BOSTON (AP) - Derrick Rose had a playoff debut like few others and led the Chicago Bulls to a victory over the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.

Not even Michael Jordan did that.

First round: Saturday's Game Ones

• Bulls 105, Celtics 103 (OT)
• Cavaliers 102, Pistons 84
• Mavericks 105, Spurs 97
• Rockets 108, Blazers 81

First round: Sunday's Game Ones

• Jazz at Lakers, 3 p.m.
• Sixers at Magic, 5:30 p.m.
• Heat at Hawks, 8 p.m.
• Hornets at Nuggets, 10:30 p.m.

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FOXSports.com analysis

• 2009 NBA Playoff Central
• Goodman: Celtics in trouble without KG
• Smith: Pistons no match for Cavaliers
• Hench: Kobe vs. LeBron -- book it!
• Galinksy: 10 burning playoff questions
• Kriegel: Title or bust for Kobe
• Rosen: West first-round preview
• Rosen: East first-round preview

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Video

Marques Johnson previews
• West: Lakers-Jazz | Nuggets-Hornets | Spurs-Mavs | Blazers-Rockets
• East: Cavs-Pistons | Celtics-Bulls | Magic-Sixers | Hawks-Heat

Paul Pierce scored 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting, but missed the potential game-winning free throw at the end of regulation and had a potential game-tying basket blocked by John Salmons with 3.7 seconds left in overtime. Ray Allen, who scored four points on 1-for-12 shooting, had a chance to send it into a second overtime but his jumper from the right side bounced off the back of the rim.

"It just looked like everybody decided that they were going to be 'the guy' tonight. They were going to, you know, replace Kevin for whatever reason," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And then all of a sudden we got into a fight. And one thing I'd say about our guys, they join in. But, at home, you're supposed to start it."

Too hurt to play and too frustrated to watch, Garnett took refuge in the locker room after the first half while his teammates rallied from an 11-point deficit. Rondo hit a short jumper over Noah in the lane to give the Celtics a 96-95 lead, but Rose - who missed four crucial foul shots down the stretch when Memphis lost the NCAA championship game last year - put Chicago ahead on two free throws with 9.4 seconds left in regulation.

Noah fouled Pierce with 2.6 seconds left, but after tying it 97-all with his first free throw the Celtics captain missed the second and the game went into overtime.

"That was a big miss," Gordon said. "If he makes it I think we need a miraculous shot because we were out of timeouts."

Garnett injured his right knee on Feb. 19 and played just 66 minutes, 18 seconds over the last 26 games as the Celtics tried to get him back in shape for the playoffs. But the team kept pushing back the date of his return - from the final three games, to the last two and then to one before Rivers shocked everyone on Thursday when he announced that Garnett wouldn't be back in time for Saturday's playoff opener and probably not at all.

Garnett hasn't traveled with the team or been on the bench during his recovery, but Rivers and the players all said that it would be vital to have him out there to cheer them on. That lasted for 24 minutes of fist-pumping, ear-chewing and butt-slapping before Garnett decided he couldn't take it any more.

"He was on the bench in the first half and we were down eight points. So this is about the players in uniform," Rivers said. "Kevin is gone. And he ain't coming back. The guys in the uniform have to play."

Garnett had to watch on TV as Rose hit a hanging jumper in the lane to give the Bulls a 55-44 lead before Boston cut the lead to four points and, with an 8-0 run later in the third, take a 68-67 lead on Rondo's 3-pointer with four minutes left in the quarter.

With the loss at home, the Celtics showed they are in for a long road - and probably a short playoffs - without Garnett. As the No. 2 seed in the East, a team that has two All-Stars and won 62 games - Boston was expected to advance to the conference finals and a potential matchup with Cleveland.

On the other hand, the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks took the Celtics to seven games in the first round last year, and that proved to be a mere speed bump en route to their unprecedented 17th NBA title. But now Boston has lost the home-court advantage that got it through the first two rounds last year.

Notes