ESPN

It was a year ago, on April 28, 2012, when Derrick Rose suffered a knee injury that is still being felt by the organization, its fan base and the entire NBA.

There was 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when Rose drove into the lane and jump-stopped. The grimace on his face was immediate as he tried to jump for a shot before crashing to the court holding his left knee.

The United Center fell silent as the worse was expected and later verified. Rose tore his ACL and would undergo surgery on May 12. The Bulls won Game 1 but would go on to lose to the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in six games.

The prognosis was for Rose to take 8-12 months to rehabilitate and the process seemed to be going according to plan as periodic reports reflected steady progress. From doing basketball drills to practicing to taking full contact to scrimmaging five-on-five starting on Feb.18, Rose appeared poised to return after the All-Star break.

But suddenly the possibility that he wouldn't return this season started to surface in stories and interviews, and now it appears almost certain he won't be back at all this season.

ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell talked to many of those who were present at the time of the injury, and here are their stories:

Joakim Noah

"I just remember being up like 20 points and thinking we were going to win the championship. Even when he went down, it was weird but in my mind I was like, 'He could be out for a couple weeks and we'll be alright. We'll be ready for him to come back.'

"I even remember after the game I went to the Berto Center to go get some ice and get some treatment, I never do that, I was just so into it and then when I heard the news ... it was just hard. You know how hard we work every day, so to see him go down like that was tough. Not just for us as players but for the whole city."

“

It was a dark day. It was a dark day for us. We won that playoff game but Derrick getting hurt -- I'll probably remember that day for the rest of my life.

” -- Joakim Noah

When you first saw him on the ground what were you thinking?

"I just wanted to be there. Any time one of my teammates goes down I just try to be there for them. I didn't know how bad it was going to be. My mindset was more on just finishing the game and seeing him after."

How did you find out?

"My uncle called me. I can't believe I remember all this."

What was it like when you saw him the next day?

"It was hard, man. It was hard. I don't even like talking about it to be honest with you.

"It was a dark day. It was a dark day for us. We won that playoff game but Derrick getting hurt -- I'll probably remember that day for the rest of my life."

Carlos Boozer

(Long pause) "Truthfully, it was just sad, man. I couldn't really believe it. I was hoping it wasn't that serious but it was. Seeing him cry in the locker room, that was tough because he knew what happened already. It was tough, man. It's tough to talk about."

Did you know when he went down?

"No, I didn't know. I was just hoping it wasn't that bad. Honestly, I thought it was his ankle or something and then I realized he said it was his knee, so I was just hoping it wasn't that bad to be honest."

What was that locker room like?

"It was depressing, man. It was one of the saddest locker rooms -- we just won the game -- and it was one of the saddest locker rooms I might have ever been in."

What was the next day like for you?

"Tough, man. We really just met for a couple minutes, walked through a couple things and got out of there because everybody was down still. It was kind of like a ... it was just depressing, man."

Doug Collins:

"I was right in front of our bench and I saw him come down awkwardly and I just knew what he did -- I saw the way his leg buckled -- because I had that injury. And so I knew immediately.

"... I knew he hurt his knee and I was very sad. Obviously, it changed the playoff picture in our favor. They also lost Noah in Game 3, but Derrick Rose is a shining star and a bright light in the NBA and we miss him. He plays the game the way you're supposed to play it every night. He plays to win. He's a hometown kid who loves being in Chicago and representing his city. He's got a great family. And I'm one of these guys, I want to see the best players on the floor and so I hope he's going to be healthy soon and get back out there. Will that affect us? Yeah. But that kid needs to be out there playing basketball. He's special."

Taj Gibson:

"I remember it like it was yesterday. He was in the game, we talked about the game scheme, drew up a play for him to break down the defense and probably get a running hook, running floater -- he went down the lane, got a running floater, and just came down wrong. I was hoping it wasn't even his knee. I thought it was his ankle. He always had bad ankle problems, but he hurt his knee. We got a great win but the look on everybody's face wasn't even happy about the win. We were more like hoping that he's OK. You never want to see a teammate go out like that. But just the reaction when we got the news ... most of the guys just ran in the training room and we went into the training room and you didn't see him but we saw him come out with that disappointment look on his face it was surreal and we knew that it was something serious. That's what I remember the most."

