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NEW YORK -- LeBron James doesn't want to hear anything about an asterisk.

With a rash of injuries across the NBA and several playoff teams crippled because of it, there has been some talk that this might be remembered as a tainted season because of last year's lockout. There was some stigma attached to the last lockout season in 1998-99.


For years Phil Jackson referred to the San Antonio Spurs title that year as having an asterisk attached to it because of the circumstances of that shortened season.

The mere mention of that fired up James on Saturday as the Heat had a practice at Madison Square Garden. The Heat will look to close out the New York Knicks Sunday in Game 4.

"I don't think that's right to say," James said. "I'm not going to get involved in it. Every team works hard no matter if it's a lockout year or not. There's not much of a difference between 82 games and 66 games."

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SAN ANTONIO -- Gregg Popovich is the NBA's Coach of the Year after leading the San Antonio Spurs to 50 wins in the lockout-shortened season and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

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10: The resurgence of Kyle Korver

He sat out Thursday's regular-season finale because of nagging injuries, but Korver has shot the ball a lot better recently. More importantly, his defense has improved this season, and if he knocks down open jumpers he will stretch the floor for Derrick Rose in crunch time.

9: The rise of Taj

Taj Gibson's defense has gotten even better this season, and he will be called upon to be a closer alongside Omer Asik late in games. He always seems to make one or two highlight plays each night, especially against the Miami Heat.

8. The Bench Mob is rolling

Tom Thibodeau may decide to cut his rotation down much the same way he did last postseason, but if he doesn't, Bulls fans should feel great because their team has the deepest bench in the NBA. C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Jimmy Butler, John Lucas III, Korver and Gibson have developed into a reliable group of reserves that Thibodeau has more confidence in this season.

7. Noah is primed for a title run

Joakim Noah had a lot of ups and downs this season, but he looks to be mentally ready for the grind that comes in the postseason. He was not happy with how last season finished, and he is motivated to create a different ending this time.

6. Thibs is in control

Now in his second year, Thibodeau knows what he wants from his team, and he learned a lot from the postseason last time. He wants to continue to prove to all the teams that passed him over for head-coaching positions that they made a mistake. The best revenge would be a title.

5. Bulls still feel like underdogs

Thibodeau's team had the best record in the NBA again this season, but he has the players buying into the idea that there are still a lot of people who don't believe they can win. That belief will permeate through the locker room as the postseason drags along and will push his players to play even harder.

4. A year wiser

As a group, the Bulls have matured a lot over the past year. They have gotten even more comfortable playing alongside each other, and they are even more confident when they are on the floor together. That maturity is something that has grown throughout the season, and they feel like it will carry them for the next few months.

3. Don't write off Boozer yet

Carlos Boozer knows that he didn't perform up to his capabilities last season during the playoffs. He heard all the criticism, and it pushed him to come back in even better shape this season. He is the only Bull who started and played in every game this season. He wants to have a big postseason run to prove to everybody who doubted him that he is not a bust.

2. Rip City

The Bulls' biggest flaw last season was that they didn't have a 2-guard who could knock down open shots and take some pressure off Rose. Now they feel like they have that guy with Richard Hamilton, a player who knows what it takes to win a title (having won one in Detroit) and can help show his teammates the way. If he can knock down big shots in the playoffs, nobody will care that he missed most of the season because of injuries.

1. Watching Derrick Rose

Bulls fans should be most excited by the fact that Rose is playing and desperately wants to win a title. He has been hurt, and he's still not close to 100 percent. But he's still the reigning MVP of the league, and he is still better than most of his peers, even when he's not at his best. Rose may not be able to make all the moves he made last season, but as long as he's on the floor the Bulls still have a chance to win a title.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The Chicago Bulls are one win (or one Miami Heat loss) from clinching the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, but no matter what happens over the next few days, Tom Thibodeau is not about to rest his players down the stretch.

He made that pretty clear after Monday morning's practice.

