Derrick Rose had no idea that in all the years Michael Jordan played for the Bulls, they had never beaten the Celtics in a playoff game. He didn't have a clue about Jordan's 63-point game at the old Boston Garden in the first round 23 years ago.
That was the only mistake Rose made Saturday in an otherwise marvelous arrival on the national stage. He did something Jordan couldn't even do, and something no one was able to do to the Celtics until Game 2 of the conference finals last season: beat them on their home floor.
The champs are in a little bit of a fix after opening their title defense with a 105-103 overtime loss to the Bulls, setting up a painstakingly crucial Game 2 in Boston on Monday night -- the 23rd anniversary of Jordan's 63-point game. After that one, Larry Bird famously opined, "I think that's just God disguised as Michael Jordan."
It's too early to apply such celestial language to Rose, but he walked among the immortals on Saturday. All he did was pass Wilt Chamberlain and tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the highest-scoring playoff debut in NBA history. Rose had 36 points, 11 assists, six fouls, five turnovers, zero signs of nervousness. His demeanor was as cool as you will find in a playe.r that explosive, his hand as steady as a surgeon's as he picked apart the Celtics' proud defense with ease.
"When I get the ball in my hands," Rose would say later, "I just calm down."
As opposed to the Celtics, who will now be sweating profusely and stuttering every time Rose brings the ball over half court for the rest of this series.
"As a player, I know I want all the pressure," Rose said.
If Pierce (8-for-21 from the field) and Ray Allen (1-for-12, including a runner that didn't fall at the end of overtime) had been that poised, the Bulls would've left the building with another great individual performance against the Celtics but no playoff win to show for it. Instead, they've put the defending champs in a hole they didn't experience last year until Detroit beat them in Game 2 of the conference finals. They also have them on the defensive.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a grossly underrated psychological warrior, came immediately to Rajon Rondo's defense after the game. Rondo didn't play poorly -- he had 29 points, seven assists, and nine rebounds -- but he didn't play as well as Rose.
"I don't care about the Rondo-Rose battle, honestly," Rivers said. "I understand what you're saying. But I care more about the Bulls and the Chicago-Boston battle. The last thing I'm going to do is make this a Rondo-Rose battle. We're going to have to battle all of them."
But Rivers is old school and knows you have to deal with the head of the snake first. Rose is going to be sizing them up, darting this way and that, and carefully choosing his prey like a cobra for as long as this series lasts. Not only do we have the makings of a competitive series where we thought there was none, but we have a talent much more mesmerizing than advertised. With this performance, Rose argued strongly for inclusion on the must-see list this postseason. After the obvious -- LeBron, Kobe, Wade -- that list includes Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, and now Rose.
He's that good. All those who didn't vote for his Rookie of the Year candidacy, hang thy heads in shame.
In fact, the only person who could stop Rose was a real veteran -- referee Bennett Salvatore, who whistled Rose for his sixth foul with 10.3 seconds left in overtime. It was a hideously officiated game, one that will generate plenty of groans in the league's meticulous review process. It didn't matter, because Rose had already done his damage -- had already won the game. He walked toward the baseline with his head down, hands on hips, his teammates slapping him on the back of the head. It was as good a pressure performance by a rookie that you'll see.
It was. A wakeup call that Derrick Rose is the next guy you just have to watch.
