Bulls rookie Jimmy Butler does it in crunch time against Knicks

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Bulls rookie Jimmy Butler limited the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony to four points in the fourth quarter. | Nathaniel S. Butler~Getty Images

Updated: March 25, 2012 5:51PM

Derrick Rose is the MVP of the NBA, and Jimmy Butler is an unheralded rookie whose game is as nondescript as Rose’s is dynamic. But they have one thing in common: They’re not afraid to fail.

That’s a driving force behind Rose’s greatness, and it already has made a difference for Butler. The 6-7 swingman from Marquette, selected with the 30th pick of the first round, didn’t back down from a daunting challenge that has made far more talented players look like rookies: Play in crunch time of a tight game at Madison Square Garden.

Playing all but nine seconds of the fourth quarter — by far his most significant minutes of the season — Butler not only helped put the clamps on Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, but he aggressively attacked on offense. He scored four huge points, including a key jumper with 1:10 to go that helped the Bulls escape with a 105-102 victory.

‘‘I’m not surprised,’’ Rose said. ‘‘Coach loves him as a player. He comes in, does his work, and he is very professional. He’s a great rookie.’’

Butler entered the game averaging 6.4 minutes per game, mostly in garbage time. But he helped hold Anthony to four points on 1-for-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. Anthony had scored 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the third quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Bulls 31-22 to close to 77-75.

‘‘It felt good,’’ Butler said. ‘‘I think it felt even better to know that the coaching staff believed in me and my teammates believed in me to take on a matchup like that. That definitely boosted my confidence. I just went out and played hard.’’

Butler was 1-for-4 from the field in the final quarter, but for a rookie in that situation, the three misses were almost as much of a positive as the critical jumper he hit that gave the Bulls a 101-96 lead. He didn’t seem like the player to take the shot in that situation, but he took it anyway.

‘‘The crazy thing is, I’m not that person,’’ Butler said. ‘‘But when I walked over to the bench, Lu [Deng] was like, ‘Shoot the ball. If you’re open, shoot it.’ So I took two jump shots like right after. I missed the first one, Booz [Carlos Boozer] got the rebound [and scored] and Lu was like, ‘See, good things happen when you shoot. You miss, we got the offensive rebound, two points.’

‘‘The next play, I looked down at the bench before and I was like, ‘OK, listen to Lu.’ I came off of it in one dribble and pulled up, which is a type of shot I love to take. I think it fits within my game.’’

But for an NBA rookie, there can be a big difference between having your teammates tell you to shoot and actually taking the shot. But Butler wasn’t bashful. When he saw a lane to the basket late in the game, he went right to the hoop. He missed the drive, and Amare Stoudemire scored to cut the Bulls’ lead to 99-96 with 2:08 to go. The Bulls called a timeout, and coach Tom Thibodeau subbed — but he kept Butler on the court.

‘‘We went to the huddle,’’ Butler said, ‘‘and Jo [Joakim Noah is] like, ‘That’s what I like to see. Stay aggressive. You get that chance again, you do the exact same thing.’ I looked at Jo, and he was for real. He was like, ‘You’re a part of this team like everybody else. We need you.’ That’s the greatest feeling in the world, not only knowing that I could do it, but them knowing that I could do it. That’s big for me.’’