Celtics/Bulls Game 1 Recap

by Ryne Nelson

Rajon Rondo tried everything he could to deny Derrick Rose the ball on the Bulls’ final possession in regulation. He was on him like a band-aid, getting in the way of every possible passing lane. Twelve seconds remaining. Rondo knew he couldn’t allow the quicker Rose to get the ball in his hands because Rose was… what did they used to call it when they were kids? Zoning. Eleven seconds. This afternoon, fans in Boston witnessed the best performance in League history from a player in his first ever playoff game.

Rondo took his eye of Rose for a nanosecond and the Bulls’ point guard was free. Rondo’s hand jabbed to get in the way, to make up for the smallest of mistakes—a mistake that he would have been inconsequential if he was guarding anyone else, even Chris Paul. But his hand hit Rose in the face with 9.4 seconds remaining, a foul was called, and Rose was sent to the free throw line. Rose nailed the shots from the charity stripe, as he had on all his previous attempts. Nylon was what the Bulls rookie was dialing up that night, as he pushed the Bulls into overtime.

This 20-year-old rookie, not even two years removed from his high school graduation, proved once again why he’ll remain the best point guard in the Eastern Conference for over a decade. Young Derrick Rose is already a veteran after what he did to the Celtics in Boston this afternoon.

Rose took the Bulls on his back through the first four quarters and D’d-down Paul Pierce the majority of the overtime period, despite five fouls clinging to his name. When the final bell rang, it was dead quiet in the Boston Garden. The Red & White are not the same as they were in ’91 or ’96, but this team has a core of young players who can bring back the pride to the Windy City.

The reality had to hurt hard for the packed Boston crowd, but deep down inside there was a feeling. Something of nostalgia. A feeling of hate roiling in their blood that they knew before. As the fans in Beantown gritted their teeth and stomped with heavy feet out of the stadium and into the parking lot, but something felt extremely right. Doesn’t it feel right to take the Chicago Bulls seriously again?

Oh yes it does.

Say all you want about Chicago, but the facts are plain: This young team has a chance to dethrone the reigning NBA champions. Derrick Rose is the L’s next superstar, and his teammates are getting better and better because of him. Rose is the best player in this series, and the Celtics have absolutely no answer. In a way, the ’09 Playoffs will officially mark a changing of the elite talent. The veterans of Boston will be brushed to the side (if not this series, then the next), and the young aces of the Conference—Rose, Howard, James, Wade—will say a big, collective “See ya! We’re declaring war on each other now.”

Many will not want to hear this, not yet, but Derrick Rose was not only the better point guard on the court, he’s the best point guard in the Eastern Conference. Don’t believe it? Talk to Kareem about how difficult it must’ve been to out-perform him as a 20-year-rookie in one of the NBA’s most hostile of territories. Talk to Rajon Rondo (a deadly penetrator and defender) about how Rose completely neutralized and deactivated all of Rondo’s assets. Ask Rose why he chose today to unveil a new part of his game in his first-ever Playoff game—his incredibly effective mid-range shot. There’s no place within the three