There were smiles all around in Miami as the Heat, led by 32 points from LeBron James, scorched the New York Knicks 100-67 in the opening game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.
But few were smiling in Chicago after watching Rose crumple to the floor in pain late in the Bulls’ 103-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Meanwhile, the favored Oklahoma City Thunder needed Kevin Durant’s last-second shot to defeat the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks 99-98 in the West, and the Orlando Magic opened their Eastern series with an 81-77 triumph over the Indiana Pacers.
Two hours after the game ended, the Bulls said the All-Star guard’s season was over because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Rose missed 27 games this season because of various injuries and there had been concerns about his fitness coming into the playoffs.
He eased some of that concern as he scored a game-high 23 points while adding nine rebounds and nine assists but the health of the league’s most valuable player was again at the forefront of conversation when he landed awkwardly on his left leg and crashed to the ground late in the game.
Medical staff rushed onto the court and examined Rose for several minutes before he was helped to the locker room.
Afterwards, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was questioned on why Rose was even in the game with two minutes to play and Chicago holding a double-digit lead.
Working backwards
“I do not work backward like you guys,” Thibodeau told reporters. “The score was going the other way. He’s got to play.
“Derrick has to work on finishing, on closing. Our team did not handle that part great. That’s what I was thinking.”
With the injury, Rose became the fifth player from USA Basketball’s preliminary 20 man roster who will miss the London Olympics.
Rose, Orlando’s Dwight Howard (back), Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge (hip) and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chauncey Billups (Achilles) are out due to injury, while Dallas’ Lamar Odom has been dropped from consideration after being deactivated by the Mavericks.
USA Basketball officials have said they will not seek replacements.
Rose’s injury took away from a bright start to the post-season for the top-seeded Bulls, who also received a 19-point contribution from Richard Hamilton while Luol Deng chipped in with 17 and Joakim Noah added 12 points and 13 rebounds.
