DEERFIELD, Ill. — Just in case anyone was wondering, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose made one thing clear Thursday.
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Just in case anyone was wondering, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose made one thing clear Thursday. "I’m definitely going to be playing," he said with a smile. As surprises go, that’s about as shocking as a flight delay at O’Hare. Rose is healthy, after all. But the status of star players is a big theme as Chicago and Boston prepare to meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs Saturday. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Kevin Garnett won’t play in Game 1 and might not return at all, although the Bulls aren’t exactly buying that. They are, however, buying this: With or without Garnett, they’re in an uphill fight to advance. "Anything can happen in the playoffs, I know that," said Rose, Chicago’s rookie of the year candidate. For much of the season, what happened to the Bulls wasn’t good, but a late turnaround put them back in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Now, they have to shake off an ugly 109-98 loss to Toronto on Wednesday and brace themselves for the defending champions, even if Garnett is out. "We definitely have a tough series ahead, but we’re confident in ourselves," said John Salmons, a key mid-season pickup. "We really think we can go out there and compete and play with the best teams in the league. We’ve shown that." The Bulls (41-41) went from 49 wins and the second round of the playoffs two years ago to 49 losses and the lottery last season. Along the way, Scott Skiles got fired and so did interim coach Jim Boylan. The Bulls finally hired Vinny Del Negro last summer after high-profile dalliances with Mike D’Antoni and Doug Collins. They scored one big victory when they defied long odds to win the draft lottery. They went with Rose, the Chicago native, and that decision immediately looked like a winner. Tops among rookies in assists at 6.3 per game and second in scoring (16.8 points), he has done everything the team envisioned in his first season, but victories on the court were slow to come. The Bulls continued to stumble through the first half of the season and appeared to be a long shot to make the playoffs, let alone earn anything better than the No. 8 seed. But they were a different team down the stretch. They won 12 of the final 16 regular-season games to finish .500, yet the turnaround really began just before the trade deadline. The Bulls had won five of eight when they acquired Salmons and Brad Miller from Sacramento. After that, they went 18-11. While Miller gave the Bulls the inside scoring presence they lacked, Salmons has averaged 18.3 points and been arguably their best player since the trade even though he’s been slowed lately by a strained left groin. Now he has the unenviable task of guarding Paul Pierce. "I’m trying to get the feel back," said Salmons, who outscored Pierce 38-37 when the Bulls beat Boston without Garnett on March 17. "I think I’m going to be all right." The playoffs are new territory for Rose and Joakim Noah, while Tyrus Thomas and Salmons have limited experience. How they perform will go a long way toward determining whether the Bulls push — or beat — the Celtics. "It’s definitely a good challenge to go up against the champs, especially the first time," said Salmons, who has a total of 20 playoff minutes with Philadelphia under his belt, "just to compete and try to take down the top dogs." ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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