"When you look at what the starters have done, our guys up front, really no one's playing starter's minutes," Thibodeau said. "And they haven't all season. And then when you look at the backcourt guys, I think Derrick [Rose has] played 1,300 minutes this year. Rip [Hamilton] has played less. So from a minutes standpoint, everyone talks about Luol [Deng]. Luol's only played 2,000 minutes this season. So you have a well-rested team. You have to also keep in mind that we've played over 10 guys all season long, so that plays into it also. So if a guy needs rest, we're going to give him rest. The two things that are important at this point in the season are playing well and being healthy. So if someone were to need rest, we'd give him rest. But you're losing sight of all the guys that have missed the majority of the season."

While some coaches in the NBA have already made the decision to sit players in order to rest them for what figures to be a hectic postseason run, Thibodeau has no plans on doing that at the moment. Considering his starting group of Rose, Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, Deng and Joakim Noah has only played together 14 times all season, the veteran coach wants them to find some kind of rhythm before the postseason begins. He chafed at the notion that he should rest his players just because he could.

"If a guy needed rest, we would rest, but if a guy doesn't need rest, we won't," Thibodeau said. "It all depends on who you're talking about. We also have to be playing well, too, going in. So some guys who have been resting or been injured most of the season, maybe they need some minutes. Maybe a unit needs minutes. And you're also trying to get a look at playing small. Like we went with C.J. [Watson] and Derrick together. We may get a look at things like that, so you got to do both."

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Tom Thibodeau hopes his Chicago Bulls, who are on the verge of their second straight No. 1 seed in the East, don't have to rely on any perceived feelings of disrespect for motivation as they head into the playoffs.

"The thing is you'd like to get ready the same way," Thibodeau said Monday on "Mike & Mike In The Morning" on ESPN 1000. "Sometimes if you feel slighted it can be motivation, but I think if you're relying on that stuff then you haven't done your work all year long. Hopefully you've put the work in and when you're ready to go you play well."

At 48-16, the Bulls have a two-game lead on the Miami Heat in the loss column with two games remaining for each team. The Bulls close out the season on the road against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday and at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Miami, which appears intent on resting its Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, wraps the regular season with road games at the Boston Celtics on Tuesday and at the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers are jockeying for the final two spots in the East. If the playoffs started today the Bulls would face the eighth-seed 76ers and the Knicks would take on the Heat. Knicks forwardJared Jeffries made headlines last week when he said he would rather play the Bulls than the Heat in the first round.

"I still think the Bulls," Jeffries said Friday on ESPN New York 1050's "Ruocco & Lundberg." "Whenever you can have an MVP candidate or former MVP player be out on the team, I think that's what you've got to go for. I mean, they're still playing very well without him, but I'm not sure over a seven-game series they can keep that high level of playing without Derrick Rose."

Thibodeau said he doesn't put much stock in what others are saying about his team.

"Whether it's praise or criticism it really doesn't matter what other people think. The only thing that matters is what we think," Thibodeau said. "We began the season with the end in mind. We've strived for improvement every day. I think going into the playoffs it comes down to who's playing well and who's healthiest. We know we'd like to be a well-balanced team at both ends and hopefully we'll be ready."

If there is a general lack of respect for the Bulls nationally it likely comes with the uncertain health of Rose, who has missed 26 games this season with five different injuries. Rose returned Saturday after missing three games with an ankle injury and had 11 points and eight assists in a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

"He's doing a lot better," Thibodeau said. "The big thing is we were off [Sunday], and he came in and got treatment. We'll see where he is [Monday]. Hopefully he will be fine. He's done a great job with his rehab. It's been one of those seasons where every time he's come back there's been another thing coming along. Hopefully everything will be shored up now."

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Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau discusses Derrick Rose's health, Chicago's success without Rose, his team's depth, the impact of the shortened season, Metta World Peace's ejection for elbowing James Harden and more.

CHICAGO -- With just two regular season games remaining, the Chicago Bulls offense remains in a state of transition.

