Five Changes Chicago Bulls Must Make for NBA Finals Run in 2012

Following Easter Sunday's overtime loss, it is clear that the Chicago Bulls need to shore up things defensively if they hope to make a run at the 2012 NBA Finals.

Rose came back from injury and had a rough afternoon shooting the rock.

Aside from the third quarter, the reigning MVP showed a lot of rust in this game, and he shot 8-for-26 from the field with a whopping eight turnovers.

Those numbers will not cut it come playoff time, and it will be important for Chicago to get things back on track come playoff time.

Another concerning issue taken from this game was that New York was shorthanded, as both Jeremy Lin (who is likely out for the season) and Amar'e Stoudemire both did not play in this contest.

This game is not complete cause for concern, as I came away very impressed with how the Bulls battled back in this contest. The team was absolutely horrible to start this game, and faced a 20-point deficit right out of the gate. 

As the season unwinds, let's take a look at some changes Chicago will need to make for a run to the NBA Finals.

Luol Deng Has to Step Up His Game in the Playoffs

For the Bulls to reach their goal, Deng has got to step up in a big way. He was basically non-existent on Sunday and was flat-out destroyed by Carmelo Anthony.

Melo snapped in this game, going for 43 points, including several big threes down the stretch to seal this one. 

Not only did Deng get completely outplayed, he went just 4-for-16 from the field with 13 points. That is simply not going to cut it this postseason.

No knock on Melo; he is one of my favorite players in the league, but he is no LeBron James.

LBJ is a completely different animal, and it will be no secret that Deng will have the unfortunate task of slowing him down again this postseason. 

If Deng continues to struggle, Chicago could be in trouble.

Will Derrick Rose Continue to Be Bothered by Taller Defenders?

Rose is the man for the Bulls—everyone knows that—and opponents have developed a trend in their efforts to slow him down.

As I have stated several times when referring to the potential matchup against the Miami Heat, LeBron James will be counted on to guard D-Rose in late-game situations.

Now I want to make one thing clear: Iman Shumpert is no LeBron James, by any means.

However Shumpert caused Rose serious problems in the last matchup, and with the rematch being tonight, I'd bet that the rookie will guard Rose again.

Point guards simply can't stay in front of D-Rose and that is obvious, but coaches have opted to put a taller defender on the former MVP in hopes of slowing him down.

We saw it last year against the Heat, and on Sunday against the Knicks.

There are many teams in the East who have players that can fit this bill: Andre Iguodala is en example for the Sixers, as is Paul George for the Indiana Pacers.

This strategy will not always work, because guarding Rose for the entirety of a game has proven to be impossible at times, but this will no doubt be the strategy opposing coaches will use in certain situations.

Who Will Provide Low-Post Scoring in the Playoffs?

Boozer had a solid game on Sunday, with 13 points and 16 rebounds.

My issue with Boozer is consistency.

In certain games, he is very engaged and plays hard. However, in other contests, he seems out of it and plays horrible defense.

One aspect of Boozer's game that is outstanding is his rebounding. However, all of Chicago's big men do an outstanding job of crashing the boards.

The reason why the Bulls management brought in Boozer was not to rebound (although that is an obvious plus), but it was to offer another solid scoring option—that hasn't always been there.

A year ago, he was outplayed by Chris Bosh night in and night out, and if that happens this year, the Bulls will struggle offensively.

Also, it has been well documented that Boozer tends to disappear in the playoffs, and that was a knock on the former Utah Jazz big man when the Bulls brought him in last season.

If the Bulls want to make it the Finals, Boozer will have to score consistently on the low post. Otherwise, teams will consistently try to smother D-Rose.

Chicago MUST Make Their Free Throws Down the Stretch of Games

Everybody wants to point the finger at Derrick Rose for his missed foul shots that could have closed out the Knicks, and I suppose that comes with the territory when you're the MVP.

However, it was not just Rose who fell short at the line; Luol Deng also missed very crucial free throws down the stretch. This is simply unacceptable.

Rose went 9-for-12 from the game, and Deng went 5-for-7 from the line, but both of the All-Stars missed their free throws when it mattered most.

This is a somewhat concerning problem, because for D-Rose, this issue can be traced back to his days at Memphis, when he had the opportunity to win the national championship, yet missed foul shots that could have won the game.

I'm as big of a supporter of D-Rose as any Bulls fan; the only knock I have on the reigning MVP is clutch free-throw shooting.

This is an issue that will undoubtedly come up again come playoff time.

The Bulls Must Cut Down on the Turnovers

In this recent slump, the Bulls have turned the ball over entirely too much each game.

Chicago has 62 combined turnovers in the past four games, including two games in which they turned it over 19 times. The Bulls have dropped three out of the last four contests during this stretch.

All season, the Bulls have hung their hats on playing outstanding defense and taking care of the rock.

Against elite teams such as the Miami Heat or the Oklahoma City Thunder, giving that team extra transition opportunities will make winning damn near impossible.

With that being said, a lot of this problem is that the team is just now becoming healthy, and Rip Hamilton and Rose are still acclimating to playing with the team.

Once Rose, Hamilton and the other starters get their groove back offensively, this problem should be addressed. 

If Chicago can address these issues, they will be among the favorites to make the NBA Finals in 2012. At the very least, I have Chicago slated for the Eastern Conference Finals. However, every team's goal is a championship.

With less than a month until playoff time, you better believe Tom Thibodeau will address each of these issues.