makes the guards’ jobs a lot easier when they're scoring down on the block and things like that."

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- The story was going as scripted.

Halfway through the first game of the mourning-after period, the Chicago Bulls were rallying behind their limping leader and providing inspiration to a city of devastated fans holding a wake for Derrick Rose's torn ACL.

Read entire column.

CHICAGO – Whoever he matched up against, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday expected to be a difference-maker against the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Whether the injured Derrick Rose would have allowed Holiday to go off for a career night Tuesday can’t be known, but Holiday couldn’t have played much better against the Bulls’ point guard tandem of C.J. Watson and John Lucas III. Holiday scored a career playoff-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, dished out six assists and didn’t have a turnover in the 76ers’ 109-92 win over the Bulls to even the series.

“I guess the explanation would be ‘playoffs,’ ” said Holiday, who scored a career-high 30 points in a loss to the Bulls earlier in the season. “You know what I mean? This is the stage we dream to be on. This is what we did for the regular season to be here. Playing against the best team in the East, somebody has to step up.

“That’s unfortunate [about Rose], but we expect to play like this every game [whether] Derrick’s there or not. We want to come out and push like we did.”

(Read full post)

Joakim Noah was one of the few Chicago Bulls players who could walk out of the United Center on Tuesday with the satisfaction of having contributed strong numbers, but he wasn't in the mood.

Noah led the Bulls with 21 points and eight rebounds, but the Philadelphia 76ers outscored the Bulls 52-32 in the paint en route to a 109-92 victory. The series is even and moves to Philly for Game 3 on Friday.

"It was a disappointing effort overall," Noah said. "We didn't play well defensively, we didn't play well offensively.

"We got our (butts) kicked."

Noah thought the loss had more to do with what the Bulls didn't do than with what the 76ers were able to accomplish.

"The 76ers are good, but this is about us," Noah said. "What is the feeling in the locker room? We feel frustration but we live to fight another day."

CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 109-92 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Tuesday at the United Center. The series is tied at a game apiece.

How it happened: After heading into halftime with a 55-47 lead, the Bulls got absolutely blitzed in the second half. They got outworked and outhustled in almost every phase of the game. Jrue Holiday dominated the Bulls' defense, scoring 26 points. Evan Turner had another solid game, scoring 17 points. Lou Williams added 20 after struggling in Game 1. Joakim Noah led the way for the Bulls with 21 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn't nearly enough. C.J. Watson, starting in place of the injured Derrick Rose, struggled to find a rhythm as the starting point guard, scoring just 12 points while Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer played poorly throughout the game.

What it means: This was the nightmare Tom Thibodeau didn't want in his first playoff game without Rose. The Sixers beat the Bulls at their own game. They got almost every loose ball, and their defense was better. The Bulls' offense couldn't make many shots in the second half, and aside from Noah, the starters provided next to nothing. What has to be most disconcerting for Thibodeau is that once Philadelphia took the lead, the Bulls seemed to just stop fighting and started taking bad shots. Without Rose there to set them straight, the Bulls allowed the Sixers to walk all over them and didn't respond. Obviously, any team can have a bad game, especially after losing its best player, but the Bulls' problem is that the defense and rebounding that have been key for them all season weren't there for them. Having Rose would have helped immensely, but the problems went deeper than that Tuesday night. If the Bulls want to get the lead back in this series, they have got to get more from Boozer and Deng. Watson must play more consistently as well.

Stat of the night: The Bulls were outscored 52-32 in the paint. They were outscored 25-8 in fast-break points. They were outrebounded 38-32. That's the trifecta of bad as far as Thibodeau is concerned.

Bold play of the game: Pick pretty much any play the Sixers ran in the second half. They outscored the Bulls 36-14 and dominated them in every aspect of the game.

What's next: Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia.

CHICAGO -- The Philadelphia 76ers just weren't going away that quietly.

After the Bulls opened up a 55-47 halftime lead on Tuesday, the 76ers responded in a big way in the third quarter of Game 2. The 76ers outscored the Bulls 36-14 in the third quarter and took an 83-69 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Bulls led 59-54 in the early goings of the third quarter, but it wasn't to last. The 76ers went on a 14-2 run to pull ahead. The Bulls went more than four minutes without a basket from 9:11 to 5:01 of the third quarter.

76ers point guard Jrue Holiday continued his memorable night in the third quarter. He knocked down three more shots in the quarter and improved to 10-of-11 shooting for the night. He had a game-high 24 points after three quarters. He had a season-high 30 points against the Bulls in the 76ers' loss on March 17.

Bulls fan's public enemy No. 1 Evan Turner also played a major hand in the 76ers' rise in the third quarter. Turner hit 4-of-6 shots in the third quarter. He had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists after three quarters.

