Four years since Derrick Rose won the NBA MVP, Rose and the Bulls are set to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Rose hasn’t faced a LeBron James-led team in the playoffs since the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals when James was a part of the Miami Heat, and the Heat won the series 4-1.
Now, after three Derrick Rose knee surgeries, and two LeBron James NBA Championships, the two former MVPs will battle once again.
Derrick Rose says he will be prepared for Shumpert & LeBron but expects Irving to do most of the guarding of him
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) May 4, 2015
The real question is; who will guard Rose?
Everyone knows what happens when James guards Rose, James usually wins that matchup.
James uses his athletic ability to stay in front of Rose and uses his length to block Rose’s shots.
Rose said he’s ready to redeem himself against James:
But it’s no excuses. It’s no excuses. When you’re in the playoffs, the guys that you have on your team, the guys that I had on my team in the past, at the time I wouldn’t have traded them for anything in the world. We was in a battle, we just lost to them in a series a couple of times so we get a chance to redeem ourselves and really go out there and compete again.
Kyrie Irving guarded Rose in an October preseason game, Rose scored 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting.
And Rose made Irving look foolish a couple times.
In the three regular-season games against the Cavs, Rose combined for 68 points on 25-for-54 shooting. The Bulls fans are hoping that Irving is mainly guarding Rose for this series.
