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Derrick Rose scored an epic game-winner in the 2015 Playoffs
Derrick Rose was poised to become the Chicago Bulls' next hero until an ACL injury robbed him of that opportunity in 2012. Although the former Memphis star was able to return to the court in the red-and-white jersey, he clearly wasn't the same player who became the youngest player in league history to win the Most Valuable Player award.
However, Rose provided another glorious moment for the Chicago faithful in May of 2015 as he banked in a three-pointer right before the final buzzer to sink the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Didn't intend to bank it in
The game was tied at 96 with 10.8 seconds remaining when Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. inbounded the ball to Rose. As he drove from the left wing and elevated for a long-range jumper, Cleveland's Tristan Thompson contested the attempt and forced him to bank it off the glass for three points, much to the delight of the home crowd.
The final shot gave Rose an even 30 points for the game, which helped the Bulls take a 2-1 series lead over LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Afterward, Rose was honest enough to admit he didn't mean for the shot to kiss the glass before going in.
"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."
Last win in the series
That Game 3 victory, though, proved to be the last in the series for the Bulls as the Cavaliers swept the next three games to win the series, 4-2. In fact, LeBron paid the Bulls back with his own buzzer-beating jumper in Game 4, and the Cavaliers never looked back.
Still, that moment when Rose drained one of the biggest jumpers of his career is forever etched in the minds of Bulls fans. It was a moment of pure joy, and it served as a reminder that even with the ups and downs of Rose's career, he still had plenty to offer when it came to making big shots.
