“Couldn’t Stop Derrick Rose”: Kendrick Perkins Recalls 2011 MVP’s Incredible Playoff Debut vs Celtics

The stories of Derrick Rose’s heroics flooded after the 35-year-old announced his retirement. On an episode of NBA Today, Kendrick Perkins recalled facing 20-year-old Rose in the 2009 playoffs. Perkins stated that Rose was an unstoppable force against the Celtics.

D-Rose was making his playoff debut that year and despite being so young and playing against the defending champions, he put up a performance that will be remembered for a long time. Perkins said that he remembers that game very clearly as he was involved in all the pick and rolls and was getting cooked by the youngster.

He said, “We knew that he was good but I was involved and I was in the drop coverage and lord have mercy, I got flamed by Tom Thibodeau in the film room. I mean, we just couldn’t stop him. He went on the task, he woke us up. That series ended up going seven games, one of the greatest series ever in NBA history. A lot of legendary moments but that Game 1 was his coming out party for D-Rose.”

His performance was simply unforgettable as he dropped 36 points with four rebounds, one steal, and 11 assists in 50 minutes of playing time. Rose’s performance helped the Bulls register a 105-103 win against the Celtics in overtime. Although the Bulls ended up losing the series, they challenged the Celtics until the very end.

D-Rose also made history in that series by becoming the only rookie since the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to post 35+ points and 10+ assists performance in a playoff game in the NBA’s history. Two years later, D-Rose achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the youngest league MVP winner at the age of 22 years and seven months.

Derrick Rose gave Paul George his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment

While D-Rose made history and got everyone’s attention in his playoffs debut, he gave nightmares to Paul George during his first playoff series. After his retirement, a clip of PG-13 talking about his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment, handed to him by D-Rose resurfaced. The 76ers star revealed the story on an episode of Podcast P with Paul George. He recalled how he was assigned to guard Rose.

“Alright P. You got D-Rose.’ I’m like, ‘Wait, what? I just started playing. Like y’all trust me guarding the MVP? So, I’m like, ‘Bet. I’ll take the challenge’…It was crazy matching up with him and seeing him in front of me. Cause I’m not gon’ lie, that year, bro he was untouchable. And I felt that I played good against him and I look at the box score, 40. God damn. I thought I was on his sh*t today.”

During his 16 years in the league, D-Rose earned the respect of so many great players. The congratulatory messages on a successful career that were written for him are a testament to that. D-Rose retired from the game as a three-time All-Star and a league MVP winner, but most importantly, as a respected veteran of the game.