NBA M3 - Chapter 568: DPOY Favorite? Shutting Down Rose (Patreon)

“Thump, thump, thump!”

Derrick Rose stared at Blake, the man standing in his way. He knew just how formidable Blake was on defense, but he had no intention of avoiding him.

To win tonight, Rose needed to break through that defense and score, giving his teammates a much-needed boost. If he couldn't score against Blake, then even finding points by avoiding him wouldn't be enough to win.

His mind made up, Rose dribbled patiently and fixed his eyes on Blake. His gaze sharpened. “Here I come!”

“Whoosh!”

Rose burst to the right. Blake stayed close, but Rose stopped sharply, changed directions without losing speed, switched the ball to his left hand, and drove straight for the rim. Blake was now on his right, chasing at full speed.

“Rose has beaten Blake! Derrick goes up for the layup... wait! Blake's coming from behind! He's reaching out to block it!” Shaq called excitedly. “Rose adjusts in midair! He avoids the block, but that's a tough finish! Will it fall? No!”

The ball bounced off the rim. Yao Ming and Noah fought for it, but George emerged from the crowd with the rebound and passed out to Nash.

“That's a stop! Blake shuts down Derrick Rose!” Barkley exclaimed.

“Exactly,” Shaq agreed. “Derrick's ability to change direction without slowing down, then explode toward the basket, really is exceptional. Even Blake was a step behind him. And that's perfectly understandable.

“Blake's a center, while Derrick's a guard famous for his speed. But Blake has height and wingspan to go with his quickness. Even when Derrick gets past him, those long arms can still disrupt the shot.”

“Right,” Barkley said. “The players faster than Blake aren't as tall, and the ones taller than him aren't as fast. Combine that with his extraordinary overall athleticism, and you've got ‘The Emperor’ Blake.

“He can exploit mismatches against anyone on offense, and he can defend those same mismatches on the other end. It's as if he was born to play basketball!”

Born to play basketball. It sounded like a simple compliment, but there were few higher praises anyone could give him.

Back on the court, Blake tightened his grip on Rose. Derrick could still get his points, but his efficiency had fallen sharply. Blake was also disrupting his ability to involve his teammates.

Rose still passed the ball, of course, but most of those passes came after a failed drive, when he had little choice but to give it up.

They weren't the productive kick-outs that came from beating his defender and drawing help. The difference was enormous.

Blake dominated that defensive matchup throughout the latter half of the second quarter. On offense, however, he didn't go looking for Rose. There was no point.

He played his usual game, attacking when he had an opening and drawing defenders before finding a teammate in a better position when he didn't.

Phoenix kept scoring while Chicago struggled to find any rhythm. Inevitably, the gap widened.

At halftime, the scoreboard read:

Bulls 55, Suns 66.

Phoenix led by eleven. These were the leaders of the Eastern and Western Conferences, both boasting a Player of the Week, so on paper there shouldn't have been much separating them.

Yet the Bulls were down eleven at the break, and everyone knew why. Blake's one-on-one defense against Rose had made the difference.

Their first showdown of the night belonged to Blake. But there was still another half to play. Calling Rose completely shut down would be premature. The third quarter would be the true test.

Before long, the teams returned to the floor. Chicago's home crowd hoped Rose would finally adjust to Blake's defense, break through, and start scoring often enough to turn the game around.

Instead, Blake became even more comfortable reading Rose's rhythm, and his one-on-one defense grew more suffocating with every possession.

Halfway through the quarter, Rose finally stopped trying to attack him alone. He began calling for screens, deliberately switching onto other Suns defenders. Only then did his offense show some signs of life.

In the stands, Scottie Pippen watched the change, shook his head, and smiled. “Derrick's calling for screens because he doesn't dare go at Blake anymore. That tells you everything about their matchup. Derrick's already lost.”

“Yes,” Michael Jordan agreed. “Maybe Derrick can get back into rhythm by avoiding Blake, but backing down like that, especially on offense, is a serious blow to the team's confidence.

“And they're already down by more than fifteen. Put it all together, and Derrick loses his matchup with Blake while the Bulls lose the game.”

“Tsk, tsk...” Pippen clicked his tongue. “Blake really has gotten stronger over the offseason. His offense is even more explosive, and so is his defense.

“Whenever an opposing star becomes too much for George to handle, Blake takes over the assignment, and he's been doing an outstanding job.

“Look at Derrick tonight, or Kyrie against Cleveland in the last game. Blake's a center, yet he's been able to contain both guards out on the perimeter. He even recorded ten blocks last game.”

Pippen shook his head in admiration. “His defense is incredible. If he can keep playing like this all season, then I don't see anyone but Blake winning Defensive Player of the Year.”

“Absolutely!”