Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will play in Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night despite suffering a stinger last time out.
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Rose scored 25 points in Monday’s win as he continues to produce flashes of his MVP level of performance, but he provided his teammates and fans with a scare at the end of the game after grabbing his shoulder following a hard hit on a screen.
However, he has insisted that he will be ready for Game 2 as the Bulls hope to take a commanding lead in the series before it switches back to Chicago on Friday night.
“I’m not sore or anything, so that’s a good sign,” Rose said during the Bulls’ media availability.
“The stinger, that’s the most pain I had this morning. I don’t feel anything so I’m happy with that.”
Naturally, the bigger concern with Rose will be how his knees continue to cope with the added stress of playing in the playoffs and with the short turnaround between games.
The former MVP has performed better with two nights rest throughout the playoffs according to the stats, as with two or more days rest he is averaging 24.3 points per game, shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from three-point range.
In contrast, with one day’s rest he is averaging 14.0 points per game along with shooting 29.8 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Coach Tom Thibodeau insisted that he wasn’t worried about the emerging trend and looked to the positives of Rose playing at the end of the regular season and then being pushed by the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round.
The 26-year-old has come through all his previous tests with a great deal of confidence, but he will be under pressure to continue to deliver against Kyrie Irving in what is expected to be a thrilling series with Cleveland that may even go the distance.
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