While Rose Recovers, Melo Powers Knicks
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- There were elements of familiarity in Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon, from the raucous April crowd, to the explosive and, most importantly, well-timed scoring from Carmelo Anthony, one of the game's most reputable finishers.
"That's how the Garden's supposed to be," Anthony said.
There were some recognizable components to how the Chicago Bulls played as well.
Those, however, were more of the haunting kind. The missed free throws that not only bring back painful memories of regular-season games lost -- Chicago's first meeting with the Miami Heat this season was dropped, in part, thanks to Derrick Rose missed freebies -- but playoff games, too. And there was the inability to close out a big game despite Rose having multiple chances to do so.
To be fair, of course, this was Rose's first game back after missing 12 straight with an injured groin, but in the grand scheme there couldn't be more of a contrast between these two potential first-round opponents Sunday afternoon.
The New York Knicks, who positively thieved a 100-99 win in overtime, have a superstar just getting into a timely groove. Anthony dropped a season-high 43 points, his highest scoring total in a Knicks uniform, including a pair of 3-point bombs that first extended the game in regulation, then won it for New York.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have their major player only beginning the always-awkward feeling-out process while returning from injury.
The Knicks are discovering a way to win, even against the better teams in the league, that was almost non-existent prior to Mike D'Antoni's removal -- a gritty commitment to defense that salvages even the poorest of shooting performances. New York shot 38.2 percent but managed to aggravate the Bulls thoroughly enough to win its eighth straight at home.
The Bulls are questioning themselves at the wrong time, piling uncharacteristic mental errors on top of the physical ones, all resulting in a depressed postgame locker room.
"You get what you deserve," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Thibodeau had plenty to choose from when listing his team's mistakes, but the most frustrating were the 19 turnovers and, of course, the four missed three throws in the final 34 seconds of regulation that could have sealed the win for Chicago, which held a 91-81 lead with 3:45 remaining in the fourth.
The first two came courtesy of Luol Deng with 34 seconds left and the Bulls up by three. Tyson Chandler had a self-admitted mental slip that appeared to be quite damaging.
He fouled Deng despite their being a significant differential between the shot clock and game clock.
"I thought we were under the 24-second clock, and Luol was who I wanted to foul," Chandler said. "That's why I was aggressive on him, I didn't want it to get back to D-Rose or [Kyle] Korver, so I fouled Luol and looked up and saw it was a seven-second difference."
It was more like a 14-second difference, but it didn't matter. Deng clanged them both to keep the Knicks' hopes alive.
After a Steve Novak 3-pointer touched every part of the rim and tantalizingly bounced off the backboard before popping out, it was Rose's turn to seal the win.
He, too, missed both.
"Next time, I know I'll for sure hit one of them," Rose said.
That promise did him no good Sunday, because Anthony pulled up from 27 feet with 11 seconds left to tie the game. Rose followed with a missed step-back jumper that sent the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Bulls twice took four-point leads, only to see Anthony rise up from 3-point land again, this time down just two, and knock it down again.
This one sent the Garden into an absolute frenzy, and gave Anthony his second of possibly many signature moments in the building. The first came just a few minutes earlier.
"I didn't want to just go to the hole and just throw some crazy shot up," Anthony said. "They were playing me to drive."
Right. That's another source of aggravation for the Bulls' coach.
In both instances, Anthony had a hand in his face -- especially the game-winner, when Deng was literally centimeters away from Anthony's face upon the release.
Problem is, Thibodeau wanted him even closer. Even a contested 3 was unacceptable in his view.
"No, no, no," Thibodeau said. "You can't be giving up that shot. It's the only thing that gets you in trouble is the 3. You don't give it up. You make him drive. You make him take the 2."
The way it ended, the way the respective locker rooms felt and the fact that these two teams are currently in position to meet in the first round gave this game every bit of a playoff feel.
Of course, Rose should look more like his familiar self once those real playoffs come around (he said his groin felt fine and most of his errors, 18 missed shots and eight turnovers, were simply a matter of rust).
But at least on this Sunday, Bulls-Knicks looks like it would make for quite the entertaining series, with upset potential written all over it.
"That team played great, man," Rose said. "They were knocking down shots, didn't give up even when we took that big lead. They kept fighting.
"They're a good team. If we do play them, it'll be a fun series."
Israel Gutierrez covers the NBA for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter, @IzzyESPN.
Dimes past: March 23-24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30-31 | April 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6-7
2. Around The Association
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104 | Recap | Box score |
87 |  |
MVP: Courtney Lee. According to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, before the game Lee said the Kings would "lay down" if Houston got out to an early lead. With an insane 14 points in the game's first 10 minutes, Lee decided to find out for himself whether his words would prove true. Lee finished the game with 25 points on 18 shots.
LVP: Tyreke Evans. Despite Marcus Thornton and John Salmons being out with injuries, Evans still looked befuddled on the offensive end; his gradual decline is currently coinciding with Terrence Williams' prominent climb. Evans finds himself in an ongoing search for a suitable position within Sacramento's high-octane offense, and Sunday night's effort proved he's still far from finding it.
That was … a sight for sore eyes: Kyle Lowry made his first appearance in more than a month on Sunday night. The box score wasn't anything special as he eased his way back (1 point, 7 assists in 18 minutes) but Lowry showed fiery aggression despite coming off a serious bacterial infection.
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104 | Recap | Box score |
114 |  |
MVP: Can't be anyone other than Tony Parker, who bobbed and weaved his way through the Jazz's defense for 28 points. Parker received numerous MVP chants from the hometown crowd and provided the Spurs fans with three or four dazzling, highlight-worthy moves.
