It's official: Bulls, Rose are in playoffs

Derrick Rose has now officially done something that LeBron James, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Isiah Thomas could not – make the playoffs in his rookie season.

Charlotte's 84-81 loss at Oklahoma City on Friday made it official. The Bulls will play in the postseason for the fourth time in five years.

Their first-round opponent and final spot in the Eastern Conference standings remain a mystery. Philadelphia lost its fourth straight game, at home to Cleveland, while Detroit beat New Jersey at home. That means the Sixers (40-39) are still in sixth, but just a game ahead of the Bulls and Detroit, who are tied for the No. 7 spot at 39-40.

One thing that does appear settled is Boston in the No. 2 seed. The Celtics beat Miami, while the Magic somehow managed to lose at home to the Knicks. So Boston has to win just one of its final three games to wrap up the No. 2 seed and lock Orlando into No. 3. Count on it.

BOSTON NOW AN UNLIKELY OPPONENT?
The Bulls have spent quite a bit of time in seventh place the past few weeks, but that's starting to seem like an unlikely spot to finish.

Here's why: The Bulls will probably have to beat Detroit at the Palace on Monday to end up ahead of the Pistons. Sure, Detroit could lose at Indiana on Saturday. But by beating the Bulls, the Pistons would do no worse than pull even in the standings, knot the season series and win any tiebreaker based on conference record.

Detroit finishes the regular season at Miami on Wednesday, but the Heat might have the No. 5 seed locked up by then and rest its key players – a common practice on the final day.

If the Bulls beat Detroit on Monday and win their final three games (including Charlotte and Toronto at home), they finish 42-40 and most likely pass Philadelphia for sixth place. The Sixers' final three games are at Toronto, Boston at home and at Cleveland. Should the Bulls win out and Philly lose two of three, the Bulls finish sixth and draw Orlando in the first round.

Just a quick side note, Cleveland has wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the East, but might be motivated to win its finale against Philadelphia. The Cavs lead the Lakers by 1 game for best overall record (pending Friday's late game in Portland) and L.A. swept the season series. So one loss and Cleveland could miss out on home-court advantage in a LeBron-Kobe Finals.

WADE'S WORLD COSTLY
Remember that double-overtime loss in Miami on March 9, when the Bulls let Dwyane Wade tie it in regulation with a 3-pointer and win it in overtime on a steal and 3-point runner at the buzzer? (The Bulls also missed a free throw with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter that would have given them a 4-point lead.)

Well, if the Bulls had won that game, they would be tied right now with Miami for fifth place. That's right, fifth place and a potential date with Atlanta in the first round.

Instead the Bulls are 2 games behind Miami. They still have a chance to reach the No. 5 seed, but the Heat would have to lose its final three games – New York at home, at Atlanta and Detroit at home. Not impossible, but not likely, either.

TYRUS SPEAKS
Tyrus Thomas mentioned after Thursday's win over the Sixers that he thinks the Bulls are the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

His point has some merit. If they beat Charlotte and Toronto, the Bulls will be 15-1 at home after the all-star break. They are certainly a threat to take a first-round series the distance.
But the player who can do the most to make the Bulls a more dangerous opponent is Thomas himself. He's been a steady scorer and shot-blocker over the past month. His rebounds have been up and down.

There are still a high number of plays during a game when Thomas has a chance to do something positive, but sits back and watches the action instead of getting involved. He's still just 22 with plenty of room for improvement. When he can get his motor revving at top speed for the full 35 minutes or so that he plays, the Bulls would really be a team to watch.