Considering all the injuries the Bulls have dealt with throughout the year, it's obvious that they are still finding their way on the floor. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Bulls came into Saturday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks having won 28 consecutive games when scoring 100 points or more -- the longest streak in the league. The problem for the Bulls is that they've only scored 100 twice this month and are only averaging 91 points in those 11 games.

Derrick Rose, the leader of the Bulls' offense and the man usually in charge of making things go, understands the lack of scoring has been a problem. Rose has only played in four games over the past month and a half because of groin and ankle injuries, so the Bulls are hoping his presence gets things back on track soon. Rose doesn't sound too concerned. He believes the offense will be fine once the playoffs begin.

"We’re just missing shots," he said after Saturday night's win. "I think that we’re over-passing in certain situations where we should shoot the ball. We’re so unselfish that we’ll try to make the pass and teams are getting a hand on it and we just got to get a little bit selfish when we get to the lane. Where most of our turnovers are happening in the lane [is] where we should shoot the ball. And our bigs are looking to rebound, but we try and thread the needle and that’s creating turnovers."

Veteran guard Richard Hamilton shared that same point of view. He believes that with Rose back in the fold the Bulls will find their groove again soon.

"We had a lot of easy shots we just didn’t make," he said. "I thought that we’ll get those opportunities, 90 percent of the time we’ll make them, but the ball just hasn’t gone in. Lately we’ve been turning the ball over so we just wanted to be a little bit more careful with taking care of the ball and making the easy play."

That's why the Bulls think that their next two games are so important ... no matter what the Miami Heat does. With a Miami loss Sunday night to the Houston Rockets, the Bulls would clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. As far as the players are concerned, that doesn't make the final two contests meaningless. All that means is that it gives the starters another chance to figure out a way to play well together before the playoffs begin.

"It was tough," Bulls center Joakim Noah said regarding the fact that the Bulls' starters have only played together in a handful of games all season. "We haven’t been able to play a lot together, but this is why these next two games are really important. We just got to stay focused and understand that there’s a big picture and just get ready for the playoffs."

Bulls’ tough guys: The Bulls took some criticism from fans and media alike after Thursday's loss to the Heat because of the way it seemed they got out-muscled, especially after some perceived cheap shots from several Heat players. But when asked Saturday night, Tom Thibodeau brushed off the notion that his team is too nice and doesn't have any enforcers.

"When you look at the strength of the club, we’ve been a defensive team, we’ve been a rebounding team for a long time," Thibodeau said. "We’ve been a dominant rebounding team. You can’t be a dominant rebounding team being soft, I know that. I wouldn’t say we’re soft. Now were we disappointed with the end result in Miami? Yeah. And are we capable of playing a lot better? Yeah. We were disappointed in our fourth quarter, but we also did a lot of good things in that game, that game was very winnable in the fourth quarter. So we’re going to make the necessary corrections and move forward."

The last word: Deng, on the mentality the Bulls have heading into the last two games of the regular season:
"It’s really easy to get up for a playoff game. Right now at this time, you’ve got to challenge yourself and just coming in focused and just treating it like this is the start of it. Just getting your reps in, getting your rhythm in, and before you know it, we’re starting the playoffs."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s home game against the defending NBA champions Dallas Mavericks.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose participated in most of Saturday morning’s shootaround and was feeling better after dealing with a recent right foot injury.

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MIAMI -- The most important part of Thursday's 83-72 victory by the Miami Heat happened before the Chicago Bulls even put their uniforms on.

At around 6:23 p.m. Eastern time, the Bulls’ bus, which had been badly delayed by traffic, pulled into the bowels of the American Airlines Arena. One by one each player emerged wearing headphones, trying to get their mind right before the showdown that would help decide which team will lock up the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Derrick Rose emerged without a headset. Camera crews and photographers flanked the reigning MVP almost from the moment he stepped off the bus.

His lack of accessories wasn't the only thing that set him apart, though. It was the fact that he was still walking with a slight limp.

