The Bulls lost the first game of their second round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, and have now lost home-court advantage. But that might not even be the worst news to come form this game. Just as the final seconds ticked off the clock, Rose stepped on Jamal Crawford's foot and re-aggravated the left ankle sprain that he suffered in the first round series against the Pacers.
According to SB Nation, the injury won't prevent Rose from playing against the Hawks in Game 2 on Wednesday.
If the ankle continues to bother Rose throughout the Bulls' playoff run, it'll hurt Chicago's already single-minded offense. The Bulls actually scored quite efficiently on Monday, but had remarkable trouble racking up points against a Pacers team only slightly better on the defensive end than Atlanta. The Bulls did well on Monday by hitting the offensive glass, shooting a solid clip and doing a fantastic job limiting turnovers -- turnover creation is one of the Hawks' biggest weaknesses.
The most telling stat from Monday's game might be that Rose didn't attempt a single free throw, which might speak to how injured his ankle was, even before he re-aggravated it. Usually when his ankle is right he is wreaking havoc in the lane and getting to the line north of 10 times a game. This most recent tweak won't help that by any means.