The Chicago Bulls finally got to head home for Game 3 in their second round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and they needed every advantage they could get. With the game tied at 96 after a J.R. Smith three and three seconds on the clock, Derrick Rose got the ball, took a dribble, and nailed the dagger off the backboard to win the game 99-96.
Ok sorry better quality here. Bulls Win Bulls Win pic.twitter.com/kydvxUC8oy
— Bill Wennington (@34billy42) May 9, 2015
You might imagine that a former MVP has a few buzzer-beaters under his belt, but that was actually his first one in the postseason.
Derrick Rose: 2nd career buzzer-beater, 1st in postseason (other was against Bucks in regular season)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 9, 2015
How big was Rose's play throughout the game? It was pretty crucial in the fourth quarter.
Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler scored all but 2 of Bulls points in 4th quarter
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 9, 2015
Rose had 30 points, while Jimmy Butler chipped in 20, Mike Dunleavy scored 16, and Nikola Mirotic came off the bench to get 12 points. For Cleveland, LeBron James had 27 points and J.R. Smith was the next highest scorer at 14 points.
Rose's reaction right after it happened was absolutely awesome:
But him answering questions about it during the postgame press conference might have been the highlight of it all though:
How does it feel to hit a game-winning shot in the playoffs? http://t.co/HVE6sCqrBt
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2015
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