"This sh*t funny to him. I'm a joke" - Jeff Teague recalls when Derrick Rose dropped 44 points on him 2011 playoffs
Derrick Rose gave fans a lot to remember throughout his 15-year NBA career. Nearly every game in his first three seasons in the league was a must-see. With his explosive athleticism, blazing speed, and fearless approach to attacking the rim, defenders were likely to end up on posters night after night.
But unbeknownst to the 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago, Illinois, he also gave opponents many memories to go on by. For Jeff Teague, however, one stands out: Derrick's 44-point performance in Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. According to the retired guard, this game meant a lot to him since Rose could have gone for 50 points but decided not to.
Going toe-to-toe with the league MVP?
Game 3 was pivotal for the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta had shocked Chicago in the series opener before the latter equalized the series with a Game 2 victory. As Game 3 tipped off, Teague went tit for tat with Rose, the MVP of the league at the time.
"First quarter, we going back and forth. It's a duel, yeah. And I'm like, in my head, I'm out here dueling with the MVP. What the f**k am I doing? But I'm talking sh*t. It's the first game in Atlanta, so I'm like, 'Yeah, motherf****r!' And he ain't saying nothing. He's just looking at me," the former Wake Forest standout recalled. "We going back and forth. First quarter, I had like 13, 14 points. Second quarter, I think I scored two points. He scored like another nine. I'm like, 'Damn.'"
As the game continued, Jeff's scoring stalled while Derrick kept on going, putting up 13 points in the third to help the Bulls surge in front. By the fourth quarter, Chicago already had a comfortable lead and was cruising.
"So it's like, what, five, six minutes left in the fourth? I'll never forget—I'm like, I had like 21. I'm looking at him, I'm still trying to guard him hard, and you know how a ni**a kind of like relax, like, not tell you to relax, but kind of like, 'It's over, bro.' And the ni*** kind of like, 'Come get me, Thibs.' I said, 'Oh f**k him,'" Teague said, eliciting laughter from Rose and the rest of the "Club 520" crew.
"I said, 'He ain't wanna get 50.' 'Oh, f**k that.' I said, 'No, f**k that.' I was so mad I said, 'He spared me.' I was like, I went to the locker room, and 'Smoove' (Josh Smith) was like, 'Man, you know, it's just one game, dog.' I was like, 'Man, he damn near had 50,'" Jeff added.
Teague was embarrassed
There was one play that Teague stewed over after the game. It's a well-known fact that the shifty guard from Indianapolis doesn't play defense, but that night, he tried his best to shadow Rose. But despite his best efforts, Derrick canned a high looping floater over Teague, which barely grazed the net and caught after.
"This when I really was like, 'F**k you.' You hit a floater, right? I contested the sh** out of this motherf****r. I was playing hard as hell. Y'all know I don't play defense. I'm playing hard as hell. I'm like, 'He can't embarrass me,'" Teague remembered. "He hit a floater, threw it up, and caught that motherf****r. I said, 'Hold on.' He caught it out the net. I said, 'Yep, he playing around now. This sh*t funny to him. I'm a joke.'"
After the game, Teague was still steaming about that play. Fortunately, his brother was there to lend perspective to the situation.
"My brother was like, 'Bro, you getting your chance. It's all good. You ain't playing bad.' I'm like, 'Bro, he embarrassing me, bro,'" Teague said. However, what his brother said was what Jeff needed to hear.
"'Bro, he embarrass everybody. He the MVP,'" Jeff said of what his sibling told him. "Then I thought about it, I was like, 'You right. I'm good.'"
Rose indeed made many defenders look foolish when they tried to defend him. That is a badge of honor for Teague, showing that he went up against one of the best players of his era and lived to tell the tale.
Unfortunately, he had no answer for D-Rose in 2011, as the Bulls beat the Hawks in six games. In 41.0 minutes of action, the iconic point guard averaged 29.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists.
