{"id":9674,"date":"2017-09-05T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=9674"},"modified":"2017-09-05T21:32:09","modified_gmt":"2017-09-06T01:32:09","slug":"greatest-chicago-bulls-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/09\/05\/greatest-chicago-bulls-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Greatest Chicago Bulls Moment of the 21st Century"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the Greatest Moment series<\/a><\/em> at Last Word On Pro Basketball, where we\u2019ll present to you each NBA team\u2019s greatest moment of the 21st century. From draft lottery luck, to a franchise-changing trade, to the sweet taste of a championship, every NBA team has had its own special moment to look back on.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this edition, we will relive the greatest Chicago Bulls<\/a> moment of the 21st century: hometown hero Derrick Rose<\/a><\/b> winning the 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player award over the likes of LeBron James<\/a><\/b> and Dwight Howard<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n

Greatest Chicago Bulls Moment of the 21st Century: Derrick Rose Wins 2010-11 MVP Award<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After the Bulls dominated the NBA in the 1990s more than any franchise had since the \u201860s <\/span><\/strong>Boston Celtics<\/a>, Chicago only made three playoff appearances in the 10 seasons following <\/span>Michael Jordan<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s retirement. The Bulls never even made it past the second round in that span. Chicago then selected Derrick Rose with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose helped the Bulls make the postseason in each of his first two years. Rose\u2019s third season, though, was a lot more special. While it ultimately ended with Chicago being knocked out in the Eastern Conference Finals \u2013 by the team\u2019s nemesis, <\/span>LeBron James<\/a><\/strong>, no less \u2013 the 2010-11 season will always be dear to Bulls fans.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Our story begins in the summer of 2010.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

2010 Off-Season<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On July 8, 2010, ESPN switched up its regularly scheduled programming. Instead, it aired a T.V. special called The Decision<\/i>. The night is mostly remembered for LeBron James uttering the words \u201ctaking my talents to South Beach\u201d and <\/span><\/strong>Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> fans burning his jersey on camera. Lost in all the mayhem, of course, was how James\u2019 decision to join the <\/span><\/strong>Miami Heat<\/a> affected Chicago.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

At one point, the Bulls had been the favorites to land James in free agency. Perhaps James had always planned to sign with the Heat, but many well-connected people thought that Chicago had a good chance at landing him. Regardless, he and <\/span>Chris Bosh<\/a><\/strong> decided to team up with <\/span>Dwyane Wade<\/a><\/strong> in South Florida. While Heat fans celebrated the forming of a super-team and <\/span><\/strong>the trio threw a welcome party for themselves<\/a>, the Bulls had to scramble to recover. Chicago managed to sign <\/span>Carlos Boozer<\/a><\/strong>, a decent (but disappointing) consolation prize. Nevertheless, the Bulls prepared for a season in which the odds were stacked against them, with <\/span><\/strong>Vegas projecting<\/a> the Heat, Celtics, and <\/span><\/strong>Orlando Magic<\/a> to win more games in the East.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

2010-11 Regular Season<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After all the hype behind the \u2018Heatles,\u2019 Miami started slow, with a record of 9-8 after 17 games. Oddly enough, the Bulls began the season the same way. While the Heat eventually righted the ship and cruised to a 58-24 season, Chicago one-upped them. The Bulls went 25-6 in the stretch following their slow start. They reeled off nine straight wins to end the season, snatching the top seed in the East with a league-best 62-20 record. <\/span>Tom Thibodeau<\/strong>\u2019s coaching certainly made an impact, as the team ranked atop the league in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). But despite a bottom-10 pace and limited offensive options, Chicago still managed to rank 11th overall in offensive efficiency. That is where Rose made his mark.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a look at this roster:<\/p>\n