BOSTON — Derrick Rose had a playoff debut like few others and led the Bulls to a victory over the Celtics in the playoffs.
Not even Michael Jordan did that.
Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record with 36 points in his playoff debut, adding 11 assists to lead the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime victory over the defending NBA champions in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Playoff experience?
“He doesn’t need it,” Bulls guard Ben Gordon said. “He’s poised beyond his years. He already carries himself like a veteran out there. He had a phenomenal game tonight, to say the least.”
Game 2 is Monday, the anniversary of the 1986 playoff game when Jordan scored 63 points against Boston — in a Bulls loss. In fact, Chicago had not beaten the Celtics in 10 postseason games since the Chicago Stags beat Boston in the 1948 Basketball Association of America quarterfinals.
“I hope this is a wake-up call,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 23 points. “I hope we realize that the Bulls, they’re not just a team that’s happy to be in the playoffs. So hopefully the guys will wake up and realize this is reality. We better come to play.”
Tyrus Thomas scored 16 points — making six of Chicago’s eight points in overtime, including the game-winning jumper with 51 seconds left in overtime.
