Derrick Rose hits winning shot in Chicago homecoming

CHICAGO — It wasn't perfect, but Derrick Rose's Chicago homecoming won't be forgotten anytime soon.

With just over five seconds remaining and the Bulls trailing the New York Knicks by one point, Rose drained a pull-up jumper to seal an 82-81 win and bring the Bulls to 1-1 on the season.

"We just wanted to get a quality shot," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

BOX SCORE: Bulls 82, Knicks 81

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Those had been hard to come by for most of the game. Rose and the Bulls struggled to make shots for the second game in a row, shooting 40.8% from the field and an atrocious 3-for-16 from three-point range.

Rose scored 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting in his first regular-season home game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the 2012 playoffs. He looked comfortable spotting up for jump shots but rusty creating off the dribble.

"I just worked too hard," Rose said of his shooting struggles. "I know it's going to be scary when all of those shots start falling, so for me, I can't think about it right now. I have to get amnesia and block it out."

Still, despite the rough patches, the defense of the Bulls, led by Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, was enough to hold the Knicks to 36% shooting.

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Thibodeau isn't worried about Rose's rust — he understands that Rose hasn't played at this level in almost 18 months and it will take time for him to get his legs back.

"He'll be fine," the coach said. "There are going to be some bumps, but he'll get there."

During the Bulls' morning shootaround on Thursday, Rose revealed that he had a sore neck. Thibodeau called him a game-time decision, but Rose insisted he would play, and he did.

PHOTOS: DERRICK ROSE, CHICAGO'S FAVORITE SON

Derrick Rose is back. The Chicago Bulls point guard and 2010-11 NBA MVP missed all of the 2012-13 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but he has returned for the 2013 preseason. Flip through this gallery for a reverse-chronological look at his career.  Marc Lebryk, USA TODAY Sports

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Next Slide

"The thing to me that he showed was a lot of toughness," Thibodeau said. "It was a struggle early on in the game, but he found his way at the start of the third and that got a little rhythm going. But he has a lot of confidence. He had the courage to take and make the shot on the last play of the game.

"I've been around him long enough and he's won enough games for us. The only way he's going to get there is to let him do it and trust that he'll make the right play."

Rose's teammates never doubted him for a second.

"He's a very strong-minded person," Noah said. "He doesn't let anything get to him. At the end of the game, you want the ball in his hands."

For the Bulls, getting their first win is a huge weight off their shoulders, but rounding into title-contending shape is going to be a long process. The team's starting lineup of Rose, Jimmy Butler, Deng, Carlos Boozer and Noah had never played together before Tuesday's season-opening loss to the Miami Heat.

"We need to get our rhythm back," Boozer said. "Teams are prepared for us. You have to give them credit. They do a good job of scouting us and getting prepared for us. We'll get back in the lab and work on our offense a little bit, get our rhythm back offensively."

However ugly the game was, Rose's big shot will only help his confidence — and his legacy. And yes, he is thinking about that.

"I think that's what builds your résumé," Rose said. "Those shots are very important to your legacy, and I want to be remembered as one of those (great) players."