Derrick Rose pleased with progress: 'Every game I play is a stride'

Derrick Rose's third game back from knee surgery was one of his best of the season, even if it necessitated a "but it came against the 76ers" qualifier.

In his first home game since being diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee on Feb. 24, Rose had his minutes-ceiling lifted from 20 to 28 minutes. He responded with 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, all without turning the ball over once, as his Chicago Bulls toppled the Sixers 114-107. 

It was just the fourth time in Rose's career that he had at least 20 points, five assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers. Those are some pretty specific criteria, but considering Rose had a game this year in which he had 11 turnovers and just one assist, it's a feat worth celebrating. 

"Every game I play is a stride," Rose said after the game, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "Every day I go in there and work out, do my rehab or training, it's a stride. It's a step forward. So every day is a positive day, even if I have a bad game or if I'm having a bad day, I try to erase it the next day."

Rose also busted out some mind-bending passes that demonstrated how well he was seeing the floor. 

Rose credits his time off for helping him expand his court vision, and says the fact that defenses are playing him more conservatively has allowed him to be more patient and probing. 

"When you miss three years, damn near, you see everything," Rose said. "I'm just being patient a little bit more and there's no point in me forcing anything by the way that they're playing me. They're not double-teaming me, they're letting me do whatever I want to do, it's just all about me catching rhythm."

There are still red flags. Rose is shooting more 3-pointers than free throws, which suggests he's settling more and attacking less. It's especially disconcerting because he's hit just 2-of-14 3-point attempts since returning, and 15-of-82 (18.3 percent) in his past 15 games. 

For a night, though, Rose looked almost like Rose again, and regardless of opponent, that should give the Bulls a dose of confidence and positive energy heading into the playoffs. 

"I just like him on the court," said teammate Joakim Noah. "When you see Derrick moving like that, it's definitely a plus for this team. To see him come back after three games and play at that level, it's big."

"I'm grateful, I'm excited," Rose added. "Just filled with joy that I'm back playing."