Hardwood Paroxysm Presents: First round moments from the NBA Playoffs

#TheReturn… of Derrick Rose’s flawless jumper?

by Kevin Yeung (@KevinHFY) — Hardwood Paroxysm

Bucks at Bulls, Game 1, third quarter, 7:02 on the clock: Rose caught the ball as Mike Dunleavy rocketed around a pick, and calmly stepped into a three-pointer. Flawless form as the shot fell through. On the next trip down the court, Rose would get the ball late in the possession and size up Michael Carter-Williams from the top of the arc before pulling up with seven on the shot clock for a 27-footer. Again, textbook stroke. Rose would score five more points in the next 2:48, with a third three-pointer falling as well.

It felt like a triumphant opening salvo for his much-awaited return to the postseason. Rose finished Game 1 with 23 points on a tidy 9-of-16 shooting performance, going 3-of-7 from deep. Sure, the moment was suspect – since when did Rose ever shoot without that awkward hitch in his jumper that forces him to launch on the way down? As the series wore on, it became apparent that the Rose of old wasn’t really back in full. The good came with the bad, and he reminded us, especially with an 0-of-7 three-point shooting performance in Game 5, that he was still the guy that shot 28.0% from deep in the regular season. 

But for a fleeting moment, Rose was back in the playoffs, he was scoring points, and we could all tweet ‘ROS3’ like nothing was amiss. If, God forbid, we don’t ever get Rose back in full, then we’ll settle for the mirage with the flawless jumper form and remember it fondly.

Next: Waiting another year for a deep Kevin Love playoff run