Their championship dreams officially ended Thursday when the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Bulls 79-78 in Game 6 of their first-round series. Forward Andre Iguodala's two free throws with 2.2 seconds left gave the Sixers the win.
It is a season the Bulls would rather just as soon forget. Rose played with and through injuries almost all season ? bad back, strained right groin, sprained big left toe and sprained right ankle.
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But still, they finished with the best record in the East and were considered strong championship contenders ? before Rose's unfortunate knee injury.
Point guard play was a huge difference in the series as soon as Rose was done at the end of Game 1. Although the Bulls fought to make it a six-game series, Rose's loss crushed the Bulls' spirit. Chicago played well without Rose during the regular season, knowing he would return eventually.
He couldn't return this time.
As well as C.J. Watson and John Lucas played during the season, they were not able to replicate it during the playoffs and not against the Sixers' Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, who form one of the top point guard combinations in the league.
Williams and Holiday each had 14 points in Game 6. Iguodala had 20 points.
Rose's absence was felt in so many ways. Injuries to center Joakim Noah (sprained ankle), who didn't play in the final three games of the series, forward Taj Gibson (sprained ankle) and forward Luol Deng (sore wrist) compounded Chicago's problems.
It was a gutsy Bulls effort. But Rose's injury was too much to overcome.
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