The Bulls seemed to be lost on offense and defense in the third quarter. They were 5 of 20 from the field.

Andre Iguodala also threw down a few dunks for the 76ers in the quarter. His biggest came in transition with 4:09 remaining in the quarter when he put home a one-handed jam over Luol Deng while being fouled.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah's guns were blazing in the first half.

Noah did a bit of everything for the Bulls in the first half. He, of course, rebounded and scored inside. But he didn't stop there. He showed off a bit of his handles and passing ability as broke the ankles of Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young on a drive in the second quarter and passed it off to Carlos Boozer for an open baseline jumper.

Noah even knocked down three perimeter jumpers, and each time went to his trademark finger pistol shooting. He had 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal at the half.

Behind Noah's play and the hot second-quarter shooting of point guard John Lucas III, the Bulls closed the second quarter on a 16-8 run and took a 55-47 lead into halftime.

Lucas struggled with his jumper to start the quarter, but he came on as time passed. He hit 5-of-8 shots in the first half and scored 11 points, all in the second quarter.

The one bring spot for the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half was Jrue Holiday. Holiday took advantage of the Bulls being without Derrick Rose on Tuesday. After scoring 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting in the 76ers' Game 1 loss, Holiday couldn't miss on Tuesday. He hit seven of eight shots in the first half and scored a game-high 17 points.

The Bulls had 16 assists on 24 field goals in the first half. They also out-rebounded the 76ers 20-16. The 76ers had seven turnovers compared to the Bulls' four.

The Bulls had six players with five or more points in the first half.

CHICAGO -- Game 2 of the Chicago Bulls-Philadelphia 76ers first-round series began with plenty of emotion on Tuesday.

First, the packed United Center crowd roared as Jim Cornelison sang the National Anthem. Then, the fans increased their volume as Derrick Rose made his first public appearance since suffering a season-ending injury in Game 1. Rose walked slowly out to half court in a boot and presented the game ball at half court. He waved to the crowd while fans chanted, “MVP.”

Once the emotion wore off after the game's opening minutes, the teams traded baskets for much of the 12 minutes. The Bulls were the last score and led 28-25 following one quarter.

Tuesday's start was unlike Game 1. In the opening game, the Bulls jumped on the 76ers and got out to an early lead. That wasn't the case in Game 2. The 76ers were able to hang early with the Bulls. The Bulls' biggest lead in the first quarter was 16-11, but the 76ers responded with a 7-0 run.

76ers coach Doug Collins said he was concerned most with the first five minutes of Tuesday's game. He thought if the 76ers could fight through the emotional wave of the game's start his team would have a chance to win.

The Bulls showed off their collective ability in the first quarter. C.J. Watson (five points), Richard Hamilton (six points), Carlos Boozer (six points), Joakim Noah (six points) and Luol Deng (five points) all contributed in the first quarter. The Bulls had nine assists on 12 baskets in the first quarter and no turnovers.

Point guard Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with eight points in the first quarter. Evan Turner, who continued to be booed every time he touched the ball, had four points, three rebounds and two assists. Turner started for Jodie Meeks in Game 2.

CHICAGO -- Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins continued Tuesday to defend Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's decision to have Derrick Rose on the floor with 1:22 remaining in Game 1.

Rose tore his left ACL with the Bulls leading by 12.

Collins backed Thibodeau's decision by recalling a game in 2004 when Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in 35 seconds to lead the Houston Rockets to a one-point win over the San Antonio Spurs. Thibodeau was an assistant on the Rockets' staff.

"As a coach, you never forget those things," Collins said. "Sometimes when you're gauging on who should be out in the game and who shouldn't, coaches knows what they need to know. And that's why with Thibs, I think it would be very, very unfair to throw any criticism his way over Derrick Rose being hurt. Had he got hurt the first minute of the game, nothing would be said.

"We have long memories as coaches. You remember those games. I remember watching it. I think Thibs was on that staff with Jeff Van Gundy. When you have games like that, you never forget them."

Collins said he has often kept his own players on the floor late into games even with a large lead.

"I error on the side sometimes of keeping guys in the game too long because I know if you ever take a player out of the game with a big lead you can't bring him back because they shut it down once they go out," Collins said. "It's just human nature for a pro athlete. That's what they do."

Collins also said he wasn't surprised Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was named the NBA coach of the year. Collins had said last week Thibodeau was his front-runner for the award.

"You could vote for four or five guys," Collins said. "You could vote for Pop. I'd vote for Thibs. I thought Alvin Gentry did a great job in Phoenix. There's a lot of guys who do a good job. They do a damn good job. I have so much respect for these guys in this league. Like I said the other day, Saturday, Thibs was coach of the year last year and very likely could have been this year."