BOSTON — Derrick Rose had a playoff debut like few others, helping the Chicago Bulls to a victory over the Boston Celtics.

Not even Michael Jordan did that.

Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record with 36 points in his playoff debut, adding 11 assists to lead the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime victory over the defending NBA champions in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series.

Playoff experience?

"He doesn't need it," Bulls guard Ben Gordon said. "He's poised beyond his years. He already carries himself like a veteran out there. He had a phenomenal game tonight, to say the least."

Game 2 is tomorrow night, the anniversary of the 1986 playoff game when Jordan scored 63 points against Boston — in a Bulls loss.

"I hope this is a wake-up call," said Paul Pierce, who scored 23 points. "I hope we realize that the Bulls, they're not just a team that's happy to be in the playoffs. So hopefully the guys will wake up and realize this is reality. We've better come to play."

Tyrus Thomas scored 16 points — making six of Chicago's eight points in overtime, including the game-winning jumper with 51 seconds left. Joakim Noah, who was also making his postseason debut, scored 11 with 17 rebounds for the Bulls as they wrested the home-court advantage from Boston.

"As the games go on, the moments get bigger," Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said. "I feel like the guys have taken a big step forward, and we know we have a huge challenge in front of us. We'll enjoy this one for a minute, and then get back to work."

Cavaliers 102, Pistons 84: LeBron James banked in a 3-pointer at the halftime horn and finished with 38 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Cleveland embarked on its quest for a first NBA championship with a victory over Detroit.

James' 41-foot runner stunned the Pistons and gave Cleveland, the league's most dominant team — home or away — during the regular season, a 12-point halftime lead. The Cavaliers, with James on the bencch, held off one second-half push by Detroit, which will try to even the best-of-seven series in Game 2 Tuesday night.

Mavericks 105, Spurs 97: Josh Howard scored 25 points and Dirk Nowitzki had a three-point play with a layup and free throw for a 79-77 lead with 11:26 left and sixth-seeded Dallas never trailed again in beating second-seeded San Antonio for its first postseason road victory since its NBA finals run in 2006.

The Mavericks, who had lost nine consecutive playoff road games, handed the Spurs only their fourth home playoff loss since 2007.

Rockets 108, Trail Blazers 81: Yao Ming scored 24 points, all in the first half, and visiting Houston spoiled Portland's back-in-the playoffs euphoria with a rout in the opener of their first-round series.

Aaron Brooks added 27 points for the Rockets, who haven't advanced out of the first round of the playoffs since 1997. Brandon Roy scored 21 points and Greg Oden came off the bench and had 15 points and five rebounds for the Blazers in their first playoff appearance since the 2002-03 season.