"Maybe it was just a coincidence that one night after Derrick Rose sat out the fourth quarter of a 16-point loss to the 76ers, the Bulls' irrepressible point guard found a second wind in the fourth quarter and carried his team to a nerve-wracking 105-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night.

Or maybe not. Maybe Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau — whether it was by design or not — made the prudent move when he ostensibly gave up a long shot at beating the Sixers to keep Rose fresher for the Knicks. That's the way it played out at Madison Square Garden as Rose recovered from a sluggish third quarter to play a spirited fourth quarter as the Bulls barely fended off Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and the stubborn Knicks. "