Out of all the things that happened on Thursday night, that is the most important thing as far as the Bulls are concerned. Yes, they lost the game and are now in danger of losing the No. 1 seed in the East, but none of that really matters in the grand scheme of this season. If Rose isn't able to play, or if he plays and doesn't look like the Rose who led the Bulls to 62 regular season wins last season, Tom Thibodeau's team is in trouble.

For all the talk about how much depth the Bulls have and how solid their defense can be, the focal point of any serious title run centers on Rose. At this point, nobody within the locker room is under the illusion that Rose will be 100 percent the rest of the way. The question is can he still function at a high level and lead his team to victories?

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MIAMI -- Here’s a quick look at how the Miami Heat earned an 83-72 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena.

How it happened: Playing without Derrick Rose (ankle, foot) for the 26th time this season, the Bulls could not find any offense. They shot just 36 percent from the field and struggled to find any consistency. John Lucas III led the Bulls with 16 points off the bench, Joakim Noah added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Luol Deng chipped in with 11 points. The Bulls now lead the Heat by just one game in the loss column for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

What it means: All teams look tired during this lockout-shortened season, but playing their fourth game in five nights caught up to the Bulls. Not only was Miami's defense strong from start to finish, the Bulls looked gassed. Aside from the fatigue, the other major problem for the Bulls is that they got basically nothing from their starting backcourt. Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson combined to go just 1-for-9 from the field. Lucas and Deng combined to go 10-for-31 and Carlos Boozer did not bring much to the table. Boozer struggled on both ends of the floor 10 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.

With the uncertain status regarding Rose and his ankle, the Bulls have to find a better way to produce offensively. They will not be able to play like this and get through the postseason if Rose can't return to being the player he was before he got hurt.

Bold play of the game: LeBron James' performance early set the tone in this one. He scored 15 points in the first quarter and was able to open up the floor for the rest of his teammates. The Bulls had no answer for him.

Stats of the night: The Heat out-rebounded the Bulls 45-40 and outscored them 36-20 in the paint. The Bulls went just 2-for-16 from beyond the arc.

What's next: The Bulls have a day off Friday. They will play the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night.

CHARLOTTE -- A veteran of 13 grueling NBA seasons, Richard Hamilton knows that some games mean more than others over the course of a regular-season schedule.

Given the condensed nature of this lockout-shortened 66-game schedule, Hamilton knows that Thursday's showdown with the Miami Heat is one of those matchups.

"I feel as though since they were the team that made it to the Finals last year, they're the team to beat," Hamilton said after Wednesday night's 100-68 blowout win over the Charlotte Bobcats. "You got to go through them. So the intensity is always going to be high, and in order for you to get to where you want to get to, since they were the team that went to the Finals last year, you feel as though you've got to go through them, you can't go around them."

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CHARLOTTE. -- Let's take a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls cruised to a 100-68 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

How it happened: Playing without Derrick Rose (foot) and Luol Deng (ribs), Richard Hamilton had his best game of the season with 22 points and six assists. Joakim Noah added 12 points and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer had 10 points and seven rebounds.

What it means: The Bulls did what they had to do in this one. After a terrible performance against the Washington Wizards on Monday night, the Bulls dominated Wednesday from the start against an awful Charlotte team. The defense was crisp, the rebounding was better, and the Bulls didn't mess around. Coach Tom Thibodeau wanted his team to set a tone early, and that's what they did. They did anything they wanted on both ends of the floor and played with more of an edge. Hamilton was great, and the Bulls' bench bounced back with 42 points after a couple sluggish performances. This was exactly the type of game Thibodeau wanted to see from his team. Aside from the win, the best news for Thibodeau is that no Bulls' starter played more than 24 minutes. This game had the look and feel of a spring training baseball contest when each team pulls their starters after the fifth inning. The sad part of the Bobcats is that most people wouldn't know the difference between their starters and reserves because the talent level is so low on this team right now.

Stat of the night: The Bobcats have now lost 18 games in a row.

Bold play of the game: It's tough to pick out one key play considering this game was over in the first quarter, but Taj Gibson's dunk with 5:31 left in the second quarter has a good chance to make SportsCenter.

What's next: The Bulls have a showdown Thursday night with the Miami Heat. The big question is: Will Rose and Deng play?

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose admits the celebrity status that goes along with being biggest star in his hometown makes him uncomfortable and "doesn't fit my personality."

"Sometimes it's too much," Rose told GQ Magazine in a story posted on its website Tuesday. "Chicago isn't used to stardom. Back when Michael [Jordan] was here, everyone was used to actors and singers and people being at the games. But there's been a drought since then, and even celebrities, they'll stop here to film a movie and then pop right back out. They don't know how to act toward celebrity. So I always have someone with me. I can have a hat on, glasses on, whatever. People still notice me. If I go outside without a hat on, I feel like I'm naked."

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CHICAGO -- How weary are the Chicago Bulls?

So weary that Derrick Rose's limp has a limp.

So weary that Luol Deng aged nine years on his birthday.

Not so weary, however, that coach Tom Thibodeau was willing to make excuses for one of his team’s worst performances of the year. With the playoffs drawing ever-closer and home-court advantage still in doubt, the Bulls collapsed under the weight of one of the NBA’s bottom-feeders, losing 87-84 Monday night to the Washington Wizards in a game closer than it had any right to be.

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CHICAGO -- Taj Gibson sat low in his reclinable black chair in a quiet and depressed Chicago Bulls locker room. He couldn't believe that the Bulls, the team that has grinded out win after win this season no matter which players suited up, could fall so flat against such a brutal Wizards' team, losing 87-84 on Monday at the United Center.

"When you give certain guys confidence early, that's what's going to happen," Gibson said. "[Kevin] Seraphin's playing well. You've got a lot of guys on that team playing for their life, trying to just get some minutes and they're taking advantage of it."

The Wizards used the Bulls’ formula against them on Monday night. They slowed the game down, defended down low and absolutely dominated the Bulls in the paint. Led by Seraphin, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds, the Wizards outscored the Bulls 48-22 in the paint. The Bulls players seemed rightfully embarrassed by their lackluster performance. Playing without Derrick Rose (foot) and Luol Deng (ribs) the Bulls still had more than enough to win -- and they knew it.

"They played a lot harder than we did tonight and that was the bottom line," Bulls guard Kyle Korver said. "They got a lot of guys who are playing for their careers and it just goes to show you can win on any night and you can lose any night. Tough game."

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CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Washington Wizards stunned the Chicago Bulls 87-84 on Monday night at the United Center.

How it happened: Playing without Derrick Rose (foot) and Luol Deng (ribs) the Bulls looked lifeless throughout the night and suffered one of their worst losses of the year. Kevin Seraphin led the Wizards with 21 points and 13 rebounds and the Bulls simply did not have an answer. The only good news for the Bulls was that Rip Hamilton finally played crunch-time minutes (34 total on the night) and scored 22 points. Still, the Bulls should be embarrassed by the way they played.

What it means: Don't use Rose and Deng's injuries as an excuse. Don't use the poor officiating, either -- it was bad on both ends. The Bulls were absolutely awful in this one and got exactly what they deserved. They played with no energy on the second night of a back-to-back and allowed a bad team to hang around. They did the same thing on Sunday night in Detroit, but Rose was able to bail them out in the end. The Bulls didn't have Rose on Monday but it shouldn't have mattered. They got absolutely dominated in the paint and didn't show the type of focus that has propelled them this year. Tom Thibodeau has to be concerned that his group can't develop the type of rhythm they need before the postseason begins.

Stat of the night: The Wizards outscored the Bulls in the paint, 48-22.

Bold play of the game: With 15 seconds left and the Wizards clinging to a one-point lead, veteran Maurice Evans went to the line and dropped in two clutch free throws, giving the Wizards a three-point lead they wouldn't relinquish.

What's next: The Bulls have a day off Tuesday before facing off against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.