Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose believes that his team are better equipped than ever before to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James.
The Bulls and Cavs clash in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, with Chicago holding a 3-12 record against James in the post-season.
However, Rose is confident that the current Bulls roster is deep and talented enough to change their run of bad fortune against the two-time NBA champion.
"I think so," Rose told reporters.
"But it's no excuses. It's no excuses. When you're in the playoffs, the guys that you have on your team, the guys that I had on my team in the past, at the time I wouldn't have traded them for anything in the world. We was in a battle, we just lost to them in a series a couple of times so we get a chance to redeem ourselves and really go out there and compete again."
Chicago lost in the first round to the Cavs in 2010, in the 2011 Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat and then in the second round against the Heat in 2013 with James moving between the two teams.
Sumeet Paul
