In 2015, Derrick Rose delivered a signature playoff moment against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers!
With the scores tied and three seconds remaining on the clock, Rose buried a three-pointer off the glass as the buzzer sounded to give the Bulls a 99-96 win to take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
"I'm just thankful and grateful that my teammates gave me the ball," Rose said. "They believed in me down the stretch. They kept getting me the ball, kept encouraging me to play the way that I usually play. And no, I did not call glass."
Rose finished the game with 30 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds, shooting 10-of-26 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep....with his lone triple leading to the stone-cold celebration.
Cleveland tied the game at 96-96, thanks to a three-pointer from J.R. Smith with 10.6 seconds on the clock. After the Bulls called a timeout, Rose for to this spot at the top of the key and let if fly over Tristan Thompson, banking in the 26-footer.
It was the first game-winning shot by a Bulls player in the finals 10 seconds of a playoff game, since Michael Jordan's famous shot over Byron Russell in the 1998 Finals vs. the Utah Jazz.
Derrick Rose: 1st game-winning shot in final 10 sec of postseason game by Bulls player since -
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 9, 2015
Michael Jordan to clinch 1998 Finals vs Jazz
"I contested," Thompson said of rose's shot. "It wasn't like he just walked in and took a three. That's all you can really ask for. It was a lucky shot. He hit it off the glass. It's tough."
Watch the game below:
LeBron James, who led the Cavs with 27 points, said post-game that there wasn't much else Thompson could do, crediting Rose for his tough-shot making ability.
"You follow the game plan, they make a shot, you live with it," James said.
"It's when you make mistakes during the game plan, those would be the ones that are hard to live with. I know it's easy for me to say that. The shot was not made on me. The guy took a tough shot. Tip your hat to him."
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