Associated Press
CHICAGO ó Never mind what everyone else was thinking, Derrick Rose insisted he didnít expect the Chicago Bulls to roll over the Indiana Pacers.
They certainly didnít in Game 1.
Rose scored 39 points and found Kyle Korver for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 48 seconds left, helping top-seeded Chicago stage a late rally to beat the Pacers 104-99 in their playoff opener on Saturday.
ěWe knew it was going to be a hard game,î Rose said. ěFrom the beginning I guess we werenít prepared for it. Next time I think weíll be ready.î
For the Pacers, the loss was tough to accept. They controlled most of the game, but couldnít put it away.
Theyíd make little runs, Chicago would come back, and the Pacers would pull ahead again. With Rose staring at them, Danny Granger never felt safe.
ěWith Derrick Rose on the other team? No,î Granger said. ěWith Derrick Rose on the other team, no. Itís like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend. Everytime you tell her you donít want to talk to her, sheíll show up at your door again.î
Trailing 98-88 in the final period, the Bulls showed the resolve that carried them to a league-best 62-20 record, closing with a 16-1 run over the final 3:38.
Game 2 in this best-of-7 series is Monday night at the United Center.
Rose again showed why he is an MVP favorite even though he was off target. He missed each of his nine 3-point attempts but made 19 of 21 at the foul line and finished with six rebounds and six assists.
Granger led Indiana with 24 points, and Tyler Hansbrough shook off an elbow from Kurt Thomas to finish with 22. Darren Collison scored 17, but had just two in the second half, and the Pacers came up just short in their first playoff game in five years.
Even so, they gave the Bulls all they could handle.
The Pacers were concerned late in the third quarter when Hansbrough was elbowed by Thomas as he was trying to rebound a miss by Rose. Hansbrough stayed down for several minutes and, still woozy, had to take a seat in the tunnel.
He eventually walked to the locker room on his own power. He returned with 5:33 remaining, and it looked as if he might lead the Pacers to a win.
Instead, the Bulls came surging back, erasing that deficit after Hansbrough hit back-to-back jumpers and converted a three-point play to make it 98-88. Now, they can breathe a little easier after a hard, physical game.
ěRight now Iím feeling good and canít wait to go eat,î Rose said.