During their first two games of the NBA season, the Bulls have seen two extremes. Against Milwaukee's porous defense in the season opener, they shot 50.7 percent from the field and scored 108 points.
Boston, on the other hand, won last year's championship behind the league's best defense and the Celtics clamped down hard on Friday, limiting the Bulls to just 29.8 percent shooting in a 96-80 victory. The Celtics worked hard to cut off any potential driving lanes for rookie guard Derrick Rose, then provided plenty of help against any open shooters. The Bulls weren't able to pass the ball effectively and rarely got any good looks at the basket early in this contest.
"Right at the beginning, they took control with their physicality and they competed every possession," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're a young team trying to find its way and they jumped on us early. We never developed any type of flow offensively."
The Bulls may not see that kind of defensive pressure until their next trip to Boston on Dec. 19. Next up is Memphis on Saturday at the United Center. The game will feature the season's first clash of highly-touted rookies as the top pick, Rose, goes against No. 3 pick O.J. Mayo.
CELTICS 96, BULLS 80: The Halloween trip to Boston was scarier than a walk through a haunted house for the Bulls. Behind every corner lurked another Celtics player, ready to jump into the passing lanes or bother an already bad look at the basket. The Bulls shot a miserable 29.8 percent from the field and missed 28 of their first 32 shots. The trailed 24-13 after one quarter and were never really in the game. Rookie Derrick Rose led the visitors with 18 points, while Kevin Garnett coasted to 18 points and 10 rebounds for the defending champs.
