If the Bulls expected to win their playoff opener by way of mere presence against the green Milwaukee Bucks, they were dead wrong.
Good thing they shot well enough to overcome what appeared to be their own opening night jitters, methodically pulling away from the young team in the second half to take a 1-0 lead with a 103-91 win at the United Center Saturday night.
The shots made came from the guards, as playoff games are usually won by the creators, and Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Aaron Brooks did the heavy lifting.
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Butler scored 25 with six assists in 35 minutes while Rose, who left to a standing ovation with 23 points and seven assists in 27 efficient, electric and exciting minutes—and unlike his last playoff game, he walked off under his own power as opposed to being helped off by the training staff, the biggest win of all.