A look back at Derrick Rose's historic playoff debut: "I just thought about it like I was playing in a regular game"

Derrick Rose was unfazed by the moment, and he put up a record breaking performance.

© Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

After a dominant regular season that saw Derrick Rose establish himself as one of the league's brightest stars, many fans could hardly wait for the Memphis product's encore. After all, the Chicago Bulls managed to sneak into the 2009 NBA Playoffs as the seventh seed against the reigning champions, Boston Celtics.

As Game 1 arrived, only a few gave the Bulls a chance against the Celtics squad that included Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen. But instead of being intimidated by the opponent, Rose was extra-motivated, delivering a record-breaking performance that remains eye-popping to this day.

Historic debut

When it all was said and done, Rose finished with 36 points on an efficient 12-of-19 shooting clip. He also made all 12 of his free throws and dished out 11 assists in a 105-103 upset of the Celtics.

The feat was historic as Rose's 36-point performance was the highest-scoring postseason debut in league history, putting him alongside the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Rose, being the soft-spoken assassin he was, downplayed his performance afterward, saying, "I just thought about it like I was playing in a regular game."

Fell short

The feisty Bulls, who also had other outstanding players like Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, and Joakim Noah, pushed Boston to the limit, sending the series to a deciding Game 7. It was there, though, where the Celtics showcased their championship experience as they came away with a 109-99 victory to advance to the next round.