While the Pacers controlled most of the game, the Bulls showed what has carried them to 62 wins all season. Down 98-88 with 3 minutes left in the final period, the Bulls rallied 16-1 to grab the series opener.
Derrick Rose Led the game with 39 points and 6 assists, the final dime to Kyle Korver break the tie with a 3-point shot. After a miss by Danny Granger, Noah grabbed the rebound and Rose put the game away at the free throw line with 14.8 seconds remaining.
Aside from the Bulls MVP candidate, Derrick Rose, there are keys that helped the Bulls escape the series opener with a win.
Defense
The Bulls offense starts from the defensive end. Deng covered Danny Granger, limiting him to just 6 points in the first half before catching fire to finish with 24 points. . Pacers guard Darren Collisson had 15 points in the first half, but had just 2 points in the final 2 quarters. Hansbrough had 22 points for the Pacers, but the rest of the team had 11 points or fewer.
Rebounds
A team cannot score without the ball. Securing the loose ball either to gain or retain possession gives your team another opportunity to score, especially in clutch situations.
In tight games, the team that controls the boards has a much better chance of winning the game.
The Bulls led the boards 48-34, 21 off the offensive glass and 8 of them from Joakim Noah. The Pacers have 13 offensive boards as a team.
X-Factor: Luol Deng
While much of the focus is on Rose, Deng quietly does much of the dirty work without being noticed. Averaging 17.4 points in the regular season and scoring 18 points in the First Round Opener, Deng is the most consistent starter in the Bulls lineup. He even plays longer minutes than Rose during the 82-game stretch, with 39 minutes per game.
The Bench
The Bulls supporting cast is a defensive powerhouse. Though not as potent offensively as the starting lineup, their bench has a more solid defense. With both Boozer and Noah missing a total of 59 games in season, their back-up proved ready for the challenge and filled up the missing roles effectively.
In Game 1, the Bulls bench leads 25-23 points from the bench, just a mere two points. But it was Kyle Korver who delivered and made the tie-breaking 3-point shot off a pass by Rose to turn tables around in favor of the Bulls.
When everybody thought the Bulls will just soar over the Pacers in Round 1, the Pacers proved it all wrong by giving the Bulls all they could handle. They have made it an interesting series. What adjustments both teams will be making remains for Game 2 to be seen.
After the opening thriller, everyone is anticipating another battle for the second game of the series.