LVP: Paul Millsap is going to have nightmares within nightmares about this game. He failed to convert a field goal in the first half, and was mostly benched for the rest of the contest, seeing only 20 total minutes of playing time. Millsap finished with 2 points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field. Ouch.
That was … breathtaking: On a fast break in the first quarter, Parker absolutely shook Devin Harris with a gorgeous fake-spin-hesitation move. Later in the fourth quarter Parker embarrassed Harris once again, breaking him off with a beautiful crossover move. Don't hurt em' too bad Tony.
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75 | Recap | Box score |
91 |  |
MVP: It was Russell Westbrook in the first half, Kevin Durant in the second. Westbrook led the Thunder with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the first half (he finished with 15 points), while it was Durant who kept the Raptors at bay when they threatened in the third quarter. He ended the night with 23 points.
LVP: With Alan Anderson starting in his place on Sunday, James Johnson had an awful shooting night for the Raptors. He shot 2-for-11 from the field in 26 minutes, a line his seven rebounds were not enough to atone for.
Defining moment: The Raptors kept it close for much of the third quarter, at one point pulling within three. But a Durant-led 24-0 OKC run spilled into the fourth quarter and changed the complexion of this game into that of a blowout.
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75 | Recap | Box score |
98 |  |
MVP: With Dwyane Wade out with a minor ankle injury, LeBron James did what he always does when Wade is out and took total control of the Heat's offense. He scored 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting. The Heat are now 10-1 when Wade misses a game because of injury this season.
X factor: James Jones, getting his most minutes (23) since Jan. 17, tied a career high by making six 3-pointers. He moved from 13th place to 11th on the Heat's career 3-point shooting list -- passing Antoine Walker and Damon Jones -- just during the game.
Turning point: The Pistons actually had a three-point lead in the second quarter but James led a 9-0 run with a couple layups and by halftime the Heat were ahead by 10 and not looking back.
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117 | Recap | Box score |
122 |  |
MVP: Gerald Green. The Green Revolution marches on. His 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in the fourth nearly won the game for the Nets, and his smash-tastic antics helped make for a surprisingly fun game. His 32 points were nice, too.
That was … unexpected. Raise your hand if you thought Cleveland versus New Jersey would be an outstanding back-and-forth tilt that came down to the wire. … Liar!
Defining moment: Battle of the 3-pointers. Starting at the 7:18 mark of the fourth, Antawn Jamison, Lester Hudson and Green exchanged five straight 3s, and the Cavs pulled within two. That was the game in a nutshell.
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79 | Recap | Box score |
103 |  |
MVP: If you'd asked Kevin Garnett, fresh out of bed this Easter morning, to imagine an ideal outcome for that evening's game, he might have imagined something like this. The Hall of Famer-in-waiting netted 20 points on 11 shots, played stellar defense, led his squad to a blowout win, and needed just 27 minutes to do it. That'll do.
X factor: Philadelphia does two things better than anybody in basketball: plays defense and protects the ball. The 76ers did neither on Sunday. The imploding Sixers zoomed past their season turnover average in the second quarter, and watched, in helpless/perplexed fashion, as the Celtics shot 59 percent from the floor.
That was … decisive: In a game not nearly as close as the final score indicates -- and I realize the final score doesn't indicate it was that close -- Boston dealt Philly its fourth-straight loss, snagged a three-game lead in the Atlantic, and took a large step toward wrapping up the No. 4 seed in the East. Hey, NBA: Don't sleep on the Celtics.
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99 | Recap | Box score |
100 |  |
MVP: Carmelo Anthony. Melo had 43 points, seven rebounds and three assists, willing the Knicks past the Bulls in Derrick Rose's return for a win that might one day be seen as the moment when the much-maligned star finally won over New York.
That was … the best game of the year: Last month's Memphis-Oklahoma City game was certainly a thrill, but this Easter matinee was far more compelling in terms of playoff implications and singular, momentum-shifting daggers.
X factor: Tyson Chandler. Between his 16 rebounds (10 of them on the offensive glass -- think about that), countless signature tap-outs and contusion-defying floor dives, Chandler made the case for the 7,000th time that he is this team's MVP. And it ain't close.
3. Sunday's Best
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks: Do you believe in revivals? Yes. On March 12, Melo's Knicks fell to 18-24 with a loss to the Bulls, their Jeremy Lin-fueled ride over. Sunday, Melo went for 43 points, his most since coming to New York, and the Knicks beat the Bulls.
4. Sunday's Worst
The slumping Sixers: After a fourth straight loss, a 103-79 drubbing by a Celtics team that apparently forgot it resided in the dustbin of history, the Sixers fell to 29-27, just one game ahead of the Bucks for the final East playoff spot. Silver Lining Dept: Philly's next three games include two against the Nets and one against the Raptors.
8. Just Getting Started
Chris Trotman/Getty Images
9. Stat Check
Rajon Rondo recorded 15 assists, his 17th consecutive game in double-figures, as the Celtics routed the 76ers, 103-79. Having mastered the 10-assist game, Rondo demonstrated a new trick on Sunday, posting his 15 assists in just 29 minutes of playing time. It was the third time in Rondo's career that he assisted on 15 or more field goals while playing less than 30 minutes, something only one other Celtics player managed.
Dennis Johnson did it against the Nuggets in 1987. But one man who might not be all that impressed is Rondo's coach, Doc Rivers, who had five games of 15 or more assists in less than 30 minutes during his 13-year playing career.
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