The defense was in sync from the very beginning. It took half a quarter for the offense to break out, but once it did, there was no preventing the Bulls from a victory. It's impossible to predict an entire season based on the first regular-season contest, but if this game was any indication, the scoring is already light-years ahead of what we had to watch last season.
Brooklyn native Taj Gibson came off the bench like a player possessed and led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Pau Gasol let it be known he's going to be quite an offensive upgrade over Carlos Boozer by putting in 21 almost effortlessly. He also picked this game to achieve his first double-double as a Bull with 11 rebounds.
All eyes were on Derrick Rose in his first meaningful NBA game in almost a year, and he performed decently as he scored 13. Sharing that total in his first Bulls game was Aaron Brooks, an early indication that he will indeed be that next big backup point guard in Chicago. Doug McDermott had 12 in his first NBA contest and looked supremely confident in doing so. Kirk Hinrich struggled out of the gate, but rebounded in the second half to finish with 12, nine of which came from beyond the three-point line.
The bench quickly became an example of how deep this year's Bulls are and why they should contend in the East if Rose can stay healthy. The Knicks' second unit had no answers for how to contain them and it took the Garden crowd out before it could affect the course of the game. If you loved the first incarnation of the Bench Mob, you're going to love what this one has to offer. In time, they should gain the same cult following Watson, Korver and Asik did before them.
We certainly can't fault Carmelo Anthony for following the money to the City That Never Sleeps. It's tough for anyone to turn down the money he signed for. For all of the triangle offense he'll learn under Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher though, he and the rest of his Knicks just can't match the defense the Bulls unleashed on them. He had trouble creating his own shot and his teammates struggled to find good looks most of the time.
As for Rose, it certainly would have been nice to see him take over. It's not like he didn't try. Quite the contrary, he drove to the hoop many times in the first half and made up for his near misses by making seven of eight free-throw attempts. Let's at least wait until the calendar flips to November to direct any criticism his way.
Atop the Central with a perfect 1-0 record, the Bulls will quickly face their first real test of the season Halloween night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The schedule makers did a good job letting us see Rose and LeBron James face off so early. It's also as early a preview of a potential conference finals as we're going to get. That means little in the NBA, but we can at least get a feel for it.
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