For the 48 minutes of basketball played out during Saturday's Game 1 between the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, Bulls superstar Derrick Rose made everyone forget about his injury history with a performace that harkened back to his NBA MVP days back in 2010-11.
A young Bucks squad led by head coach Jason Kidd was no match for a rejuvenated Rose and his motivated Bulls teammates in front of a raucous crowd at the United Center, as Chicago played keep-away for the majority of the game en route to a 103-91 victory.
Key Stat:
The Chicago Bulls shot 40.3% from the field over the course of the 2014-15 regular season. They turned up their accuracy dial to 11 on Saturday, however, shooting 45.8% from the field (38-of-83) to consistently keep the Bucks at arm's length.
Chicago MVP:
Derrick Rose was the heart and soul of the Bulls' effort in Game 1, scoring 23 points (with seven dimes) thanks to a variety of signature herky-jerky drives to the rim. With Rose operating at peak efficiency (he played just 27 minutes), the Bulls could very well be the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee MVP:
Khris Middleton continued off from his breakout 2014-15 regular season, posting 18 points for a Bucks' attack that was stuck in neutral for long stretches of the night.
What's Next?
The teams return to United Center for Game 2 at 7:00pm CST on Monday night.
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