Rose says he's fine for 1st postseason appearance since 2012
Derrick Rose did his best to shoot down concerns about his leg Wednesday night, but he conceded there was soreness in his left knee - the opposite one he recently underwent a meniscus procedure on - that caused him to sit the second half of the Chicago Bulls' regular season finale against the Atlanta Hawks.
"Just felt a little soreness in my left knee," Rose told reporters after Chicago's 91-85 win. "I felt it at the end of the second quarter, so ain't no point in rushing it."
The Bulls open the playoffs at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Rose doesn't seem to be lacking confidence going in.
Rose: "I believe I'm one of the best players in the game." Still? "Still."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 16, 2015
It will be Rose's first postseason appearance since Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 28, 2012, when Rose tore the ACL in his left knee.
"It means a lot," Rose said of getting back to the playoffs. "But it's still going to take some work to get there. It's going to take some work to get my mental game ready because the playoffs is a totally different game."