On his first shot Saturday night, Derrick Rose watched his attempt get spiked to the floor, after which he received a forearm in the chest for emphasis. On his second shot, the Bulls guard hoisted a 3-pointer and watched it thud off the side of the backboard.
The return after The Return, in these early moments, seemed a letdown.
What came after: A full-throttle lack of let-up.
It was another night of top-shelf offensive production in a 110-94 victory over the Pacers, which would not be an entirely remarkable November accomplishment if the Pacers weren't the last unbeaten team in the NBA and hadn't played pillow-to-the-face defense to date.