Derrick Rose still owns brains across the NBA.
Although his heyday was short-lived, Rose remains one of the most explosive guards the league has ever seen. Few players have ever had such a dominant individual performance as he did in the early 2010s. Of course, it all led to him becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history. He was only in his third professional season and only 22 years old.
Unfortunately for Paul George, he was one of the players caught in Derrick Rose’s buzzsaw in 2010-11. And it left scars. In a conversation with OKC Thunder big man Chet Holmgren about his first full year in the NBA, George reflected on his own experience as a rookie. He mentioned the nervousness he felt before a postseason matchup with the Chicago Bulls, and the story he told certainly justified that nervousness.
George said he still remembers the game that convinced him the Bulls legend was special. Here’s what the 76ers star said on the latest episode of Podcast P:
“That’s when I knew, OK, he’s different. I’m guarding him up top, up top of the key, right? Him and I’m isolating. I know he’s heading for the cup, so I’m giving him space so I’m not putting pressure on him. I’m giving him space,” George told Holmgren. “But I hear like footsteps coming from behind for a back screen. So I did that (turns head) to see what’s behind. And in Chicago, it’s loud as hell, so I can’t hear ‘drop, drop’ or ‘left, left,’ so I looked like that. And then I looked back like that and, I swear to God, I just saw his heels. As soon as I went back, I just saw heels. I was just like, my God, that motherf***** is fast. From that point on, it was like, OK, I’ve got to get caught by a screen. I can’t look and then expect to stay in front of him.”
Yup, that’s right!
Given the sad turn Rose’s career has taken, I absolutely love stories like this. They speak volumes about how much better he was than the opposition, especially when someone as good as George tells the story. The game always acknowledges the game, and players who have shared the field with Rose know how different he really was.
If you’re as bored as I am with the lack of basketball content in August, I’ll share another entertaining Derrick Rose post below. You can also listen to the full interview between Paul George and Chet Holmgren on the Podcast P with Paul George YouTube channel.
