Rose says 'confidence is through the roof' after 3rd consecutive outing

The game tape agrees, Derrick Rose. The game tape agrees.

Rose played in his third consecutive game on Friday, the first time he's done so all season, and though he left Tuesday's game at halftime as a precaution, he certainly appears to be working the rust off quickly.

Darting around the court against the Boston Celtics, Rose finished with 21 points in 28 minutes, shooting 9-of-18 from the floor and dishing four assists. When he was on the floor, the Chicago Bulls' offense was humming, due to the returning Joakim Noah being more involved than he's been of late, plus Rose and Jimmy Butler flashing what could be a deadly pick-and-roll set.

It's little surprise, then, that Rose was riding high after the outing, his hamstring issues apparently in the rear-view mirror.

"My confident is through the roof," Rose said. "I don't need more confidence. I just need to play. I know how good I am, how good I'm going to be."

Head coach Tom Thibodeau has bemoaned Rose's dance in and out of the lineup, first with ankle sprains and then with the hamstring strain, but he was singing a different tune on Friday as well.

"He played. That's how he's going to shake the rust off," Thibodeau said. "So I just want him to keep building, that's what I want him to do."

The Bulls are off until Sunday, when they'll wrap their seven-game road trip against the Brooklyn Nets. It sounds as if Rose will play once again, barring a setback, giving the Bulls a decent chance at closing the daunting trip with a 4-3 record.