10 Keys for Chicago Bulls Heading into the Playoffs

With the 2012 NBA regular season coming to a close, the Eastern Conference playoff picture is beginning to clear up at the top.

The Chicago Bulls have defeated the Miami Heat, thus extending their lead to four games with just seven to go. You'd think that the Bulls' accomplishment would inspire optimism, but it doesn't; it's just a beam of sunlight in a cloudy future.

Between injuries and lineup questions, the Chicago Bulls seem to be in a neverending cycle of uncertainty. Their leader is healthy one day and injured the next. Their reserve point guards have played well enough to garner starter minutes but simply don't have the time in the current rotation.

Worst of all, Chicago could be facing the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs—the very team that beat them in a thrilling 100-99 victory.

In order to prepare for these prospective situations and overcome adversity, here are the keys to the Chicago Bulls' success.

10. Finding Time for Jimmy Butler

One of the most underrated rookies in the NBA is Chicago's Jimmy Butler.

He's a lockdown defender—a capable facilitator and has already established himself as a young leader. While he's not yet worthy of 30-minute playing time, Butler's presence on the floor always seems to bring something positive to his teammates.

As the playoffs approach, Tom Thibodeau should begin developing Butler into a regular rotation player. Somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes per night could be enough to maximize his current level of talent.

9. Finding Balanced Time for C.J. Watson, John Lucas III

The play of both C.J. Watson and John Lucas III has been brilliant in Derrick Rose's absence. With Rose back in the lineup, Watson continued that success.

With Derrick Rose's return, however, it's likely that the two reserve point guards will see a decline in playing time.

Due to such a fact, Tom Thibodeau must draw up rotations that get the most out of these players.

8. Role Players Finding Their Shot

The Chicago Bulls have quite an impressive collection of shooters, including the three-point marksman C.J. Watson and Kyle Korver.

They also have a few players who thrive in attacking the rim, such as John Lucas III and Ronnie Brewer. The fact of the matter is none of those players are shooting as well as the Bulls could have hoped for.

While Korver is shooting an impressive 44 percent from distance, he's at only 43 percent from the field. C.J. Watson mirrors that with 41 percent from three but 38 percent overall. Lucas III's 40 percent and Brewer's 43 percent only continue the shooting woes.

In order for the Bulls to be able to overcome the smothering defenses of the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and even the New York Knicks, their perimeter shooters must improve those numbers.

While Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer will do their mightiest, the Bulls truly stand no chance without a consistent perimeter attack.

7. Taj Gibson

Taj Gibson is the 2012 Chicago Bulls' MVP.

He's played multiple positions, contributed momentum-shifting dunks, dominated the glass, blocked shots and even gone toe-to-toe with the NBA's elite. By toe-to-toe, of course, I mean to say he dominated them in every aspect of the word.

In order for the Bulls to find long-term success, they must create a more consistent role for Gibson in the current rotation. While his minutes are always there, his appearances are often more sporadic than they should be.

Instead, the Bulls should utilize the defensive stature of a lineup including Gibson and Luol Deng, all the while pairing C.J. Watson and Kyle Korver as marksman on the perimeter.

6. Dominating the 3

Between Kyle Korver's three-point brilliance and Luol Deng's defensive dominance, the Chicago Bulls have one of the best perimeter tandems in the NBA.

The fact of the matter is, they could face all three of the best threes in the NBA before reaching the finals—New York's Carmelo Anthony, Boston's Paul Pierce and Miami's LeBron James.

In order to make it to the finals, Deng and Korver must solidify their roles. They must know what they are and are not capable of and never try to do too much.

In other words, they must make last night's performance against the Heat a nightly ritual.

5. Starting out Quick

One of the most concerning quarters of basketball I've witnessed all season was the first quarter of the Bulls-Knicks showdown at Madison Square Garden.

While the box score will show that the Bulls scored 19 points, it doesn't tell the tale of their falling behind 27-8 with 2:55 remaining in the quarter. While they lit the scoreboard up for 11 points in just under three minutes, that turnaround can't always be expected.

The Bulls must cure these first-quarter woes and make the opening period a strength. Whether that calls for a change in the lineup to a more scoring-friendly rotation or simply running greater first-quarter plays, something needs to be done.

Look for Kyle Korver to play a big role in those improvements.

4. Resist the Rest

If we've learned anything over the years, it's that resting your players does two things: rebuilds health and damages team chemistry. Unless the player's name is Derrick Rose, that strategy must be thrown to the wayside.

The Bulls have not been at full strength for almost the entirety of the season, with both Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton missing significant playing time. In order to properly overcome those injuries, they must develop a chemistry with both players in the lineup.

Well, at least Rip.

3. Dismissing Notion of a Closer

One of the most understated qualities of Richard Hamilton's game is that he was once at the heart of consecutive NBA Finals appearances. One of those appearances led to a title.

At the heart of the Detroit Pistons' title quest was Hamilton's brilliant shooting, especially in the clutch. More so than his clutch play, however, was the fact that there was not one player who took every shot when it mattered most.

Instead, Hamilton was paired with Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace when it mattered most, making the Pistons almost undefendable in crunch time.

For Tom Thibodaeu, this is the perfect model to follow.

Derrick Rose can be dominant in the clutch. Hamilton is an ice-cold killer when the game is on the line. Luol Deng has a history of big shots, as does C.J. Watson—who just brought the Bulls to overtime against the Heat.

Rather than putting it all in Derrick Rose's hands, the Bulls must open their minds to the "anyone at any time" approach. Believe it or not, it will be much more efficient than the obvious ball-handler.

2. Carlos Boozer's Mojo

Whether you love him or hate him, there's no way around his importance to the Bulls' success. He plays one of the premier positions in the NBA and has the skills to put up 20 and 10. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to lose his mojo.

In other words, Carlos Boozer's talent is leagues ahead of his mental makeup.

In order for the Bulls to have legitimate success, Boozer must be at the top of his game. Fortunately for the Bulls, he has been over the past five games.

His averages of 14.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, three assists and one steals is evidence of such.

1. Making Sure Derrick Rose Is at Full Strength

As impressive as the Chicago Bulls have been in Derrick Rose's absence, to say that they have an uphill struggle to win a title without him is a bit of an understatement. To truly stand a chance, Rose must return to 100 percent.

And no, he's not even close to that level right now.

In the two games since D-Rose returned to the Bulls starting lineup, he has shot a combined 9-for-39 from the field. He's also turned the ball over 11 times and missed two key free throws in the Bulls' loss to the New York Knicks.

Despite optimism created by Chicago's victory against the Heat, this simply will not cut it come playoff time.

Derrick Rose must be at 100 percent or not play at all.