CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bulls escaped with an 82-81 thriller over the New York Knicks Thursday night at the United Center, thanks to a Derrick Rose floater in the final 5.7 seconds of action.
The sold-out crowd of 20,022 at the United Center rocked "M.V.P. M.V.P.!!" as Rose made his official regular season return after an 18-month absence that followed an ACL injury. There was early concern that a sore neck would sideline Rose his team's home opener, but the superstar point guard made It abundantly clear he would not miss this game.
The Bulls started off quickly jumping out to an early 14-7 lead and looked a lot sharper than they did the back-to-back defending champions Miami Heat, who defeated the Bulls Tuesday night, 107-95.
The Bulls defense forced the Knicks forced early turnovers that led to easy fast break points. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer Chicago at the get-go, scoring eight points apiece in the opening period
With a 10-point bubble going into the second quarter, the referees began to call the game tighter, affecting both team's rhythm. The Knicks capitalized and trailed only by five -- 43-38 -- at halftime.
Rose, a former league MVP, struggled with his shots. He went 2-for-11 after two quarters and 7-of-23 overall. But he drilled back-to-back 3s in the third quarter that gave the Bulls a 13-point lead, their largest of the game.
The Knicks, coaxing turnovers, came back in the fourth quarter with Carmelo Anthony leading the charge. Anthony, who paced the visitors with 22 markers, gave the Knicks a 78-76 lead with 4:10 to go.
With 10.8 seconds remaining, Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah fouled Tyson Chandler, who split his free throws, setting the stage for the dramatic ending.
Rose took the ball on the right baseline, drove hard to the rim where he was met by the 7-foot Chandler. Rose stopped and shot his patented floater over Chandler and Knicks point guard Raymond Felton.
The Knicks had two chances to steal the final outcome but Anthony's 3, which was well-defended by Deng, sailed wide with two seconds to go while Chandler missed a put-back as time expired.
Rose finished the game with 18 points and the Bulls improved to 1-1 for the season. The Knicks, who beat the Milwaukee Bucks the night before, also fell to 1-1. (KM)
Photo: Derrick Rose slams into a wall of Knicks' defenders.
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