"I just remember his face when he came out of the X-ray room and everybody was just shaking their head. It was like one of those scenes -- you're there but you don't know what's going on, but you know something was bad happening. It was one of those reactions, the whole locker room was just quiet, we heard people moving around but you hardly heard people say anything. That was crazy."

What was it like the next day?

"The next day was mellow. It was like you come in, it was quiet, real mellow and quiet. The only thing you mostly heard was the basketball. Guys just came in there and we got the news about how he was and it was cool because guys understood what they had to do but at the same time we really didn't understand like, 'What's the gameplan now?' How we got to adjust, we got to draw up different plays, we got to do different things like that. But guys were still like, 'Damn.' At the same time they were like, 'What could we have done differently? Maybe the second unit could have played a little harder, we wouldn't have had to worry about putting him back in the game.'"

"It was just a lot of stuff going on but then he was like, 'You got to man up. You got to get ready for the next game.' Things like this happen every day. But it was just tough because you go through a whole year of ups and downs, ups and downs, ups and downs, and get another blow like that to your teammate, you're like, 'Wow,' that was crazy. "


Sixers guard -- and Chicago native -- Evan Turner

"I think as big an icon as D-Rose has been to basketball and in the NBA and in Chicago, you're talking about a kid that's always been admired ... I root for every Chicago kid because you're putting on for the city and you inspire the younger kids coming up, (the injury) is traumatizing to a community. Chicago is on his back so you see him go down definitely is horrible because he's a pro's pro. You like watching him, you like seeing what he does, performing, so that was hard to watch, too."

What do you remember from that moment?

"I just thought he pulled a muscle because he didn't really react. I hear when people tear an ACL they start screaming and stuff. He didn't react or anything so I said he probably just caught a cramp because he's been playing off and on and that was it. I just figured nothing bad had happened, he never really got hurt before and then when it came out he tore his ACL, I was shocked because he didn't have any reaction."

John Paxson

"What I remember was there was excitement about the playoffs starting and us feeling that we had put ourselves in a position to make a run. And then we're sitting there just a short time away from winning Game 1 and knowing that every playoff game, that's the most important game you play, so we were going to have a 1-0 advantage.

"And then watching Derrick go down -- from that moment on I was just kind of numb -- because you knew it was bad when you saw him on the floor. And then the rest of the day was going to the hospital, staying with him and around him, and understanding that it was bad. And it was hard not to think about what that meant for our basketball team, but numb's the word to describe how I felt that day."

Gar Forman

"I remember when he first went down, because he had had several injuries during the year I thought ... I didn't have a good angle so I initially thought he had landed on someone's foot or sprained an ankle, I couldn't see that there was no one around. But then when I saw it on the TV, because we have a TV where we sit, then it was scary seeing him go down with nobody around. And then I just remember leaving the hospital and driving home and it just felt numb. That was about it."

CHICAGO -- Luol Deng is a victim of his own success. The veteran forward is so consistent that when he has a bad game, as he did in Game 1, it's hard for the Bulls to recover. He has become so crucial to the Bulls' success that when he doesn't live up to the lofty standards, the performance is easy to spot.

When he does play well, as he did during Game 3 Thursday night, he just kind of mixes in with the rest of the players on the floor. Deng's game may not stand out, but his consistency does to his teammates. They always knew Deng would bounce back and deliver after Saturday's poor showing, and that's exactly what he did -- to the tune of 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a 79-76 win over the Nets. Tom Thibodeau has repeatedly called Deng the 'glue' of his team, but his teammates just view Deng as a winner. His game isn't flashy but his teammates know that his steadiness sets him apart.

"I don't really view him as glue," Noah said. "I view him as a big piece of what we do. He played huge for us tonight, he carried us offensively, defensively, he just does everything. He's definitely a huge part of what we do."

So is Carlos Boozer -- but he doesn't have the same luxury of getting lost in the shuffle like his fellow Duke alum. Boozer is the Thibodeau-described lightning rod of the Bulls. He has the ability to take over games offensively, but he also has the ability to disappear at certain times. His enormous contract and inconsistent production during big games over the last two seasons has made him an easy target for angry fans who are always expecting more. Boozer has been mostly consistent for the Bulls this season, but there's always a fear among some in the fan base that the veteran power forward will float away in the midst of an important game. While Deng gets the benefit of the doubt because of his consistency, Boozer gets the brunt of the criticism because of his lack of it during the last two playoff runs.

The intriguing aspect of this pair is that without Derrick Rose and with Joakim Noah playing on one foot, they need Boozer and Deng to produce -- together -- more than ever. Boozer has done his part throughout the series, and was dominant at times again Thursday night scoring 22 points and pulling down 16 rebounds. He has proven that against Brooklyn he can be counted on and Thibodeau even acknowledged after the victory that the Bulls need to search him out even more and get him the ball.

"One thing about Carlos that people don't understand (is) that he does his job every day," Gibson said. "He's there early, a great teammate, he's always going to give you 110 percent in practice and he understands what it takes. He did a phenomenal job late. Like Thibs said, when we watch film, Thibs was really calling guys out and one thing about Carlos -- he responded. Thibs told him to (play more) help-side defense, step up on defense, and give support towards the point guard and he's been doing that. I think that's one of things people don't understand (about him). It's a small thing but on our team that's big for us."

With the Bulls fighting for their playoff lives, they have to count on Boozer and Deng to provide that leadership on both ends every night. Both men have risen to the occasion and they know they must continue to play at the same high level to close out this series.

"I thought Carlos hit some big shots," Deng said. "They made some runs and he just kept coming up huge. He was big for us. Carlos has been playing great and we just got to keep going to him and giving him looks. He's playing so well right now and the baskets he hit tonight were really huge. (The Nets) kind of felt like they got momentum and Carlos would come back and answer."

The same could be said of Deng's performance in the third quarter. He went on a one-man 12-0 run during the first four minutes of the second half and set the type of tone that the rest of his teammates followed.

"We just ran the same stuff," he said. "I was more aggressive coming off the pick and roll. I just hit shots. It was pretty much the same play we kept running and I just kept coming off and taking a look."

Now the Bulls head into Game 4 on Saturday with a legitimate chance to take control of the series. If they do so, everyone in the Bulls locker room knows that it will be Boozer and Deng leading the way. The two men aren't viewed the same way by the fans who cheer for them -- but they are viewed as equals at this point in the Bulls season. That's because in order for Thibodeau's team to have a chance to win, both men have to play at a high level every night. They also have to play with the type of passion that has become a staple of this Bulls' playoff run.

"Emotion, that's a big part of leadership as a whole," Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said. "So when your leaders show the most emotion, it's easy to go after and follow those guys because they give it their all, every day, every night, every possession. So I feel like when they're showing a lot of emotion it's just showing how much of a leader they are."

CHICAGO -- In the midst of the Chicago Bulls' preparations for Game 3 against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Grantland's Bill Simmons offered up a reminder that no matter what happens over the next few weeks, the Bulls always must keep an eye on the future.

It's a reminder that the Bulls front office didn't need because it's been their motto throughout this season without Derrick Rose and myriad of injuries to key players.

In the second part of Simmons' annual ranking of the NBA's top 50 players, he comes to the 20th spot on his list: Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He references the fact that Love has an opt-out clause in his current deal that would allow him to become a free agent after the 2014-2015 season. That's when the Bulls become involved, with Simmons noting that Love would very likely opt out of his deal. Simmons believes the Bulls are the likeliest suitor for Love:

"The Bulls have big contracts to make the trade work (Luol Deng on the enticing side, Carlos Boozer on the less enticing side); they're loaded with assets like Jimmy Butler (no. 49 on this year's list), the rights to Mirotic (a high lottery pick if he entered this year's draft), and the rights to Charlotte's future no. 1 pick (top-10 protected in 2014, top-eight protected in 2015, unprotected in 2016); and they're a big-market contender with a superstar in house (so they could keep Love for the long haul).

Simmons doubts the Wolves could turn down a deal that includes Boozer, Butler, Mirotic and the Charlotte pick.

There are a lot of different layers to this proposal. Let's break them down individually.

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NEW YORK -- Carlos Boozer stood proudly in front of his locker late Monday night after the Chicago Bulls' Game 2 victory and offered up an easy explanation as to why his team could bounce back so well after such an embarrassing performance in Game 1.

"We're pros," Boozer said. "We're pros. We make adjustments just like any other team. We have a team full of veteran guys that have been in the playoffs before."

Understandably, much of the talk after the 90-82 win centered around the fact that the Bulls' defense tightened up and forced the Brooklyn Nets into a more rigid game. What shouldn't go understated is the fact that the Bulls never panicked even after critics wrote them off on Saturday night. They always believed they could win this series and they proved they could respond in a major way on Monday.

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NEW YORK -- The most talked about player on the Chicago Bulls is someone who hasn't played a minute all season, Derrick Rose.

It's time to start talking about someone else -- namely, Joakim Noah.

He's the No. 1 reason why the Bulls are headed back to Chicago all square with the Brooklyn Nets, following a 90-82 victory in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Noah has had far better games statistically than his 11-point, 10-rebound performance on Monday. But the box score doesn't nearly tell the story. Playing through plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which sidelined him for most of the final month of the regular season, Noah was in the middle of almost every key play in the fourth quarter, as the Bulls fought off a Brooklyn rally.

"Jo's giving us everything he has," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "And we're obviously a lot better with him on the floor."

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NEW YORK -- The waiting media gathered on the lower level of one of the ritziest hotels in New York City on Sunday afternoon to speak with Tom Thibodeau and his Chicago Bulls after they were manhandled in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals by the Brooklyn Nets.

As the players began to file out of a conference room that had been taped on the floor to resemble one half of a basketball court, two lines began to form to give the players a walkway to get to their next destination. Player after player filed out without much interruption, and then Derrick Rose appeared.

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NEW YORK -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Bulls' 106-89 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their playoff series Saturday at the Barclays Center:

How it happened: Deron Williams had 22 points and seven assists as the Nets dominated this game from start to finish. Brook Lopez added 21 points and five rebounds and Gerald Wallace chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer led the way offensively for the Bulls, scoring 25 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Joakim Noah played just 13 minutes and was largely ineffective because of ongoing issues with plantar fasciitis.

What it means: Given the circumstances, this was by far the worst game the Bulls have played all season. They got out-worked throughout the night and their defense was terrible. Obviously, the Nets aren't going to shoot this way throughout the series, but the Bulls' issues run much deeper than their poor performance on Saturday night. Noah tried as hard as he could to give the Bulls something, but he looks too injured to play. Kirk Hinrich had little impact on the game and then injured his left quad in the third quarter and never returned. The Bulls' offense was lifeless and never found any kind of rhythm. But perhaps most upsetting for coach Tom Thibodeau was the fact that Luol Deng played one of the worst games of his career, scoring just six points and going 3-for-11 from the field.

Hits: The Nets shot 55.8 percent from the field and turned the ball over just eight times.

Misses: Marco Belinelli, Richard Hamilton, Hinrich and Deng combined to go just 5-for-23 from the field.

Stat of the night: The Nets outscored the Bulls 56-36 in the paint.

What's next: Game 2 at 7 p.m. CT Monday at the Barclays Center.

CHICAGO -- Regardless of whether the Brooklyn Nets are the ideal first-round matchup for the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA playoffs, it's the matchup the team didn't shy away from and ultimately earned.

The Bulls' 95-92 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in the regular-season finale wrapped up the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and an opening playoff series which begins Saturday at Brooklyn.

Officially, the Bulls wrapped up the fifth spot late in Wednesday's game when the Atlanta Hawks fell to the New York Knicks to slide to the sixth spot, but the Bulls' victory meant they didn't back into the five-seed.

Yet while the Hawks rested key players, the Bulls did not as Luol Deng played 27 minutes, Carlos Boozer played 38 and Jimmy Butler played a whopping 43. At the very least, the Bulls head into the playoffs with their heads held high and their health as good as it's been in a long time.

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CHICAGO -- There was no rest for the weary Wednesday night as Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau elected to use nearly all the players available to him in a 95-92 victory over the Washington Wizards in the season finale.

Thibodeau has been known for giving extended minutes to his core players, with Luol Deng heading into the season finale as the leader in the NBA in minutes played per game at 38.9. Joakim Noah was 15th with 37.1 minutes per game played.

Around the league, though, coaches were using the final game of the season as an opportunity for their core players to get a break.

In the Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks game, which directly affected the Bulls' playoff seeding, essentially all the core players were given the night off. The Knicks sat Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, among others, while the Hawks sat Al Horford, Josh Smith, Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague and Devin Harris.

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tom Thibodeau stood to the left of the large double doors that served as the entry to a joyous Chicago Bulls locker room Monday night and pondered the question that will hover over his team throughout the playoff drive.

"The question is are we going to be sharp?," Thibodeau said after a 102-84 victory over the Orlando Magic. "You're talking about playoff basketball where the intensity level is very high, and it's the same opponent over and over. And most often times the games are decided by one or two possessions. So how you match up with people is critical. A bad matchup for a minute in the playoffs is 10 points. So we got to be right and ready."

The key for the Bulls as they head into their final regular season game Wednesday against the Washington Wizards is that they feel about as ready as they can be. The fact that Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah made their return from injuries against the Magic gave the Bulls a much-needed emotional lift.

"You can see the way we were playing (Monday)," Gibson said of the emotional boost. "How guys were flying around on defense knowing that Joakim and me are behind to really negotiate the defense and really attack every shot coming up. We got a lot of blocked shots. Guys were talking, we were helping out the guards and that's what we need.

"We need a lot of energy late, and I told them I was going to play today. They had me on limited minutes, they had Jo on limited minutes, but we just wanted to be out there and really push the guys and know that we got to sharpen up. We got to get ready for the playoffs."

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MIAMI -- The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of learning a hard lesson that has been seven months in the making. When it comes to winning basketball games against elite teams late in the season, heart and hustle can only take you so far.

There's a certain point when that's just not enough, and the Bulls reached that point during Sunday's 105-93 loss to the Miami Heat.

Throughout much of this season, the Bulls found ways to win games they weren't supposed to, play through injuries to key contributors and fight through the mental and physical grind of an 82-game season. The fact that they did all of this without star guard Derrick Rose and managed to play at a high level with the constant distraction of Rose's status is commendable and shows again why Tom Thibodeau is such a good coach.

But at some point, no matter how hard a team tries, talent almost always wins out. That's what happened Sunday against Miami as the Bulls played without Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis), Taj Gibson (knee), Rip Hamilton (suspension) and of course, Rose. They didn't have enough to slow down LeBron James and company down the stretch and make plays.

Thibodeau preaches about never having excuses, but let's face it, the Bulls don't have enough healthy talent to beat teams like Miami right now. The veteran coach doesn't want to hear it, but his players know it to be true.

"The thing is it was a winnable game for us," Thibodeau said. "You're going to get into situation when you're on the road ... they're a great team, give them credit. I think that they got a lot of calls that went their way but that was to be expected. There's still a winnable game down the stretch. We had a couple tough plays where we had poor body positioning but even in the fourth quarter we're right there. We got to come up with a way to get stops."

But that's the problem for the Bulls and has been off and on throughout the season. The offense has struggled for consistency, and because of all the injuries, they sometimes have to play small and try to knock down shots from the perimeter. When those shots aren't falling, it makes them even more vulnerable on both ends of the floor. With Noah and Gibson not on the floor, the problems became even harder to cover up.

"We're small," Thibodeau admitted. "When you take 26 3s it means (in this case) those were probably the right shots. We're playing small, we've got four perimeter players out there with Carlos (Boozer). Those are the shots that present themselves. I think what happens when you do that is your offense picks up but your defense suffers. The value of both Taj and Joakim are the fact that you can stay big when teams go small, because of their feet. But that being said we've got other guys that can get it done. We just didn't get it done."

The problem for Thibodeau is that it's just not the case.

Nazr Mohammed didn't score and committed three fouls in less than seven minutes of play. Boozer racked up 16 points and 20 rebounds but missed nine shots, played poor defense and repeatedly did not go up strong at the rim. The good news for the Bulls is that both Noah and Gibson are hoping to be ready for the playoffs, if not sooner. The bad news is that they likely won't be able to get into any kind of rhythm before the big games start next weekend. The Bulls would love to get up to the fifth seed and jump Atlanta before the end of the regular season, but all of it is moot if they can't get relatively healthy before next weekend.

"Just (playing with) more energy," Bulls guard Nate Robinson said of what his team needed to fix up before the playoffs. "More energy. Everything else will take care of itself."

That's just not the case. If the Bulls don't get healthy, they won't win.

Thibodeau's team has been playing hard of late, a fact lost on no one within the locker room. They're just out of gas. They don't have enough depth to overcome so many injuries and the guys who have been playing have played so many minutes that their bodies are starting to wear out. The only true importance for the last two games of the season is to keep everybody upright and get Noah and Gibson back. The Bulls have the ability, with that group, to beat either the Brooklyn Nets or the Indiana Pacers in the first round. The Heat, as they proved two years ago in the Eastern Conference finals and again on Sunday, are just on another level right now.

"Just come out with two solid efforts on both ends of the floor," Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said of his wish for the last two games. "We've kind of been inconsistent in both areas here as of late. (We) just have to gear up because once the season ends the playoffs are here. It's not like we get another training camp. So we just have to play two very solid effort games on both ends of the floor; unselfish on offense, moving the ball, just being very sharp."

CHICAGO -- As he watched Thursday night's gritty 118-111 overtime win over the New York Knicks unfold from the bowels of the United Center, injured Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson said, he and fellow injured big man Joakim Noah got so frustrated they almost broke the television screen on which they were watching the game.

They couldn't believe they weren't out on the floor with the rest of their teammates, but they never doubted that the Bulls could find a way to win despite the fact that they still have so many guys out because of various injuries. They knew the spirit and will they play with as a group doesn't change -- no matter who is on the floor. They knew that just because the talent might not have been there, it didn't mean the heart of this squad suddenly disappeared.

Most of all, Gibson, Noah and the rest of the Bulls understood the most true fact of all when it comes to this up and down Bulls season without Derrick Rose: Just when you're about to count out the Bulls and write them off completely, that's when they will find a way to surprise everyone.

"It was a big win," Gibson said. "It seems that we don't really get any respect around the East. ... We tried to make a statement. We tried to let people know that we're still a tough team. We got a lot of injuries. A lot of people don't understand we've had a lot of injuries on this team throughout the season and we're still playing well. But with this team, you don't know what you're going to get. We lose to below-.500 teams, and we come out and beat some of the best teams around the NBA."

In many ways, the past two weeks have served as a perfect microcosm for this team as it enters the final four games of the regular season. The Bulls have beaten the Miami Heat, who went into that game on a 27-game winning streak, and the Knicks, who went into Thursday's game on a 13-game winning streak. They've also lost to the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. They know they can beat any team or lose to any team on a given night, which gives them a perfect amount of confidence in games, such as Thursday's, that most people don't believe they can win.

"Honestly, there wasn't anything said about the [Knicks'] streak," Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said. "It wasn't like, 'Oh well, they've won X amount of games in a row and we're going to stop them.' It was just focus on what we have to do, and for the most part, we did a pretty good job."

