CHICAGO -- Fans cheered just about every time Derrick Rose touched the ball. They showered him with "MVP! MVP!" chants. In many ways, it seemed like hed never been gone. Rose scored 22 points in his long-awaited return to the United Center court to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 96-81 preseason victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. The way Rose was dominating, it was hard to believe nearly 18 months had passed since he suited up for a game in this arena. The explosiveness was back after he spent last season recovering from knee surgery, and when he wasnt finishing drives, the former MVP was hitting his free throws. As for any emotions? Rose downplayed them. "Not at all," he said. "I think Im past that, jitters and everything. For me, its just going out there and trying to compete and try to do better as a teammate and as a leader." He got a thunderous ovation during the pregame introductions and proceeded to put on a show, scoring 18 in the first half. He had the crowd chanting "MVP! MVP!" at the end of the second quarter after he froze Peyton Siva with a wicked crossover and flipped the ball in off the glass over Andre Drummond as he crashed to the floor. Rose buried the free throw to complete the three-point play. Rose hit 6 of 9 shots and was 9 for 10 on free throws over 22 minutes after missing the previous game against Washington in Rio de Janeiro because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. "He didnt look like he lost a step to me," Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said. "He was as quick as hes ever been." Carlos Boozer added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Joakim Noah had two points and eight rebounds after missing the first three preseason games because of a strained right groin. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Detroit with 18 points, but this night was all about Rose. "We are starting to see him find his rhythm," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The moves, the explosion, the power, the change in directions ... thats been there all along. Now, he has better balance and (is) playing in rhythm." Rose hadnt played at the United Center since April 28, 2012, when the Bulls worst nightmare unfolded near the end of a playoff-opening victory over Philadelphia. There was Rose coming to a jump stop and crumbling to the floor with about 1:20 left in a game that was out of reach, a torn anterior cruciate ligament ending his season and sending top-seeded Chicago to a first-round exit. His recovery became a running soap opera last season, and it only escalated after he returned to practice in midseason. Should he return? Should he sit out the season? Rose and the Bulls never publicly ruled out a return, so the debate raged on. His image took a hit in some corners as the Bulls clawed their way through injuries and illnesses on the way to 45 wins and a second-round playoff exit. None of that seemed to matter on Wednesday. When the PA announcer bellowed before the game, "From Chicago! No. 1, Derrick Rose!" a deafening roar echoed through the arena. There was a loud cheer when Rose caught an outlet pass from Boozer after a miss by Detroits Drummond on the games first shot, and they were screaming again moments later when Rose scored off a feed from Noah. He added a neat layup, pumping in midair and drawing a few "oohs" and "ahs" from the crowd," and scored eight points before heading to the sideline with 3:59 left in the first quarter. It was a promising start punctuated by that brilliant move at the end of the half. It still remains to be seen how the knee will hold up once the season starts and how hell fare against stiffer competition, such as Miami in the opener. But the signs are good. "I was just trying to really be aggressive," Rose said when asked about the play at the end of the half. "Thats the way I normally play. (If thats a sign) for whats to come, I hope so. For me, I was just trying to do anything to get to the basket." Stephon Gilmore Jersey . This is an exercise I have undertaken a few times, starting in 2009, and hope that Ive refined my approach a little bit in that time to help paint a better picture. Sony Michel Womens Jersey .J. -- Kevin Gilbride retired Thursday as offensive co-ordinator for the New York Giants. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Elite-Irving-Fryar-Patriots-Jersey/ . Ghoulam has put pen to paper on a four and a half year deal, tying him to Napoli until 2018. The 22-year-old Algeria international, who played for France at Under 21 level, has made 87 league appearances in four seasons at Saint-Etienne. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. Andre Tippett Womens Jersey . - The Denver Broncos kept rookie wide receiver Tavarres King from joining the Green Bay Packers by promoting him to their active roster Tuesday.DETROIT - When Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell outlined all the problems the Miami Dolphins may pose this weekend, he could have just as easily been describing his own team.They have an outstanding pass rush, Caldwell said. Theyre beefy up front, linebackers that can run — and obviously a skilled and athletic secondary as well.The Lions and Dolphins have both exceeded expectations this season, and theyve done it in a similar fashion. Detroit has the top-ranked defence in the NFL, while Miamis is No. 1 in the AFC.Both teams are in position to make a run at the playoffs — but they each face a decent amount of skepticism heading into Sundays matchup at Ford Field.Its a pretty even match in terms of the type of teams facing each other, Dolphins defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle said. Were both strong on defence, both have explosive-play ability on offence. I think its going to be a heck of a matchup.The Lions (6-2) should look a bit more threatening on offence this weekend, with Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush both expected back from injuries.Its been an impressive start for Caldwell in his first season as Detroits coach. The Lions have dealt with kicking problems and an inconsistent offence, but still find themselves leading the NFC North at the midway point of the season.Detroit started 6-3 last year but ended up 7-9, so the Lions still have a lot to prove. Sundays game is the start of a difficult three-game stretch that also includes road games against Arizona and New England.Miami (5-3) is tied with Buffalo for second in the AFC East, but the Dolphins are coming off a 37-0 rout against San Diego, their most lopsided victory since 1995. Theyve scored at least 24 points in five consecutive games, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill is completing 63 per cent of his passes on the season.Miami has mixed rollouts, read options and short passes to take advantage of Tannehills strengths. Tannehill has run for a gain of at least 20 yards in each of the past four games, so hell test Ndamukong Suh and Detroits defensive front with his mobility.Hes a guy that we definitely have to respect no matter what, Suh said. Obviously, he can pass the ball, he can run the ball and theyve been doing a great job of gettiing him out with their zone-read and things of that nature.ddddddddddddHere are a few more things to watch Sunday when the Lions host the Dolphins:MEGATRONS RETURN: Johnson hasnt played since Oct. 5 because of an ankle injury, but hes expected to return this weekend. Receiver Golden Tate has been terrific in Johnsons absence, but now the Lions face Miamis excellent secondary.Brent Grimes and Cortland Finnegan, the Dolphins two 5-foot-10 cornerbacks, will have their hands full against Tate and the 6-foot-5 Johnson. Miami safety Louis Delmas used to play for the Lions and had his share of battles with Johnson.Throughout practice — but I pretty much lost every one. Hes a heck of a player, Delmas said. Hes one of the more talented players Ive ever faced. Were talented too. Weve just got to go out there and play our game and hopefully the best man wins.FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Dolphins owe some of their success to their remarkable efficiency on first down. They have gained at least 4 yards on 57 per cent of their first-down plays, the best mark in the NFL. Miami is also No. 1 in the league in this category on the opposite side of the ball — Dolphins opponents have gained at least 4 yards on only 41 per cent of their first-down plays.FAMILIAR FACE: Bush has been banged up lately, but like Johnson, he has been able to practice this week. Bush played two seasons with the Dolphins, rushing for a career-high 1,086 yards in 2011, before he signed with the Lions prior to the 2013 season.TOUGH MATCHUP: Mike Pouncey, the anchor of Miamis offensive line, moved from centre to guard this year and has played well, but the interior linemen will have to deal with Suh this weekend.We have to go out and play our best against him. Hes going to be the best defender we play against all year, Pouncey said.COMEBACKS: The Lions are coming off an open date, but before that they managed a pair of one-point victories over Atlanta and New Orleans. Against the Saints, they trailed by 13 late in the fourth quarter before scoring two touchdowns. Against the Falcons, Detroit was down 21-0 at halftime, but rallied to win on a last-second field goal.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '