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CHICAGO -- Late in this hard-fought playoff game, with the Chicago Bulls on his back and Tom Thibodeau’s breath on his neck, Nate Robinson couldn’t cool down.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on between Robinson’s ears when he plays his special brand of basketball, just think of the announcer’s voice on NBA Jam.

“I always think I’m on fire,” he said after scoring 34 points in the Bulls’ wild 142-134, triple-overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets. “Like the old school game, NBA Jam, you make a couple and the rim’s on fire and when you shoot the ball, the ball’s on fire. I feel like that at times. Well, all the time. When I’m in the game, I play with a lot of confidence and you kind of got to lie to yourself that you can’t miss.”

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CHICAGO -- As Joakim Noah clomped victoriously up and down the court on his busted wheel Monday night, gritting his teeth through 25 inspired minutes of bad playoff basketball, the NBA nation turned its critical eyes to Derrick Rose sitting on the bench, resplendent in his suit, watching the game unfold around him.

Two players connected by friendship and uniform and right now, symbols of different athlete archetypes, The Selfless and The Selfish. Forget the truth, print the legend.

Once the patron saint for doing things the right way, St. Derrick of Englewood is now being flogged by fans and reporters inflamed by impatience and distrust.

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CHICAGO -- It might have been a lost season on the court for Derrick Rose, but because of insurance, the Chicago Bulls are covered.

Under NBA rules, every team has to pay for insurance for their top five-paid players, if offered by the league insurance policy issuer, MetLife.

According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the insurance policy kicks in after a 41-game deductible. When that is reached, the team gets back 80 percent of the remaining base salary. Since Rose missed the entire season after May 12 ACL surgery, the Bulls will get $6.561 million back from Rose's $16,402,500 salary. An insurance industry expert confirmed if Rose were to miss all of next season, the team would get back 80 percent of his total salary.

MetLife offers insurance to teams on an annual basis, but the insurance company can put exclusions on certain players or even body parts. If that happens, the team can opt out of the plan and try to find another insurance plan. As Larry Coon's salary cap website, cbafaq.com, notes, Luol Deng was excluded in 2008-09 because of a history of back injuries.

That's also what happened when the New York Knicks signed Amar'e Stoudemire to a $100 million deal in 2010. His well-documented knee problems, which included micro-fracture surgery, were deemed uninsurable.

But despite a widespread belief that Stoudemire's troublesome knees and eyes aren't insured, an insurance industry source confirmed the Knicks were able to find supplemental insurance for those body parts. He would have to miss 41 consecutive games for the Knicks to recoup any salary.

Given his age and lack of injury history before last season, Rose was easily approved by the league plan, giving the Bulls, a first-time payer of the luxury tax, a slight financial relief.

CHICAGO -- You want to bet me that I can write the saddest Chicago Bulls short story in fewer than 10 words?

How's this? For Sale: DRose 3.5s, never worn.

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CHICAGO -- Twenty-three point eight seconds left, a one-point game, Vladimir Radmanovic's in, the Friday night United Center crowd is on their collective feet, where else would you rather be?

Yes, another night in paradise, which for Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau means another ugly victory, this time an inartful 87-86 win over the Orlando Magic.

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CHICAGO -- There was a revival in the United Center and it had nothing to do with The Return.

As expected rapper Waka Flocka Flame's Twitter prediction of a Derrick Rose return proved hollow. The only thing that returned on this late March evening was the Bulls' outsized sense of pride and that once-familiar feeling of extinguishing the Miami Heat -- in the regular season, at least.

The atmosphere was unusually charged for a regular season game. It's not every day you can see the Chicago Bulls win their third straight game, matching a very sad season high, and clinch a playoff berth, right?

That's what everyone came for, wasn't it? Not the fate of Miami Heat's epic 27-game winning streak.

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CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah ended his brief locker room press conference with a string of words unprintable on a family website.

Carlos Boozer calmly talked for about a minute before telling reporters, “I don’t feel like talking too much more.”

Mr. Happy himself, Tom Thibodeau, set a team record for expletives addressed to referees on the floor late in overtime after a controversial decision.

For a team that needs a break, this particular loss was tough to swallow.

“We felt like we got robbed,” Boozer said.

They might have, but the Bulls lost 119-118 in overtime to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night because they allowed 68 points in the paint and 30 fast-break points.

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CHICAGO -- Times are tough in Tom Thibodeau’s basketball fiefdom.

Taj Gibson is out, Rip Hamilton is out, Luol Deng has a busted-up jaw and Nate Robinson's shot-selection chip is forever on the fritz.

As for Derrick Rose's return, well, Godot has a clearer arrival date than Derrick Rose.

Forward Lou Amundson just signed a 10-day contract and that qualifies for good news right now.

After two years living it up atop the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are angling for playoff position with the plebians and the schedule is only getting tougher.

But through all the turmoil, Thibodeau has one guy he can count on, Joakim Noah.

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CHICAGO -- The Derrick Rose you think you know, the Derrick Rose you're pretty sure you know, was on the United Center court putting in work before Thursday's game against the Miami Heat.

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In his first five-on-five of the season on Monday, Derrick Rose looked "really good," said a source, who watched the entire practice. "I'm still not sure when he's going to play but he's ready to go."

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DEERFIELD, Ill. – Just after Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday, Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau channeled Jordan’s famous 1995 fax statement, announcing “He’s back” for his injured guard.

Of course, Thibodeau was talking about Kirk Hinrich, not Derrick Rose.

“Kirk’s good,” Thibodeau said after Monday’s practice. “He’s back.”

Hinrich’s no Rose, but the Bulls definitely could use him. They went 2-5 in his absence, going into the All-Star break on a down note.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Derrick Rose participated in five-on-five practice drills for what is believed to be the first time this season during Monday's practice at the Berto Center.

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CHICAGO -- About an hour before the Chicago Bulls game Monday, their first home game in two weeks, a sportswriter decided to make himself useful.

Yes, there’s a first time for everything.

As has been his routine the last month or so, Derrick Rose drew a crowd as he warmed up, taking jumpers, working the crossover, and driving the lane with a familiar burst. I got a little six-second clip on video and posted it to Twitter.

Judging by the viral reaction it got, let’s say somewhere between 100 and 2.6 million retweets, it’s clear people would rather see him run the point than Nate Robinson. No offense, Nate.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The most memorable moment in Luol Deng's first All-Star Game came during introductions.

Last season in Orlando, a beaming Deng was dressed in patriotic contraband. Instead of the league-mandated warm-up jacket, he wore a black T-shirt with the colorful decal of Africa that he pushed out for all to see.

As far as I know, he became the first All-Star to pop a continent.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- When I write my book on this Chicago Bulls season, tentatively titled “First to 45 Wins: The Road to the Central Division Championship,” Monday’s stunning implosion against Milwaukee could be the turning point of the narrative.

After all, it’s not every day you see a Tom Thibodeau-coached group, mostly starters, lose a 27-point lead to the reserve players of the Bucks. Something has to change, right?

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