New Yorkers love a lopsided scoreboard in favor of the Knicks for two reasons. First, that means the team is most likely adding another win to their season tally. But second and more importantly, it means the fans can goad Tom Thibodeau into playing Derrick Rose again.

Rose has been in Thibs' doghouse for a lengthy stretch of the season, having been glued to the bench for 24 straight games. He last played on December 31 in a road game against the Houston Rockets but has yet to see action since the turn of the calendar year. That drought ended on Saturday.

With the Knicks up 28 points over the New Orleans Pelicans late in the fourth quarter, Julius Randle helped rile up the crowd that started chanting to see Derrick Rose enter the game as he sat sheepishly hearing the clamor courtside.

Tom Thibodeau has long been known to be a stickler for sticking to his rotation, sometimes to a fault. But with just a few minutes left in the game and the chants starting to get unhinged, he had no choice but to relent on his firm grip and play Derrick Rose again.

Derrick Rose played just a shade over two minutes and missed all four of his shot attempts, but it hardly mattered with the fans just happy to see him play.

With 34-year-old in the twilight of his career, he probably doesn't have too many years left in the league. Given his injury-plagued past, his over a decade and a half career is a testament of his mental and physical fortitude.