Anterior cruciate ligament
“Uh-oh uh-oh, Rose came down bad on his left foot. See him? Holding on to his knee … holding on to his knee… and DOWN.” This was the voice of play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan on TNT during game 1 of the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs as Chicago Bulls all-star point guard Derrick Rose, arguably the most explosive player in the NBA, suffered an injury that would keep him out of basketball for over six months. At this point in the game, the Bulls were up by twelve with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, and many Bulls fans were wondering why Rose was still on the floor. After watching Rose land awkwardly and tear his left knee’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on a meaningless play, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau must have regretted his decision to keep Rose in the game after the Bulls had already sealed the victory. Although the Bulls won this game, they lost the best-of-seven series to the lower-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in six games. More importantly, the Bulls were going to miss their leader and superstar, Derrick Rose.