There's the key for the Bulls. When they are locked in and focused, they really can beat anyone. This notion is exemplified by the play of veteran point guard Nate Robinson. He has the rare ability to continuously make coaches furious and incredibly happy in the span of a single possession. He proved that again against the Knicks, going off for 35 points off the bench. For as much flak as Robinson takes because of some of his questionable decisions on the floor, he also plays with the type of swagger his teammates feed off.

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CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls earned a hard-fought 118-111 overtime win over the New York Knicks on Thursday night at the United Center.

How it happened: Nate Robinson had a huge game off the bench for the Bulls, scoring 35 points, and Jimmy Butler had another big game, pouring in 22 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. The energetic pair led the way for a Bulls team that overcame a 17-point deficit while still playing without Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose. Given the way the Bulls have played over the last week, this is a win coach Tom Thibodeau and his team should savor as they head into the final four games of the regular season.

What it means: The Bulls win these kinds of games against high-level teams because they play together with no fear. No matter who is on the floor, no matter who is hurt, they believe they can win because Thibodeau has instilled confidence in them. Confidence is a trait that Robinson is never lacking. He always believes he can dominate a game and he always believes he can lead his team to victory. He plays with a swagger that can drive Thibodeau crazy, but it's the type of energy the Bulls desperately need down the stretch. To that point, Butler continues to improve day by day and is showing why so many people within the organization are encouraged by his success. Thibodeau clearly trusts in him more than he did earlier in the season, and he should. Butler has proven he can make a major impact against some of the best teams in the league. He has played 98 minutes over the last two games.

Hits: Rip Hamilton chipped in with 14 points, eight assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.

Misses: Carlos Boozer had 13 points and 15 rebounds, but he and Kirk Hinrich combined to go just 6-for-22 from the field.

Stat of the night: The Knicks' 13-game winning streak is over.

What's next: The Bulls are right back at it Friday night when they face off against the Toronto Raptors.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- While Derrick Rose's absence and the team's rash of injuries have dominated the story lines for the Chicago Bulls this season, not all news has been bad.

Carlos Boozer has shown some much-needed durability while also being productive, while Jimmy Butler has raised his profile mightily with extended playing time afforded by the injuries to others. Both have been keys in assisting a hobbled club into the playoffs.

"I don't try to think about it, I just try to play incredibly hard every possession on the offensive end and the defensive end," Butler said. "Just play my role but expand it a little bit more. I feel like even though I'm starting you still have to be that energy guy and guard and hit an open shot. I feel like that's my role for this team if it's 20 minutes or 40 minutes."

Way back in November, Butler played over 22 minutes in a game just twice. In the month of December he played 30 minutes twice. By January, injuries allowed him to play 40 minutes in five consecutive games, with the Bulls winning four of them.

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Here’s a quick look at how the Chicago Bulls lost to the Detroit Pistons, 99-85, Sunday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

How it happened: The Bulls seemed like a tired bunch despite having the previous night off, unlike the Pistons, who lost in Minnesota on Saturday. Chicago got a game-high 21 points from Carlos Boozer while Nate Robinson tossed in 18. Detroit was deadly from behind the 3-point line, nailing 9-of-18 attempts, while Chicago was 3-for-15 from behind the arc.

What it means: With all eight playoff berths clinched in the Eastern Conference it’s all about seeding now for the Bulls, who had their two-game win streak snapped. With six games left in the regular season, they’re just a game ahead of sixth-seeded Atlanta and now two games behind Brooklyn for the fourth seed.

Hits: Joakim Noah, who returned to the Bulls’ lineup after an eight-game absence due to plantar fasciitis, was 4-for-4 shooting from the field in 21:25 of playing time. He was 5-of-8 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. Noah also grabbed seven rebounds, had three assists and blocked one shot.

Misses: Chicago had won 18 in a row against the Pistons before Sunday’s loss.

Stat of the night: As a team, the Bulls came into Sunday’s game shooting 77 percent from the free-throw line. Against the Pistons they were just 64 percent from the line.

What’s next: The Bulls return to action Tuesday at home against the Toronto Raptors.